Photon11

Hi - I recently purchased 2010 535i, which has done about 20k. My garage is pretty packed up and will be able to accommodate just our other car (yes, we have no choice on that). As I hate to park the Geisha (pet name of our BMW) unexposed and the temperatures do go down to minus 20 at times and there is a lot of snow in my area during winters, I was wondering if someone can recommend a good outdoor car cover, which is easy to remove if we have to take out the car and then put the cover back. We will be mostly using the other car for day to day use and the Geisha will be used on weekends mostly. I did some research and found good reviews for Covercraft. Anyone has used them before and can let me know which of their material would be good for winters? Also, any recommended place to buy from in Canada? If nothing, there is the BMW original car cover, but I dont know if it can withstand the extreme conditions here. Thanks and happy to be part of this forum.

or_550i

I have the Covercraft "Ready-Fit Deluxe 380 Series Long Car Cover" and it fits the 5er just fine. There are two eyelets near the center column that are used to hold the cover on.
I connect a bungee cord between the eyelets to hold the sides down while the front and rear parts of the cover tuck under the bumpers.
The cover holds up to wind well and so far has been water proof.

gcvt

I think car covers are a bad idea for outdoor use. If there is any wind, the wind will blow debris up under the car cover. The wind will then move the car cover around with the debris underneath and do unfriendly things to your paint.

or_550i

So, I take it you have a cover then and know this first hand? In my experience it take a *lot* of wind to get anything under the cover. Like a wind storm where I'd be more worried about the trees falling on the car.

gcvt

Considering that I think car covers are a bad idea, why would you assume that I currently own one?

This topic came up when I bought my 550 about a year ago and I was asking about covering the front end only, which is not covered where I park. Then I remembered back to my first black car, and my second car, both of which I parked outside with car covers. I never compounded - that's what people did before claying - so much in my life. I would never use one again. And yes, I live in a very windy coastal area.

locomotiveBart

I bought the OEM cover (99 bucks on sale) and really like it. It fits tight and wraps down around the sides snugly. It is supposed to be all weather but I have not used it in the snow yet. The manual does claim that in rare cases it could become frozen to the car but I would say that would go for any cover.

Photon11

Thanks for your replies everyone. These days they give tags and clips that can really make the cover fit snug with the car thus preventing the dirt to fly and settle under the cover (hopefully). The good CoverCraft covers are about $220 to $400. Has anyone used these covers?

NSBMW04

That looks good on your car and it seems to cover the exterior well from the elemnts.

luvmyride

I am also not a fan of car covers, unless it is freshly washed. ANY contamination under the cover has a potential to scratch (even when removing or replacing it). A good friend used one while he was living in an apartment and really regretted it. Swirl marks everywhere!