Mold problem

[geordie40]

Hi 

I have to store my car outside and I have it under a 4 season car cover but when I took the cover off today the inside of the roof was covered in mold, does anyone have any suggestions.

The cover had been on for about 1 month, weather has been rubbish so unable to get the cover off.

Does anyone store car with roof off but under a car cover?

[dandan62]

I had similar problems with a fairly cheap "breathable" cover so I splashed out on a decent outside cover from Rimmer brothers. No problems since.

[geordie40]

Hmm, this is my cover

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/car-accessories/car-covers-tarpaulins/halfords-all-seasons-car-cover-extra-small

So maybe a better one? Or what about putting a small electric greenhouse heater in it.

Ideas and suggestions welcome

[Dave Ed]

I use a Hamilton cover with a Halfords cover over that. I’ve never had a mold problem. If you use a mild detergent will it clean off ? 

[Mrbarry]

A dehumidifier might help? You can buy none electric ones cheap enough. It’s a bit like trying to dehumidify the world tho unless you seal the cover but it should help. 
Or totally the other end of the scale to sealing the thing up, I had damp issues in my garage this winter, I had sealed up the gaps around the windows in the summer so I removed the pvc strips to allow good airflow and now the damp is gone, so maybe ventilation would be a good idea too. I’m going to double skin the garage and add heating next summer rather than this tho, sooooo cold working in there. 
 

These look ok and a pair of replacement filters/absorbers is £4 and last 6 months allegedly  

https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/unibond-450g-aero-360-moisture-absorber/p/0286745?nst=0&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI29XJgZa95gIVDbDtCh1nEg-AEAQYDSABEgKDZPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[dandan62]

Just to give you an idea, my Rimmer brothers one was £130. I used a halfords one for a few winters and suffered mold and corrosion causing electric problems after a few months of being covered over winter. I think as usual you get what you pay for. There are several decent manufacturers out there but they all seem to cost about that. My only criticism of my one is it is a bit tight to fit.  It wasn't specifically for my model of RH. It is fully waterproof and breathable.

[geordie40]

Thanks all, will look at a better cover, I've seen a couple for about £150 so maybe one of those and a few de humidifier packs will help.

Looked at a outdoor "Carcoon" but they're a bit pricey (£500+).

It cleaned off ok with a bit of anti mold spray.

Loving the weather atm

[dandan62]

I just had a quick look and maybe i didn't use Rimmer bros. I know i bought one from them for my son's Spitfire. It may have been from Coveryourcar. They do one specifically for a Robin Hood. Looks like the same material. Its the stormforce 4 layer cover. 

[Peter Bell]

I assume the cover is touching the roof, can you make up a simple frame to space it off? I do that on a dinghy made a structure with 15mm plastic water pipe and connectors.