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Anyone Using a Costco Universal Fit Car Cover on their Prius?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Kizzy, Dec 25, 2007.

  1. Kizzy

    Kizzy Member

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    Was thinking of buying one of these. They run about $50. Anyone using one? What do you think of the quality? I park my Prius in a carport so it would be mainly for protection from dust as opposed to direct sunlight or rain. I've had higher-end CoverCraft covers in the past, but I'm wondering if the Costco cover would be sufficient. Any opinions?
     
    #1 Kizzy, Dec 25, 2007
  2. Kizzy

    Kizzy Member

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    Just a follow-up to my previous post. I bought the Costco cover and gave it a try. It is made of a four-ply material and is quite decent in quality. Comes with a storage bag as well. Price - $32.79.

    I tried the size Medium. It fit the car well from front to back, but unfortunately was not quite long enough on the sides to cover the doors entirely, leaving approx. 6" to 8" exposed on both sides.

    I'm probably going to return it and give the size Large a try, although I'm afraid it will probably be too big, and drape over the front and back by too large of a margin.

    Anyone else out there try the large? It could save me a trip to the return counter! :)
     
    #2 Kizzy, Dec 27, 2007
  3. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Dust won't settle up on the sides of the car. Large size will be too big. Are you going to have the car exposed to wind? If the cover flaps it may damage the paint on edges.
     
    #3 patsparks, Dec 27, 2007
  4. Kizzy

    Kizzy Member

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    I'll mainly be using the cover in car port. Maybe I should stick with Medium? I'd be happy with it if only it were a bit longer on the sides. Might need to go with a custom fit cover after all.
     
    #4 Kizzy, Dec 27, 2007
  5. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Shove an old pillow up each side to keep the edges of the cover away from the paint. Also an old blanket of sheet over the car under the cover prevents abrasion on body edges.
     
    #5 patsparks, Dec 27, 2007
  6. Kizzy

    Kizzy Member

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    I ended up returning the Costco cover and went with a ready-fit (semi-custom) Technalon cover by CoverCraft. Model number C80004RB. It fits the car well from front to back, and leaves only about 3" to 4" exposed on the sides. I can live with that. A custom-fit would obviously fit perfectly all around, but costs substantially more.

    As with the Costco cover, it is necessary to fold in the side mirrors and remove the antenna first, but I can live with that. The Techanlon material is slightly thicker and softer than the Costco, although the Costco cover was very decent for the price.
     
    #6 Kizzy, Feb 6, 2008
  7. subarutoo

    subarutoo New Member

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    Get a shark fin antenna, and the antenna problem with a cover goes away. I bought the high end cover with antenna and mirror pockets, but got tired of threading the antenna sleeve over the antenna, and got the 'fin. Simple to install, and I see no loss in radio reception.
     
    #7 subarutoo, Feb 11, 2008
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