[dazey]

Due to my current parking location (dirt/gravel driveway with many other cars kicking up dust, not to mention the birds ) I am looking for a full car cover to try and keep the dust and bird poop to a minimum, as well as keep it a bit cooler. Right now if I wash the car, by the next day it has a layer of dust on it, which isn't too bad, but if I let it go for 3 or 4 days it is pretty bad. And I would rather not have to wash it every time I drive it, which may only be every few days.

The Japanese Insight car cover is what I would most want but have yet to find any place that would import one. When I asked the local Honda Parts department about a car cover they told me they don't carry one. But that he could have a company make one out of the same material the Honda uses, it just wouldn't have the mirror pockets, logos, etc. And it would run about $200.

When asking why Honda covers are more expensive he told me that he use to apologize to customers about the price until one of them corrected him. He was told the Honda covers use a "better" material that can breathe but keeps out the dirt. I'm not sure if he was just trying to sell me a $200 sheet or if the Honda covers really are worth the extra cost?

Has anyone had experience with the Honda covers, are they really that much better? Recommendations on other covers or ways of keeping the dirt and dive-bombing birds off it would be appreciated. Also if anyone has any leads on an importer where we could get official accessories from Japan that would be great.

 

[Mitch53]

Dazey

No experience with the Honda covers but I did research and bought a car cover 10 months ago. Many places on the web have covers, but not very many for the Insight. I, like you, was tired of the bird droppings, dirt and I was very concerned about the heat and the batteries. I got mine from http://www.calcarcover.com/car_cover_fi ... 0&find.y=3 and paid $160. They've gone-up since. I got the Noah material and am very happy with the fit and ease of use.

Good luck

 

[Rick]

Covercraft makes a custon fitted one for the Insight in several different materials. The problem is finding a place to get it through as they wont sell direct. I was able to get mine for ~$140 for a tan flannel cover. I decided on it because it's the nicest for the paint's sake, but it's made more for an inside storage not outside like I use it for. They also make a weather guard which might be more appropriate for your use. Also, if you get a car cover get a duster too and dust the car before putting the cover on. If you get dust trapped between the cover and the car it will just grind in to the paint and make things worse.

Anyways, as you can see here the cover craft cover is nicely custom fit to the car. It has all the mirror pockets and all. it fits so tight that you can see the Honda logo on the hood poking through. I've also found you can have this on the car in relatively strong winds and it will not blow off because it fits so well.

 

[benjamin]

Also have a Covercraft, in their WeatherShield fabric. The cover is custom-made to fit the Insight, as indicated by Rick. If you want an antenna pocket, make sure you specify this when you order and provide the dimensions (it will be done for free). Otherwise, the antenna will have to be unscrewed in order to fit the cover.

AutoAccessories.com carries the CoverCraft covers but I got mine from AutoAnything.com which was the least expensive at the time. The company has been around for ages and their site explains the different fabrics fairly well.

 

[dazey]

Thanks for the info everyone. Looks like $200 is the price point for a good cover. Unless someone can come up with an importer I will probably go with the WeatherShield from Covercraft.

A friend of mine says his friend knows someone in Japan and could ask about getting one of the offical Honda covers thru them. That would be neat and all, but those friend of a friend of a friend supply routes don't always work out :?

 

[Rick]

Well if you look at it this way the weather shield one should last years and years. If you wanted to save a little the tan flannel one shoulf run you about $140ish. The only problem is you'd have to vaccum it out every few weeks to get all the dust out of it. I usually do mine at least once a month. Not too sure with the weather guard ones though. Like I said, get a duster too and dust the car before putting the cover on, and also rolling it up per the instructions so that the inside just touches itself will help prevent any dust contamination. Once it's rolled up I put the cover and the duster in the storage bin.

 

[dazey]

Yeah, the cost of the cover and the time involed in keeping it clean is probably less than having to wash the car several times a week. I'll go for the outdoor variety because of the amount of dirt that accumulates.

 

[Guest]

Car covers

I've used the Covercraft ones for years (JC Whitney catalog is a great place to buy them) and they hold up well. Both of our Insights are covered in them whenever they are parked for long periods and they keep the cars cleaner on the outside, in better condition on the inside, and much cooler. I cut a hole in the top and sewed a patch around it to reinforce, and the antenna just pops through. I highly recommend it.

 

[dazey]

I really need to one ordered, although I don't know how much it would have helped me this weekend. I was at my parent's house and the neighbor cat tried to climb up the car the hard way, up the side. He didn't quite make it and while clawing up the rubber strip on the rear side window he left a 3-claw scratch all the way from the window to the lower molding under the door. :evil: He's lucky I didn't notice till I got home (although I wouldn't hurt him or anything.)

All of the scratches (except 1 little gouge and the clawed rubber trim) are only in the clear coat and I should be able to remove them. I probably wouldn't have had the cover on when I was up there even if I had one. But if I did, it probably would have taken most of the abuse and I might have only had a few short scratches.