Arhhh hail, may need car covering

[Clutch_101]

Alas I was caught in the middle of a hail storm driving through Wentworth Falls last week and experienced some mild hail damage! My NA soft has got bonnet and boot dents. I could do nothing but pull over and hear them thump onto the car.

My excess is $600 which ain't flash. Are there any MX5 car covers on the market to protect against this sort thing?

[Apu]

If you are driving on the road with no shelter to pull under there's not much you can do is there?

At home, if hail hits...I've told my wife that I'm going to run out with our thickest quilt!

[Silvia]

Heaps of car covers avail. (e.g.EBay) but you DO have to make a slight effort...

[hks_kansei]

Apu has the right idea.

Most car covers won't actually stop hail damage, they're just too thin.

Best option (other than a garage/carport) is a thick padded quilt/blanket.
Just buy one from the local op shop.

[Apu]

The "better" option is, go to Clarks Rubber/Big W/etc and buy a pack of rubber tiles from the kids department - those great big squares with letters or numbers on them.

Get some old sheets, sew them up into a rough shape of the car - you'll need 2 sets of this - and stuff the rubber tiles into them.

I've been thinking about it, just haven't gotten off my behind to do it. Don't need it to be pretty - just need it to go over the car in a real hurry, and cover it in a hail storm.

[hks_kansei]

That's a really good idea Apu.

last time we had heavy hail we had to use whatever we had on hand.

The cars ended up looking like something from Mad Max.

We ended up drapin them in sheets, then laying broken bits of cement sheet over them.

(non asbestos cement sheet, I might add)

[Silvia]

Yes, though I don't think you need to sew them in sheets....just lay them in place and cover with a cloth of some kind and fix down...

[Apu]

...all the while getting pelted by golf balls from heaven.

Those tiles separate so easily - if anyone is doing this for car protection, I'd even suggest gluing the joins!

[Mr Morlock]

standard car covers will not work. Nothing will work apart from shelter under a roof if you are caught out on the road. You can put thick cardboard on a car and that would work - it will get wet but twin or triple cushion is pretty strong but you still have to fix it in some way and also before the storm.

[bruce]

Just build a carport.

[Noddycar]

I love the weather alerts from Brisbane City Council. Whenever I received an alert, the car goes under cover. The alerts seem to be getting later and later though, I assume due to more people signing up for the free service.

[AJ]

removalist blankets work........the good quality ones that are thicker, I can tell you for a fact that they absorb the impact of hail, & generally the larger ones can be doubled over for more protection on an MX-5.........

[Entice]

Apu has the right idea.

Most car covers won't actually stop hail damage, they're just too thin.

Best option (other than a garage/carport) is a thick padded quilt/blanket.
Just buy one from the local op shop.

APU has the WRONG idea.

seriously, if hail is going to dent sheet metal, what's it going to do if it hits your noggin?

Mine's pretty soft and I dont want it damaged,
who here wants to put up their hand and say theirs is thick?



it's a car, insure it, if it's damaged, fix it or replace it (or turn it into a track car).
your head and it's contents (hopefully) is irreplaceable!

[PaulF]

APU has the WRONG idea.

seriously, if hail is going to dent sheet metal, what's it going to do if it hits your noggin?

Mine's pretty soft and I dont want it damaged,
who here wants to put up their hand and say theirs is thick?

I'm pretty sure the idea was to put the cover over before the sky is filled with large flying balls of ice.

[Entice]

if you have time to put a cover on, you've got time to seek shelter...