I will be storing my GTA outside for the foreseeable future during spring/summer/early fall (I have another project in the garage) and wanted a good quality outdoor car cover that works well with third gens. This cover will not have to stand up to a Northern winter as I have a storage unit for that.

 

I have a single layer indoor covercraft that I got in the 90s that fits perfectly. I plan on getting one from them for my kids car. They are reasonably priced $250 for a basic all season fitted cover.

 

A 10x20 w/ sides.

 

I had heard good things on those, good price point too.

 

I bought an outdoor cover last year and was happy with the product, but discovered the wind blowing it was causing micro scratches on my paint. I doubt any other car cover would do any better so I removed it. The paint will literally hold up better without the cover.
Something to consider before you buy.
The carport suggestion above was good.

 

^^ This! We've covered several cars we had outdoors, and it's not the optimum solution. Possibly, if you take the cover off and wash it often, it might help, but wind and expansion/contraction from daily heating/cooing will rub contact points and scratch the finish. Additionally, a covered vehicle is a perfect hiding place for rodents, and such. They LOVE a nice, shady spot to chew on wiring.

Luckily, the vehicles we covered needed paint already, so more abrasion wasn't an issue. it would have suxed if it was on a nice finish, though. That said, Covercraft make great products. I'm not sure I'd spend the money on their 3-layer outdoor special covers, though. They'll all scratch the finish.

 

After all I’ve heard about scratches I may just do some extra wax and utilize my sunscreen to protect the dash/interior, my paint is far from perfect but is pretty presentable and want to keep it that way.

 

^^^^ This might be the better approach. Additionally, some car covers don't 'breathe' well, and can trap moisture under them that could cause cloudy areas on the paint.

And the rodent thing is a big factor as well.

 

This. A car cover outdoors is going to damage the finish in the paint.

 

Ok after reading this I could use some advice. I don't have a garage but I have a car port. Should I use a car cover or not? I have been but would rather not mess up the paint for obvious reasons and the reasons stated in this post sound reasonable and logical. Then again I see some covers as advertised as not damaging to paint. At the same time I worry about the weather messing up the car too. Which is the bigger worry? Or would it be smart to only use it if I'm are expecting a certain type of weather or only if I plan on not driving the car soon? Would it be smart to only use the car cover if I expect bad weather? On the other hand that is when it is most likely to blow the car cover around so would it be better to use the cover only when you expect nice weather? I noticed some recommendations about waxing the car to protect it instead. Which sounds reasonable to me. So the question then becomes which kind of wax to use what would protect my car the best. I worry too about the interior. I would rather not worry about the sun degrading the interior over time, the dash comes to mind although from where it is parked it will get the most sun coming though the rear window by far. Although I do have it in a car port so I am less worried about the sun degrading the dash. The top of the dash shouldn't get much direct sun light. Do those reflective screens you put in the front window help? Anything else I can use to help protect the inside? Armour all or something along those lines? Any tips to hep keep my car nice for the long term would be appreciated.

 

If I had a carport I would not cover the car, the cover would likely scratch the paint etc. from wind or always pulling it on off.

I have a reflective windshield cover that I use if I park the car in the sun for more than a few hours, helps keep the interior a little cooler and protect the dash. The place online that I purchased my windshield cover had a back window cover available IIRC.

One thing I recommend is staying away from Armor All, its quality is not great and I have heard it can cause cracks. I prefer 303 aerospace protectant, leaves a nice not too glossy finish and excellent protection.

 

^^What he. said! Get a cover for the inside of both front and back, and if the rising/setting sun will be more or less straight on to the side windows, get some sort of cover for those, too. The sun will eat up the fabric, bleach out the plastic, and shatter the dash. It'll also eat the finish off the hatch window frame, leaving you with a blackish, rustyish finish on the metal. So try to protect that.

Friends don't let friends use ArmorAll!! Just don't. And 303 has some good stuff. There are others out there, too.

You might try a good ceramic wax, but it's still kind of hard to beat a quality carnauba wax for protecting the surface. More-modern waxes can be had with a UV protectant in them. Not sure how well those work, though.

I'd also suggest 'rotating' the car. That is, park it front-in for a while, then back-in, so you limit the exposure to prevailing sun and wind exposure. That'll help.

 

Thanks everyone for the tips I especially appreciate you guys letting me know about armour all. I had heard a rumour that it caused cracks but it is so well known I figured that there wasn't anything to it. It was the one I knew about and I thought it claimed to protect against cracks. I'm glad you guys told me other wise, I will stay away from it. I'll try that 303 stuff instead.

Thanks I'll look for a cover for the rear window. Any idea how to protect the hatch window frame? I already have that issue going on.

Thanks I know basically nothing about car wax. I know of turtle wax is that good or would another brand be better? Would carbauba wax be better than something with UV protection?

I wouldn't have thought of that thanks for the idea.

 

For the dash, I'd recommend a process I've used successfully on two different cars: our '92 B4C Camaro and '86 SVO. Pull the dash, clean it with soap and water, dry, then coat it with Vaseline Petroleum Jelly and wrap it in cling wrap Since you're kind of storing the car, you can throw the pad back in the car and let it sit there for a while. The longer you can let it sit, the better. I learned this from a friend who did the same on his '69 GTO. He let it sit for a week in the sun. Our SVO sat for about a year, or two. The Camaro dash stewed for probably 5 years in our shop.

When you're ready to bolt the dash back in, remove the cling wrap and wipe the Vaseline off with dry towels. After it's all dry, then hit it with some 303 Protectant and reinstall it. Luckily, you have a GTA, and it seems Firebird dashes aren't a prone. to shattering as the Camaro ones are. You might. actually get away with just using 303, but since it's sitting there.....

If the window frame is already starting to rust, nothing to do but knock the rust off and repaint it. You can possibly wax it to slow the corrosion process down some, but then you'll have to deal with the wax when it's time to repaint.

Sadly, I haven't kept up with wax technology that much. Carnauba has always been my go-to, but the newer stuff might be better to use. It's certainly easier to use.