Hi


Just a heads up for my fellow Crossfire owners. I purchased an Auto Armor car cover (5 year warranty) off Ebay.

I installed the cover as the manufacturer described and after only 6 weeks it did a lot of damage to my car's clear coat.
Neither Auto Armor nor the vendor I bought it from (thecoverfactory) will come up with any money to cover the damages to the car and at this point they won't even acknowledge me anymore. Despite the fact that Auto Armor made the cover, they said they couldn't do anything because I didn't buy the cover from them and I had to contact the vendor - who refuses to respond to my e-mails.

I can't get a phone number for Auto Armor nor can I get a # for "thecoverfactory".
Ebay won't help nor will PayPal because the purchase was made more than 45 days ago (even though there is an advertised 5 year warranty on the cover).

Here is a video of the car and some (but not all) of the damage to the clear coat is visible:



I had the car machine polished and waxed but the damage is still quite apparent.

Just a heads up for anyone looking for a car cover - STAY AWAY from anything made by Auto Armor or sold by "thecoverfactory" through Ebay because if you have a problem, they're not going to help you.


Dave

 

I should have included this in the original post but here are a couple of pictures:

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Dave

 

I am shocked, I bought 2 from AutoArmour but haven't noticed any damage to paint. Have to check alot closer. One I use to cover my SSB roadster and the other is on a broze altima. Thanks for sharing.

 

Sorry to hear about the damage to your Crossfire's finish.

I'm not familiar with the brand of cover you bought. I did look at the Auto Armour website and while it looks flashy, it doesn't scream reputable. They don't list their mailing address or provide a telephone number. That makes it a lot harder to get resolution when you don't know who you're dealing with.

That said, it doesn't mean the cover is necessarily junk or defective. Let me pose the following questions:

During the 6 weeks the cover was on the car were there any times when the wind was gusty?

Do you live in a wet climate or somewhere that is dry and dusty?

The reason I ask is that all these inexpensive auto covers are either universal or semi-custom fit. Regardless of material, they are much more likely to damage your car's finish than a custom fit cover - which typically cost 3-5 what you paid for the Auto Armour cover. My personal opinion is that universal or semi-custom fit covers should never be used outdoors on a vehicle with a nice finish you are trying to meticulously preserve. They may be suitable indoors where there is no wind. But outside, air will inevitably get under the cover and it will flap in the wind. Over time, this will wear the cover, the finish, or both at the locations where the repetitive contact is made. If you live in a dry/dusty area the problem can be "compounded" because abrasive particles can get trapped under the cover. A snug fitting custom cover with mirror pockets, etc., can alleviate some of the issues with wind wear.

I have used a custom fit Stormshield (discontinued) cover for the past 6 years. After a couple years the soft, sprayed-in lining degraded (which I think may have been why the material was discontinued), and the result is that I tend to get minor scuffing or deposition of cover material on the finish along the roof edges and a couple other edge areas of snug contact. Appears to clean up fine when I wax. Also keep in mind that any car covering outdoors is a compromise between friction-related wearing of the finish by the cover due to wind and degradation from other elements such as the sun, rain, door dings, bird droppings sap, etc.

 

It sucks, but all that should come out with a good swirl remover, and polish. If they wont pay for the polish, maybe they can at least return the purchase price.

 

Hi Rob,


Yes, it was windy when the cover was on the car - I put it on in late October and took it off in early December. I'm outside Detroit so I wanted to get it off before the water/snow turned to ice and made the cover impossible to remove. There's not a whole lot of rain that time of year but I believe it is the windiest time of the year.

I would say that the cover is a semi-fit. It has a very nice elastic at the back that tucks under the Crossfire's rear and snugs up really well (it doesn't stay in place when the wind blows though). In my opinion, it fits very well.
I had the cord tied under the car (the cord goes under the middle of the passenger door to under the middle of the driver's door) as well as plastic clamps under the front fascia and at every wheelwell so it was on there about as securely as you could get it. However, you're completely correct in saying that the wind still got underneath and moved it around. Realistically, I'd think it darn near impossible for any cover to NOT get wind underneath it!

The car was immaculately clean when I put the cover on (as per instructions) and I can say wholeheartedly that the cover is NOWHERE near being waterproof. The car was as filthy as filthy could be when I removed the cover.

Autumnmass, I'm very glad to hear that you haven't had any issues with your covers. I hope you'll have continued success with your covers.
I don't know how well the pictures and video show the damage but in real life, I have to say that the car looks pretty bad. I've never been one of great (or even good!) financial means and I really stretched my finances to get and pay for this beautiful car. My Crossfire is far and above nicest car I've ever owned and I truly love and baby it. I can't tell you how troubled I am over this damage.

My real issue, however, is the, "Sucks to be you" attitude AutoArmour gave me and thecoverfactory couldn't give a flying fling about this. I just wanted other car guys to know of my troubles with this product because if someone would've told me about an issue like this, you can bet your butt I wouldn't have bought this thing. At the very least I'd expect them to refund the purchase price. The machine polish didn't help a whole lot and best price I can find around here to re-clearcoat the car is $1300 cash. Ouch.

I realize that it wasn't an ultra-expensive car cover but it's also not a cheapo as it cost me almost a hundred bones by the time I had it home. If I wanted a piece of junk, I could've bought a car cover at Big Lots for $30! Then, I would've at least expected something like this~



Dave

 

Dave,

My cover sounds very similar to the one you described, I paid about $53 dollars total (offered as a 5-layer cover with shipping). After seeing your video, I don't think I will use it anymore. I would be devasted, as you are, if anything happened to my SSB paint finish. Thanks for sharing your story and updates, hope the vendor reimburses you for the damage which is clearly visible in your video. Good luck.

 

Just one of the reasons I don't recommend car covers.
I hope you can at least get your money back on it.
Good Luck.

 

Ditto, covers are great for indoors, really bad news outdoors.

 

I've stored a lot of cars outside over the years with cheapo car covers on them and I've never had any damage like this. One car cover got a couple holes in it and after a year or so the sun faded those areas of the paint that were showing through but that's not at all the cover's fault - it's mine for not attending to the issue in a timely matter.

This AutoArmour cover however, is a completely different type of damage. THIS one wasn't my fault - this is totally, completely, 100%, AutoArmour's fault. They manufacture a garbage product and in my worth-nothing opinion, they should never be used on a car that you care about.

Autumnmass, I'd bet that if your covers were on your cars while they're stored indoors that you wouldn't have any problems with them. I wouldn't be surprised if you DO get damage if you store them outside with the covers on - like I did.

Neither AutoArmour nor "thecoverfactory" nor "thecoverfactory2" will acknowledge my e-mails anymore. I tried for almost 3 months and they no longer respond to my emails so I'm certain I'm screwed - I just hope nobody else does in the future. That's my reason for this post and video. God knows the governments and insurance companies and distracted mini-van drivers don't look out for us so us car guys have to watch out and take care of other car guys. We're all in this together!

Thanks guys for the kind messages regarding the damage on my clear coat. It's a really nice gesture from y'all!

Best of luck with your Crossfires - keep 'em humming!

Dave

 

You should have ordered one from carcoversdirect.com they offer the best quality covers from covercraft

Coming From someone who has had a lot of car and boat covers in their life, there are certain guidelines to go by when installing your cover:

Make sure you wait a while after waxing your car to put the cover on, it can damage your car and make sure your car is fairly clean because it can cause damage as well

 

Did you read my posts or just the first one?
I said in my third post, "the car was immaculately clean..." before I put the cover on.
Why should I have ordered one from carcoversdirect.com?

You saying, "...they offer the best quality covers from covercraft" means zilch to me.
You saying, "I've had one of these covers on my car for a year now and it's great" - or something along those lines at least means something .

For all I know, you're a salesman for covercraft?
I looked at their website - the website looks like crap and unless someone told me of their fantastic firsthand experience with carcoversdirect, I wouldn't even give them a second glance because if they can't put any effort into their sales pitch, what would ever cause me to believe they had a great product?

I've had a lot (25+) of car covers on various cars for decades and until this last purchase, I've never had an AutoArmour cover.
Until the AutoArmour cover, I've never had a problem with any of the covers damaging my cars.

Do you have personal experience with carcoversdirect ?
Assuming so,
Did you have the cover(s) on your car(s) in inclimate, windy, rainy weather?
For how long?
Are the covers waterproof?
Which of the covers did you buy? That website lists several different covers for Crossfires. Which one is the one I "should've ordered" ?

You should have included this info in your post, otherwise for all I know, you're just regurgitating a sales pitch you read on the internet. I have pix and a video of what the AutoArmour cover did to my car. What do you have, other than a link, regarding carcoversdirect?


Dave

 

Hi I have a 06 blaze red 6 speed and am just about to store my baby for the winter outside. I have a good quality cover. It is not a custom fit, but now I am very reluctant to use it I live in the north west and we get tons of rain in the winter, thanks to the forum I can now make an informed decision .
Cheers
Mongoose57

 

It will damage your finish, plain and simple. Between moisture, wind, and sun, it is doomed. I recommend a car 'bubble'. Either build one or buy one, but it would basically be an independant structure that would 'house' the car. I have seen friends make them from 2x3s and thick plastic sheeting. Basically keeping the 'cover' off the car. Since we have small cars, it can usually be done pretty cheap...

 

Wow...I'd pm Mike-in-Orange about getting your clear coat properly taken care of. Meguiar's and Griot's come to mind initially, if you want to do it yourself. I have a guy completely go over both 6's once a year and it takes him all day; plus mine are garage queens anyway. Other than hermetically sealing your ltd. half the year (ie; you live where it snows), I don't know what you'd do to keep it mint. That's my trade-off, I live where its sunny and dry practically year round and just live with the property tax. When I bought my nos black 6 from a PA Chrysler dealer 3 years ago, it took me 4+ weeks to detail the whole thing (ie; mostly the undercarriage to make it look like a CA car). BoilerUp's idea is good providing year-round winds don't exceed 10-15 mph and its completely elements proof. I'm sure Mike can help you or point you in the right direction (this is a man who magnificently detailed a Veyron and I'm sure could make an F1 to a 300SL look like a 5 mile car).

 

Well that seals it then. The car has been detailed, did not take much as it only has 10k on the clock, I will just leve it uncovered and perhaps By next winter I will have my 70 bronco resto-mod done and the xfire will have the garage.
Cheers
Monggose57

 

I realize this post is 4 months old, but it seems to still have some life in it so I'll throw my couple of pennies into the mix.

First off, I've never been a fan of car covers for outdoor use on a vehicle I care about. Even with a true custom fit cover, if the wind whips up and continues to blow, you're going to get some rubbing of the cover on the car someplace, and that's never good for the paint no matter how clean the car was before the cover was installed. When the wind starts whipping up it can and will carry dust up between the car and cover and over time you're going to run into issues. Sort of like vinyl bras to protect the front of the car - I have one for my Crossfire but ONLY use it if I'm doing a very long drive or a track day. Leaving those things on long term, no matter how good they are, will ruin the paint in the long term.

I purchased a custom fit, high end, and pretty dang expensive car cover from one of the highly regarded cover manufacturers mentioned here, and I still got some paint damage on the car it was used on after leaving it on for an extended period of time with the car parked outside. I'm thinking about getting a light dust cover for the Crossfire because it's always in the garage and it does get dusty, but otherwise I'll never buy another car cover again. I just don't think they're worth it for long term, outdoor storage.

No need for me to address the gross lack of customer service provided by the vendors here - if they won't even respond there isn't much you can do except file a suit against them, but that's just going to be an expensive, protracted headache for you and probably not worth it in the long run.

But I don't think any of that damage is permanent - it just looks like some concentrated scuffing in the paint that should buff out with the help of a competent detailer. Unfortunately, those guys can be hard to find. And it doesn't help that every Crossfire I've ever worked on had very hard paint. That means an el cheapo detailer dude isn't going to be able to fix it. Someone who works only by hand and charges $99 for a "full service detail" is going to lightly apply a polish and wax, and that's like putting a band aid on a compound fracture.

ChopChop, if you'd like to discuss this in further detail, I'd be happy to assist in any way I can.