Purchasing a vehicle can be an expensive investment. And over time, that investment is going to depreciate in value. Protecting your vehicle with a car cover is probably the best way to help maintain its condition and therefore its value. So what does a car cover do exactly? Well, the primary function of a car cover is to provide protection from different types of elements. For example, if you park your vehicle outdoors, it will be susceptible to outdoor elements, such as ultraviolet radiation from the sun, bird droppings, tree sap, acid rain, and dirt & dust. On the other hand, if you park your vehicle indoors, you will likely have to contend with some indoor factors.

Now we all know how dusty and dirty garages can be, so we want to avoid that dust and dirt from settling on your expensive paint job. And let’s be honest, dust and dirt aren’t the only things that go on in your garage- how about the kid’s bikes, lawn equipment, or general junk? It’s almost impossible to safeguard your vehicle from those accidental bumps and scratches without some sort of indoor protection. So now that we’ve established that most people can benefit from the usage of a car cover, let’s discuss the different types of car covers that are available. Car Covers fall into two basic categories, custom-fit car covers, and ready-fit car covers.

Custom-fit car covers are just what they sound like – they’re custom covers that are tailored for your specific vehicle. Car cover manufacturers, like Covercraft Industries or Coverking, have tens of thousands of patterns that are expertly designed to hug every contour of a vehicle, providing a perfect fit. Custom-fit car covers are made to order and are not off-the-shelf products. Ready-fit car covers, on the other hand, are more of a universal fit. That means that the cover is designed to fit numerous vehicles that fall into a general size and shape category. These covers are not custom-made to order. Both custom-fit car covers and ready-fit car covers are available in a number of fabrics. Some fabrics are suited for outdoor protection, some for indoor protection, and some car covers are good for both. In the next tutorial, Choosing a Car Cover Fabric, we’ll examine the different types of fabrics and what they do.