COVER OR NOT TO COVER VEHICLE ?

[winebuff]

I searched here but couldnt find a thread. Is it smarter to cover your vehicle with a car cover or leave it uncovered during the week? Let the snarking begin

[junglesmacks]

Seems to me as if you would be doing more of a disservice to your cars paint finish by covering than not covering. No matter what, you aren't going to avoid the dust. By covering it, all you're doing is trapping more dust.. and then flapping a car cover in the wind with dust between the cover and the car.. and micro sanding your clear coat.

Better to let it just blow off in the wind and wash later with soap and water.

[lucky420]

Ditto on junglesmacks

[geospyder]

Ditto on Lucky420

[Ugly Dougly]

What about a couple of tarps? The outside flaps against the inside.
?

[theCryptofishist]

It has been discussed (although not that I remember in a separate thread) and the consensus is that covers cause more damage than just letting it be.

[Eric]

The only solution I've seen recommended is making a Monkey Hut (or other shade structure) large enough to park your vehicle under. I've only seen it used if someone is actually sleeping in said vehicle (like a van, pickup truck with camper shell, or station wagon).

If you're just worried about your car getting dirty... let it get dirty. Junglesmacks is right - anything in contact with the vehicle will turn into a micro-abrasive with the dust.

[graidawg]

so if your car needs a paint job bring it to bm and cover it for a perfect prep before spraying?

[trilobyte]

Just before you turn off the pavement, make sure the vents are closed (so your fan/aircon isn't sucking in playa). Keep your windows closed. Once you get to your camp site, unload (not during a dust storm, of course) and then close the vehicle up tight. From there, make sure not to open it up again until you're packing to leave. The vehicles that get the most playafied are the ones that people either camp in (my gf and I camp in our cargo van, I know of which I speak) and the ones people pop in and out of throughout the week.

[Rice]

The playa dust will not damage the paint on your vehicle. Sure, as others have said, it will get in/on/around everything... Having said that, it is pretty easy to get the outside washed. Used a water & vinegar mix to wipe down the inside dash & such, vaccume and it should be fine.

To reduce dust inside the vehicle - maybe taping over all of the vents with Painter's tape might help. ?? (I kinda like the blast of playa dust when I turn on my AC )

A fabric cover for your vehicle might be better than tarp(s), but it also will vibrate with the wind. If you had a fabric cover and a giant Zip-lock (like) bag to park in - yes, that would work. But you need to keep the playa dust out... [sounds easier & cheaper to just wash your car]

[unjonharley]

Be careful if you put a shade structure up to park your car in.. The wind will walk the up rights against the vehicle and rub the paint..Stake next to the uprights alog with guy lines.

[some seeing eye]

The flapping of any cover is the greater of evils, you can't drive with the cover on - outbound, camp to 34/447, is almost always dusty. I'm with Stretch. I use 2" blue masking tape around doors, vents or to hold down reflective mylar space blankets on the windows. There are many car/dust threads dealing with the interior, mechanicals, windows and cleaning post the event. Every car wash I have been to will allow you to run through as many times as needed for one price, and sometimes the Gerlach fire department has a car wash to support the schools which I enjoy taking advantage of if the your roof rack isn't full. It's an opportunity to engage people in the local community one on one in conversation to tell them we come in peace.

[dragonpilot]

If this vehicle is your baby, leave it at home and bring a rental...but otherwise heed the advice here.

[9ah]

I agree with closing and painters taping the vents shut. It will be hot in the car if you arrive during the day, but the aircon pulls in a ton of dust.

[MyDearFriend]

Okay, well, that's all very good advice and I fully intended to follow it last year when I brought my one and only car, a lovely lil Scion Xb, to the playa.

We arrived in high winds and heavy dust and just said, fuck it. Turned off the AC and opened the windows. I had carefully arranged cloth covers over the seats and headrests but most of them came off on the way in. We used the car for storage and were in and out of it several times a day over the 12 days we were on playa, then packed up and left in white-out conditions. Needless to say the car was loaded with dust when we left. Garden-sprayer with vinegar water cleared the windows.

We drove 3000 miles home with the windows opened frequently. Vacuumed after unloading, dusted with a dry cloth, cleaned with Armor All wipes, and now I have no trace of dust in my car. No sweet puff of dust when I turn on the AC. Nothing!!! No way to tell which parts of the upholstery had stayed covered, even. We did have to wash the outside of the car several times before the cracks were clear of dust.

My $0.02 from this: turn off your AC when you leave the highway, that's all you need to do.

[Aurelia]

MDF ,yes of course . and it was great to read you saying it.
xoA.

[trilobyte]

It helps if you've got a 3K mile high speed open-window drive to help you blow all that stuff out. Your mileage may vary

[unjonharley]

I missed three years of getting to the playa.. The dash on the van is still covered with dust.. Only problem is window edges.. The dust and rain mix and mold.. So I detail the outside..

[Ugly Dougly]

If you run the AC with vents closed (RECIRC), then it shouldn't be sucking in dust.

[Rice]

If you run the AC with vents closed (RECIRC), then it shouldn't be sucking in dust.

Unless you are like me, and have all of the windows open during a dust storm.... Then it doesn't really matter

My vehicle has not been on-playa for 3 years, every time I change from heat to A/C I still get that wonderful puff of playa dust...

[moonrise]

Yep, press "recirculation" if you're a wuss and need A/C.

My Chevy Tahoe cleans up nicely with an auto car wash (most allow a few passes) then, after un-loading the fuckton of gear, me and The Kid vigorously attack it with a high powered, plug in type leaf blower, inside and out! I am amazed at what blows out from the interior, some good finds actually, haha!
After that we use a stack of towels with all manner of cleaning agents and at the end of the day it looks like new.

I'd use the Gerlach car wash but my timing sucks. It's a goooood idea to wash the exterior asap, in my opinion, because a playa dusted car is a cop magnet, so it seems these days. Life is unfair, but it's even more unfair when you get a ticket for a minor infraction just because you're transpo is playa dusted, erg!

Eric nailed it. I've seen over a dozen vehicles under shade shelters, maybe more than a dozen at some camps.
Car covers proper, I've rarely if ever seen in use.

YMMV

[winebuff]

Great advice everyone. You guys rock!

[westnileraven]

Ok, against popular wisdom I have used a car cover for the last 3 years. It has elastic around the bottom and I used plastic tarp grommets to zig zag a rope underneath. Maybe it's just the contrast after a week in the dust, but it was clean and shiny. Even the dust I acquired driving in was gone when I removed it. No sandblasting noted, wax before you go to burningman. But when people laugh at me I tell them I do it for the UV. The cover is tyvek, and its fucking cool in the car if you pop that seal in the daytime. I like my black leather seats and the vast expanse of black dashboard (newbeetle, TDI, 2006, peace).
I confess, this past year I did not remove the roof rack, which severely compromised the elastic "seal" abound the underside of the car, I left it uncovered for two days (I was mad it for blowing a hose by colfax), aaaaaaaaaaaaand I cut a tiny slit in it to anchor my shade to said roof rack. Yeah it was beat lookin, especially around the back lowers where the cover was not.

I should also note that last year was the only year with any real wind or dust, of my three.

Worth it. The trapped and scouring theory did not hold up, given a well-fitted, tyvek cover, and you leave it shut. My counter theory is that protection from windborn dust (and UV) is plenty good, and any dust you did manage to trap inside the cover falls down if the cover is being whipped against the car and had less velocity than the dust outside anyway.
I think a tarp would suck, because the wind would drive dust innit somehow. And a carport takes care of maybe 70% of the UV.
my 0.02

[winebuff]

Thx West! Love to see what people do and the different realm of ideas we all come up with.

[Snow]

I cover my vehicle inside and out with a coating of playa dust every year.

[Playa Hater]

For people sleeping in said vehicle I would recommend a material called R+Heatshield. Its cheap (roughly $0.25 a square foot). And it reflects 97% of the suns heat and its 100% light proof.

For people not sleeping in said vehicle I would just leave the car be. Or if you are really concerned about the car you can always setup a carport. These are relatively cheap as well.
http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_089V005108842000P?sid=KDx01192011x000001&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=35-24034219-2

[Theraplst]

For people sleeping in said vehicle I would recommend a material called R+Heatshield. Its cheap (roughly $0.25 a square foot). And it reflects 97% of the suns heat and its 100% light proof.

For people not sleeping in said vehicle I would just leave the car be. Or if you are really concerned about the car you can always setup a carport. These are relatively cheap as well.
http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_089V005108842000P?sid=KDx01192011x000001&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=35-24034219-2

But will it hold up in a storm? I brought a monkey hut last year that I made with about $100 in materials (tarps are damned expensive). That thing wasn't big enough for my car, but a smaller car could fit easily at 6 ft tall.

[Playa Hater]

It'll hold up as long as you properly anchor it.

[maladroit]

If you have any virgins in the car, it will be full of dust after you pass through Greeters.

[winebuff]

ha ha, so true! Or make them walk the whole way to camp

If you have any virgins in the car, it will be full of dust after you pass through Greeters.