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In winter ?

I've thought of covering our car this winter so when we need to go out I can just pull the cover off and the car will be 100% snow free, but the fact they are about £25/$50 kind of puts me off.

I usually just leave the car uncovered, and when we need to go out, I fire it up and let it warm up on idle while I get most of the snow off with a soft brush and spray de-icer on the windscreen.

Hmm... I'm not sure... What do you do ?

jmurray01 said:

In winter ?

I've thought of covering our car this winter so when we need to go out I can just pull the cover off and the car will be 100% snow free, but the fact they are about ｣25/$50 kind of puts me off.

I usually just leave the car uncovered, and when we need to go out, I fire it up and let it warm up on idle while I get most of the snow off with a soft brush and spray de-icer on the windscreen.

Hmm... I'm not sure... What do you do ?

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Few people here use a cover, because it's a huge PIB to get them on and off especially getting them off with a foot of snow atop them. My favorite method for removing dry snow from a car is to use a powerful electric leaf blower. For wifes car which sits outside (while mine are garaged) I use a large section of thick cardboard over the "windscreen" and held into place with the wipers, that keeps frost off, HOWEVER this method can also make the cardboard freeze to the windshield sometimes.

JDgreen said:

Few people here use a cover, because it's a huge PIB to get them on and off especially getting them off with a foot of snow atop them. My favorite method for removing dry snow from a car is to use a powerful electric leaf blower. For wifes car which sits outside (while mine are garaged) I use a large section of thick cardboard over the "windscreen" and held into place with the wipers, that keeps frost off, HOWEVER this method can also make the cardboard freeze to the windshield sometimes.

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Yeah, getting the cover off would be a bit time consuming, and getting it to stay on would be a task too, as Scotland is prone to very bad winds, especially in winter.

Looks like the Ford will be uncovered again this year :laughing:

jmurray01 said:

Yeah, getting the cover off would be a bit time consuming, and getting it to stay on would be a task too, as Scotland is prone to very bad winds, especially in winter.

Looks like the Ford will be uncovered again this year :laughing:

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Most covers I have seen stiffen badly in the cold and it would be a huge PIB to refold them after removal. If you dont care about abrading the paint (yes, YOU will) you could always use a plastic tarp and anchor the corners down.

I used to use plastic or a tarp over the windshield - specially on days where freezing rain was predicted - id make sure it went up on the roof , under the wipers and held it on by tucking it in the doors - other times i just fired the truck up and did the snow brush thing...... dont have to worry about that here now tho, altho sometimes theres frost on the windows.....

if you cover a vehicle over night then it would make sense to also cover it up while at WORK for 8,10,12 hrs a day,or if your at the store for a few hrs. even driving down the road while nasty weather is happening will hinder visibility and the visibility of the headlights/tailights :biggrin:

This thread makes me appreciate my heated garage more. :smile:

Black Bart said:

This thread makes me appreciate my heated garage more. :smile:

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Damn you! :laughing:

I actually do have a garage, but our other car is in there at the moment as a non runner, so I can't get the Ford in there...

Carport it helps with the weather pretty good... its 20'x 22' it helps keep the sun, snow, etc off the vehicles.

We po, no garage or cover just a snowbrush.

Wife's truck sleeps for the last 5 yrs in the garage i build into the house after the kids left .
My truck sleeps in the machine shed(open front) but will go this winter in the new shop i'm building if i get the heaters in and the doors installed before winter hits and the snow start flying.
The chore tractor and snowplow live in a small heated shop,they're the most important pieces of equipment on the yard

It used to be a bear to get the vehicles(all diesels) going in the morning in our cold winters when they were parked outside

Bison said:

Wife's truck sleeps for the last 5 yrs in the garage i build into the house after the kids left .
My truck sleeps in the machine shed(open front) but will go this winter in the new shop i'm building if i get the heaters in and the doors installed before winter hits and the snow start flying.
The chore tractor and snowplow live in a small heated shop,they're the most important pieces of equipment on the yard

It used to be a bear to get the vehicles(all diesels) going in the morning in our cold winters when they were parked outside

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That is it. With the cold, the engines get very cold, and as diesels rely on compression and heat to start and run, they find it hard to fire up in cold, even with glow plug cycles.

jmurray01 said:

That is it. With the cold, the engines get very cold, and as diesels rely on compression and heat to start and run, they find it hard to fire up in cold, even with glow plug cycles.

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Yeah duhh,like i didn't know that,..i don't come out of an egg
I been diesel mechanic all my life :wink:
I have 3 diesel trucks and 7 diesel tractors.
Only gas engines i have are in 2 JD 112 lawntractors.
Only other use i have for gas is for washing parts:tongue:

Bison said:

Yeah duhh,like i didn't know that,..i don't come out of an egg
I been diesel mechanic all my life :wink:
I have 3 diesel trucks and 7 diesel tractors.
Only gas engines i have are in 2 JD 112 lawntractors.
Only other use i have for gas is for washing parts:tongue:

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I hope you are joking because to me, using gas for parts washing is much too dangerous. There are commercial parts washing solutions available that are much safer. Guy I worked with before I retired was a Safety-Kleen employee before he worked with me, he told me several stories that made me even more determined not to use gas for cleaning.

Bison said:

Yeah duhh,like i didn't know that,..i don't come out of an egg
I been diesel mechanic all my life :wink:
I have 3 diesel trucks and 7 diesel tractors.
Only gas engines i have are in 2 JD 112 lawntractors.
Only other use i have for gas is for washing parts:tongue:

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I was explaining it to anybody who didn't know.

JDgreen said:

I hope you are joking because to me, using gas for parts washing is much too dangerous. There are commercial parts washing solutions available that are much safer. Guy I worked with before I retired was a Safety-Kleen employee before he worked with me, he told me several stories that made me even more determined not to use gas for cleaning.

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Nope,not joking.
After 40 odd years of using gas as parts cleaner i'm still in one piece and didn't burn the barn down either.
To scare the living daylights outa ye:tongue:,...i often smoked while cleaning parts either with the brush or compressed air/gas cleaning gun in the shop or outside.

Scary stories are just that,scary stories.But i don't scare easy:wink:

you can pick up riding mower covers for $12 a piece at WALMART....theyre water proof too!......... Walmart.com: MaxPower Deluxe Tractor/Mower Cover: Garden Center