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Welcome Forum Madison Area Discussions Car Covers – Did I get ripped off??

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  • #1415
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I purchased a pricey car cover for the fastback last year about this time of the year. I purchased through the J. C. Whitney catalog and paid about $125 for a custom fit Wolf brand cover (that was with a discount for a first time buyer). I notice that it has started to wear thin and through on the cover, less than 1 year old, and it appears to be made of paper more than fabric or cloth. I store my car indoors in an attached garage. I am concerned because it is wearing thin and actually starting to wear through the corners. Did I pay too much or did I buy the wrong type of cover?

    Marshall

Viewing 14 replies - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
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  • #20260
    GTO Man
    Moderator

    We have covers for all of the cars. Have had them for a number of years. Need to replace one this year, mainly because it is too coarse I believe. Haven’t had to buy one for a number of years now. We haven’t had a problem with any of them wearing thin though. I would call the company and ask them about it. They might just replace it. I receive a catalog every so often from California Car Covers or something like that. They seem to be way too expensive.

    Nick

    #20261
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Thanks for the info Nick.

    I called JC Whitney this morning and they told me to return it for a warrantly replacement. I hope that I just got a bad cover, and not a cover that is manufactured cheaply. I also hope that I don’t have to wait 6 to 8 weeks for a replacement.

    Marshall

    #20262
    Garibaldi
    Keymaster

    I’m glad you could get a replacement without too much hassle, it sounds like it was defective to me

    #20263
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Update on the Car Cover – I ended up talking with the maker of Wolf Car Covers at their 1 800 number this morning. The cover that I bought is going back to them, at their expense, and it will be replaced with an upscale, much nicer cover, again at their expense. Surprisingly, I didn’t have to whine or complain too loudly as the old cover was under warranty for 24 months. I was shocked when they offered to upgrade the replacement cover, but I guess it does pay sometimes to do business with reliable vendors. Also, believe this or not, the new cover is on its way to me, and the service rep told me to send back the old one when the new one arrives and I am happy with it. Just as an aside, the old cover was very inexpensive (around $100 or so) and the material was made by Kimberly Clark, more of a paper than a cloth or fabric. But, it sure has worn thin and worn through on the corners with just a year’s worth of use.
    Marshall

    #20264
    circletrack
    Participant

    I need to find a car cover for the Mustang, won’t be driving it this winter (obviously) and it’ll probably have to “rest” outside so the other projects can be inside. I have no idea where to look and want something decent. I should start looking… We bought one for the Chevelle a couple years back and that served us well, it’s never fun to cover ’em up!

    #20265
    Garibaldi
    Keymaster

    That’s great to hear of a company that actually has a great warranty policy like that!

    #20266
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I service a car collection of chryslers (300 series) and the owners upgraded all the car covers to california car covers, blue color, they are nice and thick and better then the grey ones that get brittle and tear real easy plus the california ones have a good fit to them. Thick enough in texture where they would repel water well (we didnt try and test that one tho) On the higher side for price but u get what u pay for some say. Cost was around $179 per cover. Not a bad deal considering your protecting a $10,000+ paint job on your ride.

    #20267
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Circletrack – Good to see you back up on the forum and I really like the avatar!!!!!

    I would have to agree with what hotrodbuilder posted. If you can pick up a good quality cover like those sold by California Car Cover for less than $200, then that’s a deal. This cheapy cover that I am replacing from Wolf was $100 plus to start and the one that is being sent as a replacement retails for about $200 plus, and the fabric is made by Kimberly Clark (it may be more paper than it is cloth or fabric), plus it is brittle. If I were to outright purchase another cover, it would not be a Wolf product. I have learned that you do get what you pay for, and you must decide whether your car will be stored outside (waterproof, water repellent, UV protection) or inside (dust, moisture buildup, etc.)

    Marshall

    #20268
    GTO Man
    Moderator

    Here is the site for California Car Covers. http://www.calcarcover.com/

    There is alot of nice stuff on that site. I need to buy a cover for that GTX and I think I will get it from them.

    #20269
    Garibaldi
    Keymaster

    Like hotrodbuilder said, you’re protecting a very expensive paint job, so its definitely worth it to pay a little more for a good cover!

    #20270
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Kimberly clark is primarily a paper company and i dont know about u but for $200 i could buy alot of paper and tape to cover my car but it wouldnt protect anything and would look kinda silly with 8×10 sheets all over Drogar-Laugh(LBG).gif The very first car cover i bought was one of those grey cheapo ones and didnt repel much of anything, water made the cover stick to the car and i swear if i farted too close to it it would tear. Check out the california company.. they have other products then car covers and u can even get a free catalog sent to ya. I get a new one about once a month. Im sure there are other quality car cover companys out there but i see alot of the car show guys… n gals going with this brand now.

    #20271
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Update – I received the replacement cover from Wolf today. And, they did upgrade the cover and sent a replacement that would have cost twice of what the original cover sold for. Also, the instruction sheet told me to just trash the old cover and not to bother sending it back in as Kimberly Clark had reported a problem with the material used in that cover.

    Also, I discovered that the first cover was custom fit for a Coupe/Convertible, but not fastbacks. This new cover is a custom fit for 65-66 Fastbacks. That might explain why the old cover was wearing thin at the rear corners and front corners (just a bit short, even allowing for some stretching of the material).

    At any rate, Wolf did the right thing, they are a stand up outfit, and they did right by me. Hopefully, I will get a few good years out of this new cover.
    Marshall

    #20272
    Garibaldi
    Keymaster

    Sounds like you came out ahead on this deal, with a new, better cover and one that is custom made for your vehicle at that! :D Glad to hear it Marshall! jumpy.gif

    #20273
    GTO Man
    Moderator

    Glad to hear about a company that stands behind their product. Too many companies these days just don’t seem to care.

Viewing 14 replies - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
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