Winterwaves

I got an Acura one thrown into the deal, and I must be a real idiot because I can see no possible way to fold and/or roll up the car cover small enough to fit in the small carrying bag that it comes with.

Not that I really want to stuff it into the bag every time I take it off my car -- I just want to be able to roll the thing up small enough so that it could fit into the bag if I wanted. The way it is now, I can barely roll up the cover small enough so that it doesn't take up half of the inside of my trunk!

That, and trying to avoid getting the cover on the ground (where it will instantly pick up dirt and dust) while folding/rolling it up is a real challenge.

I know that probably sounds lame. But I've never really used a car cover before. There must be some particular folding/rolling up procedure which my meager brain just can't fathom, in order to get the thing rolled up small enough, and to avoid getting it on the ground while doing it. Any secrets besides, "It's all in the wrist"?

sleeper

i use the cover all the time since my poor baby isn't garaged for the time being.

the trick to rolling the cover up is:

- loosen the back and front and side mirrors
- starting with a side of the car (i usually start with the driver's side), fold the cover over the top of the car so that 1/3 of the car is now uncovered (it takes 2 or 3 folds to get the side cover area to fit on top of the car).
- go to the other side of the car and fold the side the same way (it should overlap the section you just pulled up from the opposite side).

now 2/3 of the car is uncovered and there should now be a strip of cover that runs down the middle of your car.

- start with the back side and fold up the cover (in 18" or 24" segments to the middle of the roof. note: you can also roll it up if you prefer to put it in a bag instead of a box. if you roll it up, ignore the next 2 steps.
- go to the front and fold the cover up to the middle of the roof so the folded up sections meet.
- fold the entire cover together now. now you can throw it in your trunk and it doesn't take up a lot of space.

hope this helps.

btw, be sure the cover is cleaned every now and then. also, don't throw a wet cover in the trunk.

Winterwaves

Thanks, man. That is simple and helpful.

Also just wondering, what is the recommended way to clean the car cover? I'm sure I probably got some dirt on it already.

I suppose that getting a trunk tray would somewhat alleviate the problem with throwing a wet cover in the trunk, as long as you don't leave it in there so it starts to mildew and smell.

Belzebutt

Can you post some nice pics of it? All I've seen is a small thumbnail on the Acura site.

sleeper

ah, cleaning it is kind of a pain. i wash my driveway, lay it out, then hose both sides and hang it out on my fence or lay it out in my garage to dry it out.

i have the trunk tray, so i can put a dirty cover in there. but yeah, you just can't leave it in there for a long time.

i'll see if i can get some pics up tomorrow or the day after.

stogie1020

WinterWaves,

Just a thought, but if you just want to stuff it in a bag and drive away, go to a quality camping store and look for a compression bag for sleeping bags. They come in different sizes, and once stuffed with an oversized item, you simply cinch down the straps and compress most of the wasted space away.

Winterwaves

That might not be a bad idea. Thanks, I'll check it out.