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OEM Car Cover...
Howdy...
The PO of my 1998 Z3 gave me the OEM car cover when I bought the vehicle. Does anyone know what kind of fabric it is made out of? The cover folds up inside itself and into a bag with massive BMW lettering on it.
I've been pondering purchasing a new cover, the OEM one seems to leave a dusty film on the car. However, I wanted to make sure I don't order something with the EXACT same fabric type, there is no point in wasting dinero.
On my sailboat I have several sail and brightwork covers made out of Sunbrella which is like the STEEL of fabric. Anyone own a Sunbrella car cover?
~Sail
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The film you're describing sounds like what happens when the cover starts to break down from UV exposure (lots of time in the sun). Lots of covers do this. 2 years of use in the sun is enough for most bonded material covers (Evolution, Noah, et. al.) to start breaking down and leaving a film that has to be washed off.
Sunbrella is a better (probably the best) material for car covers. It will far outlast Noah or any of the Evolution materials, esp. w/ respect to UV exposure. The water resistance is just a treatment, but it can be retreated. It's more expensive, but makes up for it by lasting more than twice as long.
A Noah cover will last a long time if not frequently used in sunlight. Say for protection in the garage in the winter (which is how mine is typically used). Regular outdoor use, figure 2 years at worst, 4 years at best. UV exposure will kill it.
EDIT... it wouldn't be fair to not mention WeatherShield, which is also an excellent car cover material and very soft on the inside. There's also WeatherShield HD. I think WeatherShield HD fabric is made by Glen Raven Mills (who makes Sunbrella), which then gets the same treatment as WeatherShield. Like Sunbrella on steroids.  Only slightly more expensive than Sunbrella, but it's heavy and bulky compared to the regular WeatherShield. If you're near the coast and the car is being stored outdoors, it might be worth it.
The bummer is that I've yet to see an aftermarket cover that fits the car as well as the OEM noah covers. 
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There should be a tag on it with cleaning instructions. I cut the straps for the bag off, so the bag doesn't get dirty sitting on the floor, but I do store the cover in the bag. It is a nice setup. I use mine in the garage, so I'm not sure how it would hold up out in the weather.
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Actually the Noah cover that BMW uses will allow dust to get through. It is a breathable cover to allow any moisture that gets under the cover to evaporate and not cause corrosion.
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Quote: | Actually the Noah cover that BMW uses will allow dust to get through. | I live on a dirt road that constantly has talcum-fine dust. It's why I joke with Randy that my car is clean only until I get to the end of my driveway. And only if I haven't had the car sitting outside.
My private road and the main dirt road have never been oiled. The Noah cover seems to do fine at stopping dust. However, if I left the car outside for extended periods, I know I'd be washing the cover before I took it off the car, and doing that isn't fun, nor does it give me a warm fuzzy feeling about my paint underneath.
Quote: | It is a breathable cover to allow any moisture that gets under the cover to evaporate and not cause corrosion. | This is true of every car cover material I've considered or used for outdoor protection. The materials are designed to shed water, block dust and UV, but permit water vapor to pass from underneath. Technalon Evolution, Multibond, Noah, Block-It, WeatherShield and Sunbrella will all pass water vapor. Most of these materials were/are made by Kimberly-Clark. I think only Sunbrella and the base fabric for WeatherShield HD are not made by Kimberly-Clark.
When Kimberly-Clark first introduced Noah, they called it waterproof. They later backed off on that. It's close when new, but with UV exposure it doesn't take long for it to start passing water in both directions.
The bummer is that the bonded materials don't stand up to UV for very long. Not a problem for me, but those in the south or that don't have garages should expect to replace a bonded cover every 4 years if not more frequently. You can use the warranty as a guesstimate as to how long it will last. Noah is 4 years, and if you ask me, that's very optimistic if it's constantly used in the sun. Same for Technalon Evolution; 4 years is optimistic for hugh UV exposure. Multibond is 2 years, and the price reflects it (cheap). Block-It 350F is 3 years. WeatherShield is 4 years. Sunbrella and WeatherShield HD are 5 years, and are the only warranties I consider pessimistic for high UV exposure. Of course, there's a reason behind the Sunbrella name.
Sail,
I'd get Sunbrella or WeatherShield HD if the car is going to sit in the sun a lot. And let us know if you find someone that makes a cover that fits as snugly as the OEM covers. If the dust being left behind is the kind that doesn't just blow off with a blow gun or come right up with very light application of a California Duster, it's definitely the cover breaking down. This has been a longstanding complaint about most of the bonded materials when exposed to sunlight for long periods. Sunbrella is the only material I know about for outdoor use that doesn't suffer from this problem in a few years. WeatherShield HD is the same base fabric, so it also has good UV resistance. Both are heavier than Noah; easier to handle in the wind, but harder to fold up and fit in the trunk.
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[quote=sailskidrive] Anyone own a Sunbrella car cover?
Sail
I shouldn't say this to loudly here but If you send me your old cover the magic seamstress's I employ my be able to use yours old one as a pattern & we could make a sunbrella/ coastguard (OEM by same manufacturere Glenn Raven) one for you (& me). email me if interested.
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OEM Car Cover...