[SLK]

History

I have no dedicated parking and my cars are parked on the road (I’m assuming like most others).

When I bought a bright red Polo GT back in 2015, I felt the need to keep it covered to keep that super bright red wet look alive for longer. The car came with the OEM cover and that is what I started using on a daily basis.

The cover lasted a few months and then tore off (it didn't even have a proper antenna slot!).

Back in those days, eBay was the more famous online shop so I ordered another cover for my Polo. The cover was light and lacked mirror pockets and like the OEM cover, the only way to hold it in place was to strap it from below the car. This new cover was unimpressive and used to become a car parachute in strong winds. Once fine day, the strap broke off and it was unsustainable.

I was on eBay again to find a new one, this time I looked a bit deeper and I found something that said, "Custom Fit Soft PU Body Cover VOLKSWAGEN POLO-1.2 GT TSI".

The description of the cover explained that it is not waterproof but resistant to reasonable rain though heavy rain will get through and why it is important to have breathable car covers that prevent build-up of moisture etc.

That cover I bought on eBay, lasted me 5 years.

I bought an Octavia in 2019 which came with an OEM cover again, which was torn by stray dogs. On a look out for new cover, I looked at many and bought one from Amazon! XG brand, which was on top of the listing!

This Rs. 1,147 (somehow the more expensive ones seemed to look exactly same!) cover used very basic material, no water resistance, as every single drop of water and bird shit filtered right through it. It was so transparent that I could see the white car below it right through the cover!. The cover was loose fitting and was only held with the strap from underneath the car.

The lockdown

Work from home almost became permanent and cars remained parked most part of the week. Covers were the only saviours of cars now.

Humans vanished, stray dogs took over the streets and tore my cover again.

Again in the market for a new one, I looked at the Premium car covers thread on team-bhp, but the only name that seemed to come up was TPH, which was way too expensive even to put to test against the outside forces. A 15-20K car cover as a no-no for me.

I went ahead and ordered a waterproof cover from Amazon. The cover was delivered, it weighed a lot!, I cleaned my car completely spending 2 hours and then the climax, it didn't fit! it was smaller than my car!

Then I ordered another one, same routine, cleaned the car for an hour and this time again, it didn't fit.

I was reasonably convinced that sellers at Amazon were trying to liquidate their old stock from Octavia MK1 and Laura. Almost none of the cover listings at Amazon have consistent/ reliable reviews and absolutely none of the listings seemed reliable.

Completely put off with ordering and returning covers, I started looking for my ebay order book to figure out, what brand did I get for my Polo. While eBay had erased the old orderbooks, my gmail helped me find an order related email and the brand was called Coverwell.

Coverwell

This time I specifically looked for Carwell covers, couldn't find any on Amazon but found a Coverwell website https://coverwell.co.in/.

I went ahead and ordered a Dupont tyvek, white cover.

I was surprised that this was actually tailored! for the car, perfectly. It didn't fly off with wind, it didn't need or even have a strap to hold it, it was perfect.

For those who know the one problem with protecting your car with a car cover is that they rub against the paint and if there is dust or if they are heavy, they scratch the edges where the cover weighs. This tyvek cover was so light that there was almost no chance that it would do any scratching, I was completely a fan of this material. This is the way to cover a car!

I did have one apprehension though, dogs! as this material wasn't very tough from that perspective. Also being white, it attracted all the bugs from 50 meters away.

2 months with the new cover, stray dogs bit off the part where the antenna was and then in a couple of more weeks, the entire rear side was in shambles.

I was sure, I wanted a Coverwell, but wasn't sure of the material by just looking at the website, so I called the number on the website to enquire about tougher options.

I called and I was pleasantly surprised being received by a fine English speaking gentleman, who was also the owner. During the call, he suggested that I try the waterproof series which is tougher, though he clarified that there is no dog proof material, if they get a good grip, they will tear anything off. Considering that I'm in Delhi, he suggested that I visit their factory and pick a material after seeing it and that they'll custom stitch it in 30 mins. (He suggested that I can see him only till 5PM, he being a senior citizen and working limited hours due to the pandemic)

I went! saw a silver, the tyvek and the waterproof and there were more colours than on the website! So, I asked them to make me a waterproof coffee brown colour.

They stitched me one and then said that I try it on my car (which was parked nearby) and pay only if it was a perfectly satisfactory fit.

No surprises for the fact that it was a perfect fit and I paid (less than the website price ).

Here’s the climax – I think this review deserves a separate thread, because these covers are simply superior to anything else I’ve ever bought in the name of car covers and here’s why:

• Almost all covers need to be strapped from the bottom to hold onto your car. Coverwell, doesn’t even have a strap, it doesn’t need one, the front and rear elastics are so well made that it just sits, it does have holes if you want to tie it. (the strap is a big pain, you often have to kneel on the road to get it from below the car)
• Almost all covers, even the OEMs are lose and flap around the car all day long, Coverwell is always a perfect fit (Both my Octavia and Polo can confirm that, I’ll now get these for other cars in the family as well)
• The material used, starting from the basic silver is twice as good as the ones you get on amazon and from OEMs, but the white Tyvek and the waterproof are a different class. The waterproof that I bought is probably the lightest waterproof I’ve bought and yet clearly feels excellent in quality and strength.
• Coverwell does a great combination of material and craftsmanship to deliver an outstanding product.
• Finally, it saves the pain of finding a cover online among mostly dubious listings in the space.

PS: I have no have no relation/ contact/ communication/ financial arrangement with the vendor, I talked to him barely for 2 minutes. I felt the need to put up a review because there was none, and this cover had me extremely satisfied more than twice and during this work from home norm, an easy to put on cover will be a boon to most.

And I'll update this thread for how my cover fares.

[SLK]

Here are a few pictures. Can clearly make out, that this is not at all heavy or stiff.







And you can see, how cleanly the dogs get on the car and mostly sleep over the panoramic sunroof. :(



I'll put more pictures of inside of the material i.e. the waterproof layer, when I get it in broad daylight.

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by SLK

History

I called and I was pleasantly surprised being received by a fine English speaking gentleman, who was also the owner. During the call, he suggested that I try the waterproof series which is tougher, though he clarified that there is no dog proof material, if they get a good grip, they will tear anything off. Considering that I'm in Delhi, he suggested that I visit their factory and pick a material after seeing it and that they'll custom stitch it in 30 mins. (He suggested that I can see him only till 5PM, he being a senior citizen and working limited hours due to the pandemic)

Wow!! This is really helpful. I have had a pretty endearing story to find a good car cover myself too. Thankfully I now have a covered parking and use a Polco (Dupont Tyvek) cover in the Stilt Parking.

If you can share the contact details and factory location, it will help others in contacting them. I am definitely going to refer them to my friends.

Recommending TPF covers is not easy because the price point at which they operate is just beyond most normal people to comprehend.

Thanks
Rachit

[SLK]

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

If you can share the contact details and factory location, it will help others in contacting them. I am definitely going to refer them to my friends.

The location and contact details are on their website https://coverwell.co.in/contact/

This is Malvia Nagar. https://www.google.com/maps?ll=28.53...83013952193972

This may not be the most parking friendly location, one may have to park 200-300 meters away.

[aargee]

If wanted a UV protected + dust, heat & water proof material, I wouldn't be able to select one

[SLK]

Originally Posted by aargee

Attachment 2087627
If wanted a UV protected + dust, heat & water proof material, I wouldn't be able to select one

You can actually call them and check, but here's my understanding of the options, in this order:

• Basic Silver (heavier than most basic available in market)
• Tyvek - white (very light weight material)
• Waterproof - multiple colours (these are all UV (because they are opaque) + dust + waterproof)

Heat - Based on my experience, the Tyvek- white is the most heat resistant, rest possibly are just usual. Will only know next summer!

You have to be careful with waterproof covers, if there is moisture buildup, due to rains or other reasons, let the car dry by removing the cover. Also there is always a possibility that a few drops of rain get through the stitch lines in heavy downpour.

[manchandap]

Originally Posted by SLK

Almost all covers need to be strapped from the bottom to hold onto your car. Coverwell, doesn’t even have a strap, it doesn’t need one, the front and rear elastics are so well made that it just sits, it does have holes if you want to tie it. (the strap is a big pain, you often have to kneel on the road to get it from below the car)

Did you get a chance to test if the elastic holds good during high speed winds, the ones that we have during the dust/hail storms of May/June.

The reason I am asking is that I am in a same situation as yours -- my Scorpio is parked in open and is subjected to vagaries of nature.

I tried a cover bought from Kashmere Gate, however it didn't hold well in high speed winds. It had elastic as well as a strap. The strap broke off with first gust of wind. I tried to keep the over in place by tying a nylon rope (using different methods) but all in vain.

Even nylon rope combined with some wooden blocks to add some weight didn't stop the cover from flying and tearing apart

[iamitp]

Wish I had known about them before getting my TPH cover. Anyhow, happy with TPH but thinking about getting a second, lighter cover for office.

[devilicious]

Nice thread. Custom fit covers are not easy to find so this will be helpful. Though the cost is on a higher side, will contact them and see what can be done.

[SLK]

Originally Posted by manchandap

Did you get a chance to test if the elastic holds good during high speed winds, the ones that we have during the dust/hail storms of May/June.

I know what you mean! I don't think my Polo's cover has completely come off ever, as for Octavia, I don't know yet. (they do fit a bit tighter on the polo, because of the size)

I faintly remember, the cover pulling up from one of the corners, but still remained stuck somehow.

Of course no one can't guarantee that it won't come off ever, but then if a cover doesn't have too much space inside for air to get in and take control, it should perform much better. Also, from the front it is almost not possible to pull the cover up, without getting hold of the elastic and pulling it outwards.

Once the cover gets 2-3 years old, the elastics don't stay as strong but I can confirm, my Polo's cover in its 5th year still held much better than the light weight cover that I had for Octavia, which won't stay without a strap even on a regularly windy day.

Hope that helps, but I think the Scorpio has a lot of surface area too, that may also play a role!

[GeeTee TSI]

Very interesting!

I have always been on the lookout for car covers which are soft and provide dust protection rather than rain. Like phone covers with a soft felt lining which don't scratch the phone surface, I hope the cover has a suitable lining inside to not scratch a detailed car

[Jeroen]

I have had some experiences with various car covers over the years. My classic Mercedes W123 lived on the public road in front of our house for the first ten years of my ownership.

I tried several different covers, different brands. I can only say that in the end, I went for just about the most expensive, most heavy one I could fine. Anything else just won’t stand the test of times.

Many of these covers, claim to be made of breathable material. Very few actually are, at best you will find some small holes and or vents punched in the. Even so, I never considered a particular good idea to put the cover over a wet car, no matter what the brochure said on breathability.

I have a very heavy three layer cover. It spend probably about 4-5 years outside, almost permanently, as I don’t drive this car very much. It is a “generic one” in the sense it does not fit particularly tight, but it does come with two straps that keep it in place. It never ever came off and we get lots of winds here in the Netherlands.

What I did find is that never ever put your cover, no matter how good, on when the car is dirty. Even the ones that do sit tight will still move a bit in the breeze/wind and just rub and scratch your paint over time.

So it means washing you car really often!

Here you see the cover, inside pretty soft material. Outside water resistant, still breathable.





The cover wore down on both sides over the wing mirror in a matter of a few years. However, the storage bag was made of the very same material. So I made some patches and just glued them on the inside. Worked a treat!

You can also see the straps.



Here you see it in its full glory. Quite a decent fit, but you do need those straps on a windy day. And even then it still moves about a bit. Hence the wear near the mirrors, the material gets really stretched there.



For the last ten years I have been lucky enough to be able to garage my W123. I am still using this cover. Obviously, it does not rain in my garage, nor do I get birds pooping on my classic cars. But it still helps to keep the car dust free and also it does protect from UV damage to the paint and the interior. (I have large windows in my garage.

Behind the W123 my Alfa Spider also in its pyjama. A very simple dust cover only.



So again, if you are looking for a good cover, you are likely to have to spend some good money. These sort of proper covers retail for Euro 150 - 225 here in Europe these days. I have owned cars for less!

But a good cover, properly handled, will definitely protect your car from the elements and animals. Just don’t expect miracles. Putting them on, cleaning the car even more often, not being able to put it on wet etc adds to some inconvenience.

Jeroen

[SLK]

Here are some more pictures

This is the inside of the waterproof cover


This is my Polo's front - see how it holds the front edge. This one has the cheapest Coverwell material (not the most gentle on the paint, but better than dogs and pigeons!)


This is the Polo's rear

[subhro1988]

The car cover you mentioned looks extremely good quality. Last year I bought a car cover called Fabtec Waterproof from Amazon for Rs. 1200. It has triple stitch and is actually waterproof and has elastic all around. I have open parking inside my society under a tree which is a continuous source of bird droppings. The cover has lasted for 1.5 years quite well.

Will try Coverwell once the existing one gets torn off. Will have to check if they deliver to Bombay

[kunalsingh]

Dear SLK, your post couldn't have come at a better time. My Ciaz car cover (which had been serving me faithfully for the past 2 years) has been torn apart after being subjected to the wrath of our neighbourhood street dogs. It was just a generic one bought on Amazon but was quite durable and soft and gave the car good protection against dust, bird droppings, leaves and twigs, etc.

I'm planing to order a simple Coverwell cover for my Ciaz. Could you please share the price of both the covers (waterproof and basic one) with me over PM? Thanks very much.