Cover Question - new member

[steven0401]

I recently purchased a late 71 280SL restored by Bob Hatch. DB 268 w/ new cognac leather and new dk brown top (Gernold - SL Tech). Terrific car. Gernold has hard top stand + cover. Need to order a cover. Car will be kept indoors in upstate New York this summer, then in condo's garage in Miami Beach in the winter. Hard top will be stored soft top up unless being driven. Prefer cover that is washable, will not leave lint all over the canvas, and will keep dust off. Also, any worries about salt air inside oceanfront garage? Thanks for the help. Great site

[KevinC]

Steven,

Suggest that you search the term "salt air" (exact phrase) via the search tool on the upper right side of the Forums page for a little info.

There are a couple of firms that provide an oxygen-tent -type unit that you can drive the car into and zip up and seal in its own "room" it comes with a fan to keep the air moving. I have had no experiences with these, however. I am 12 miles from the ocean here in Boca and there doesnt SEEM to be any issue for me. Check out: http://garage-toys.com/carcap20foot.html OR http://www.airflow-uk.com/

Kevin



Kevin Caputo
Boca Raton, FL
1967 230 SL Automatic
670 Light Ivory
113 Bronze/Brown MB Tex

[Raymond]

I have three covers from CaliforniaCovers.com and one from a cheaper source.  I am delighted with the California covers.  They come in different colors so I can tell them apart when folded. They are custom shaped to the car and the fit is very, very good. You order with pockets for one or two mirrors, and from four different fabrics.  I think I paid about $170 for the Pagoda cover.  

I have five vehicles and a one car garage so all my covers are for weather. I keep the Pagoda in the garage and keep her covered too.

Ray
'68 280SL 4-spd Coupe

[Ed Cave]

This is my favorite indoor cover. http://www.webcovers.com/CarCovers/FormFit/ They are ultra soft and have some lycra in them so they fit like a glove, are lightweight and easy to deal with. I got a black one for my 280SL and since I have a black canvas soft top, you never see any indication that the cover has been on.

Above all, keep your cover clean. These come with a storage bag of the same material so it is easy to stow (and keep clean) rather than just laying around the garage when not in use. Using a dirty cover is worse than not using one at all.

Ed Cave
Atlanta, GA


1971 280SL
1973 911S
2004 A4 3.0
2006 GS430

[steven0401]

Thank you for the help. I pick up the car Friday afternoon from Gernold and drive over to Chatham, New York where it will live for the summer. I'll take a few photos and try to figure out how to post them.

[Tom]

I bought a car capsule from a UK firm called Hamilton.  They had one on display at a car show two weeks ago.  What makes this item different from "blow-up bubbles" is that you can drive into this as it is like a tent.  

Here is their website:

http://www.hamiltonclassic.co.uk/ProductInformation/CairOPort.htm

I bought this to use to store my car near the ocean.  Air is brought in with a fan and filter and exhausts the air to keep it from becoming stagnant.  The filter *may* help reduce the natural salt in the air (Alistair Flack was the rep at Essen and he said it should help but not intended to filter anything other than dust).  However, having the car stored in an air conditioned garage within a capsule should provide pretty good protection.  

I plan to combine the Cair-o-port capsule with one of those electric anode devices that puts a charge on your car which is suppose to prevent rust.   I thought these anode charge devices were a gimmick until I noticed that the propane tank at my house has one to prevent rust.

Attached is a picture of the Cair-o-port.

Download Attachment: CairOPort4-500x357.jpg
51.37 KB

1971 280sl Tunis Beige Metallic (restored & enhanced)
1971 280sl Tobacco Brown (low mileage stock)
1970 280sl Medium Metallic Blue Beige Interior (project car)