Car Cover?

[alohart]

Have you found a car cover that works well with your i-MiEV? I will be storing mine for 6 months in my condo parking garage where no rain can fall on my parking space but outside air with dust certainly blows through. So I don't need a cover that protects the paint from rain or sun, but I'd like to return to a car that's not covered in a heavy dust layer.

I haven't been able to find a custom cover (no surprise), but I have identified this cover as a possibility. It's probably a bit too large, but my i-MiEV will be on jack stands, so if the cover hangs down a bit too low, it should be fine.

I would love to hear your comments and suggestions.

 

[Don]

They claim this one fits the car

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mitsubishi-i-MiEV-3-Layer-Car-Cover-Fit-Outdoor-Water-Proof-Rain-Soft-Sun-Dust-/200798990193

. . . . and they'll take it back if it doesn't - But I'd feel a bit more confident if they actually had a picture of it on one

I suppose not everyone has ready access to an iMiEV for photo shoots though :lol:

Don

 

[jray3]

The cab cover for my F250 megacab could practically cover the i. :roll:
California Pop Top in Valencia, CA was willing to sew up a custom design if we could send over a car for the pattern and do a small group buy.
http://www.capoptop.com/

I like the tyvek cover since it sheds rain better, can be shaken dry, and packs into a tiny bag, while my bulky Kimberly-Clark Evolution III blue felt cover lost it's water repellency fairly fast and became a big 'ol chamois sponge (which grows moss in about a month up here)...

 

[JoeS]

alohart, is there a draft in your parking garage? If so, be sure to run a side-to-side rope/strap under the car. Our iMiEV length is 144.7", but she's tall. If the car cover proves to be too long, you can always also run a fore-aft strap under the car. The cover+straps will also be a deterrent to the casual pilferer. Just thought of a funny: put a sign on it saying CAUTION - Electric Vehicle -DO NOT TOUCH

 

[alohart]

They claim this one fits the car

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mitsubishi-i-MiEV-3-Layer-Car-Cover-Fit-Outdoor-Water-Proof-Rain-Soft-Sun-Dust-/20079899019

Thanks for the reference! This seller also sells a simple 1-layer cover designed for indoor use, supposedly also custom-fit for the i-MiEV, for about $30 including shipping. This same seller has its own Website as well, but the car covers available don't seem to be the same as those offered through eBay. I'm not convinced that these car covers are custom-fit for the i-MiEV, so I will contact the seller to see what I can learn.

 

[alohart]

alohart, is there a draft in your parking garage?

The trade winds blow through our parking garage, but it's not very windy in my parking space.

If so, be sure to run a side-to-side rope/strap under the car.

That's what I do when I have stored my Honda Insight in its Swedish carport parking space that was exposed to wind, rain/snow, and even some sun. The locking cable I used always kept my car cover in place. So I'll do the same here in Honolulu.

Just thought of a funny: put a sign on it saying CAUTION - Electric Vehicle -DO NOT TOUCH

I've occasionally fantasized about installing a Tesla coil "burglar deterrent" in my i-MiEV. With our high-voltage, high-capacity battery pack, I thought that it might be possible to power a Tesla coil that would discharge long sparks inside my car. This would be particularly impressive at night

 

[alohart]

I'm not convinced that these car covers are custom-fit for the i-MiEV, so I will contact the seller to see what I can learn.

The seller, The Car Cover, told me that these car covers are not custom-fit for the i-MiEV (no surprise). The cover that they ship is based solely on the length of one's vehicle with no regard for the vehicle's shape (e.g., sedan, van, hatchback, etc.). So I don't expect either of these indoor covers, 1- or 2-layer, to fit particularly well. Maybe that's OK for my intended use. Including shipping, the cost of the 1-layer cover is about $20 less than the Budge 1-layer small SUV cover sold by Amazon which might fit slightly better since it's designed for a small SUV shape. I'll probably go for the least expensive option.

 

[JoeS]

From the Golf Cart thread,

...Speaking of additional stuff, we bought a Budge car cover, the Premier Tyvek, for the iMiev and it works quite well. After leaving the iMiev in the sun for an hour so so, it felt, after returning to the car, as if there was a 30+ degree temperature difference between the outside air and inside the car. One of these days, I will actually measure the difference.

Its a full car cover: http://www.budgecovers.com/car-covers/mitsubishi/i-miev/2012

Phximiev, thank you for posting this and would you be kind enough to perhaps post a photo? I was about to see if a cover for the original Honda Fit would fit our i-MiEV.

 

[Phximiev]

Depending on what the plans are, I will try to get a pic today.

 

[Phximiev]

Ok, here is the Budge Cover. Again we are particularly pleased with it.

 

[PV1]

Nice cover.

Wow, those parking spaces are huge!

 

[JoeS]

phxmiev, thanks for posting. I've already ordered a white Tyvex cover as three imievs, one Insight, and a couple of Sparrows in the garage means no room left for working on boat stuff... :roll:

 

[Phximiev]

Cool . . . ;-0

 

[JoeS]

An update on the Tyvex material used in the aforementioned car covers:

1) I had placed the cover over my friend's car that I just brought home (have been able to squeeze three Sparrows and three i-MiEVs into the garage, but the Insight is now under its cover under the carport). When I went out about noon today to retrieve my CaniOn Bluetooth OBDII and lifted the cover, the car was covered in moisture! Seems that Tyvex traps moisture both ways. Not good.

2) When I had first ordered the Tyvex cover I had been talking with the salesperson that I was primarily interested in UV-resistance, and stressed this. The problem is that I was thinking of the UV-resistance of the cover itself and not car protection (that's what's destroyed my other covers), figuring that just about anything will shield the car from UV-rays. The salesman assured me that this had the best UV resistance of any product they had. Talk about mis-communication. :roll:

Nevertheless, in the summer sun the Tyvex is fantastic as its white color really reflects the sun, but for now on I will only use it as a temporary daytime outdoor cover ... or maybe at night when summer dryness returns.

 

[tigger19687]

Don't feel bad. I have this carport cover by shelter logic
http://www.shelterlogic.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductId=1191f9e5-0df0-4e9b-b315-9df80095b3e3&CategoryName=Garages

While it works well, I did noticed that when it is even a little moist out, there is condensation on the truck. And this is not ON the truck, but around it with at lest 3 feet above it and a foot on the sides.

THAT is also WITH one door panel NOT ON at all. so always there is air coming in.

I think it is the no breathable stuff?

I bet if your cover had flannel lined inside it would be fine. I never had that issue with my motorcycle and it had a flannel inside line to the waterproof cover.

 

[Phximiev]

118 Degrees :arrow: Budge - well worth it in this heat :!:

 

[Phximiev]

Budge at Tempe Ikea:

121˚ per i-Miev gauge after an hour or so of Ikea shopping:

It was a lot nicer inside because of the Budge.

Not fun outside tho; “heat wave”: https://weather.com/forecast/regional/news/death-valley-120-degree-heat

On one side, we are too late such as: “The Sixth Extinction” by Elizabeth Kolbert.

On the other side: we’re not: "The Meaning of Human Existence" by Edward O. Wilson.

All I can say is that it looks to me like we are burning up the planet and that we better hurry up with the CO2 reductions.

:mrgreen:

 

[kiev]

Howdy Phoenix, would you want to try an experiment--put 4 or 5 large dry sponges on the roof to create an air gap between the cover and the metal roof--i'm guessing that it would keep it cooler

 

[Phximiev]

Ok, we'll try it.

 

[wmcbrine]

Budge at Tempe Ikea:

Is that... a space marked both EV and handicapped? What do you do with that? Personally, I'd avoid it if I didn't meet both criteria. (Not theoretical -- there's a parking garage around here with a couple of spaces like that.)