Cover for a 2018 Interstate Grand Tour EXT

[Luckysnuck]

Reaching out for any wisdom on which cover to purchase for my 2018 Grand Tour EXT. Also will be purchasing wheel/tire covers.

My rig will be exposed to southwest Ohio climates during outside storage.

Thanks Friends!

[joe rv guy]

I have an unused full cover that I purchased for my 2016 interstate. I've since changed plans , and built a carport for it. It's made for the 24 foot version and is a soft, water proof fabric with correct entry zipper access. if you are interested please let me know.

[Lily&Me]

I have black vinyl wheel covers, elasticized and stay on nicely.

Conventional wisdom, mine included, is against a full cover, particularly when you live in areas of snow and ice.

They are hard to keep secure in wind, and the shifting causes abrasions to the finish.

Also, snow and ice will pool on the cover on the roof, difficult to remove when you want to get the cover off for travel.

Ours was a waste of $300.

Maggie

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

Conventional wisdom, mine included, is against a full cover, particularly when you live in areas of snow and ice.

They are hard to keep secure in wind, and the shifting causes abrasions to the finish.

Also, snow and ice will pool on the cover on the roof, difficult to remove when you want to get the cover off for travel.

LUCKYSNUCK - I agree with MAGGIE. When used outdoors, a full cover protects from sun UV and bigger things like leaves and some good measure of dirt protection. But the better it is at doing those functions, it also increases the issues MAGGIE mentions. It is virtually impossible to keep the finish of your rig 100% clean before putting on a cover. It is also impossible to keep the inside of cover 100% clean. It only gets worse with every passing day. The trapped dirt quickly acts like sandpaper and causes abrasions. While the best covers can also be so effective at keeping weather out, but that also means the moisture will get trapped under it. It also makes the area more attractive to pests nesting in there. So you just end up trading multiple issues with multiple new problems.

Many decades ago, I used a full cover on 1 of my cars & stored it outside (Chicago). Will never do it again. Damaged the paint with scratches and rusted areas where moisture got trapped. I will only use a cover immediately after car is washed and then rolled into garage. If I need to keep a car outside for long period of time, I may cover windows to keep UV from interior. But leave body uncovered and just wash/wax it often. If it is out of commission the entire winter, put up on blocks, cover tires, cover all glass at least from inside (outside covers are better if you can buy them or make your own), treat all rubber & vinyl moldings with 303 Protectant.

BTW California Car Cover makes many different types of Outdoor Car Capsule - The Original Car Storage Bubble. It is an innovative product in that the entire car is protected all around, including bottom. You roll the car onto the bottom shield and then zip it up all around. Unfortunately, there is nothing that a huge AI will fit into.

[Titus]

We leave ours outside Apr-Oct and store it inside for Nov-Mar, the five months when we don't use it. I don't cover it (or the wheels) the seven months it sits out. We put on enough miles (15,000 /yr) that we don't need to worry about the tires rotting from age before they wear out from usage. I suppose 7 months of sum might be a bit hard on the plastic parts (AC cover, etc.) but ought not have any impact on the MB silver paint. And if it does, oh well...

[ROBERT CROSS]

As noted above...no cover here.
Tried it with our first AS...bad choice.👎
But then again...it doesn't Sno-in-Bflo 😂🥴
I do unload the axles & store the tires though.

Bob
🇺🇸

[Boxster1971]

I leave my 2013 Interstate parked outside in Maryland where we get the full four seasons. I never cover it as I use it for my second vehicle, driving it about 20,000 miles/year. Finish on van still looks great. I wash it fully 2-3 times a year. Had it detailed at the FMCA rally last March and looked like new. The only obvious exterior wear is slight fading of the painted plastic trim added by Airstream. Also some of the painted plastic trim has road damage from gravel roads. I don't think a cover is worth it and more trouble with possible damage.

[coasttocoast]

Keep it indoors and plugged in.

[Luckysnuck]

Originally Posted by joe rv guy

I have an unused full cover that I purchased for my 2016 interstate. I've since changed plans , and built a carport for it. It's made for the 24 foot version and is a soft, water proof fabric with correct entry zipper access. if you are interested please let me know.

Appreciate it Joe, however I've decided against going with a cover.

Happy trails!

[Luckysnuck]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

I have black vinyl wheel covers, elasticized and stay on nicely.

Conventional wisdom, mine included, is against a full cover, particularly when you live in areas of snow and ice.

They are hard to keep secure in wind, and the shifting causes abrasions to the finish.

Also, snow and ice will pool on the cover on the roof, difficult to remove when you want to get the cover off for travel.

Ours was a waste of $300.

Maggie

Appreciate your comments and insight Maggie.

[Luckysnuck]

Originally Posted by Alex AVI

LUCKYSNUCK - I agree with MAGGIE. When used outdoors, a full cover protects from sun UV and bigger things like leaves and some good measure of dirt protection. But the better it is at doing those functions, it also increases the issues MAGGIE mentions. It is virtually impossible to keep the finish of your rig 100% clean before putting on a cover. It is also impossible to keep the inside of cover 100% clean. It only gets worse with every passing day. The trapped dirt quickly acts like sandpaper and causes abrasions. While the best covers can also be so effective at keeping weather out, but that also means the moisture will get trapped under it. It also makes the area more attractive to pests nesting in there. So you just end up trading multiple issues with multiple new problems.

Many decades ago, I used a full cover on 1 of my cars & stored it outside (Chicago). Will never do it again. Damaged the paint with scratches and rusted areas where moisture got trapped. I will only use a cover immediately after car is washed and then rolled into garage. If I need to keep a car outside for long period of time, I may cover windows to keep UV from interior. But leave body uncovered and just wash/wax it often. If it is out of commission the entire winter, put up on blocks, cover tires, cover all glass at least from inside (outside covers are better if you can buy them or make your own), treat all rubber & vinyl moldings with 303 Protectant.

BTW California Car Cover makes many different types of Outdoor Car Capsule - The Original Car Storage Bubble. It is an innovative product in that the entire car is protected all around, including bottom. You roll the car onto the bottom shield and then zip it up all around. Unfortunately, there is nothing that a huge AI will fit into.

Appreciate your insight and thoughtful reply. Appears the conventional wisdom is to not cover and as you mentioned keeping it washed & waxed...this is the route I'm going at this time.

I'll also be picking up some 303 Protectant.

Regards

[Luckysnuck]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

As noted above...no cover here.
Tried it with our first AS...bad choice.👎
But then again...it doesn't Sno-in-Bflo 😂🥴
I do unload the axles & store the tires though.

Bob
🇺🇸

Thanks for your reply Bob, I suppose if we can all learn a little bit from each other's experiances, good or bad, we'll be better off for it.

Regards

[InterBlog]

How long do folks intend to keep their rigs? If the answer = long time, then I'd recommend the kind of cover shown below, particularly for people who live in the south, where aging accelerates due to the relentless sun.

My husband's daily driver is a year older than our Interstate but it has never been garaged. Its dash is sun-cracked and oozing sinister-looking plastic breakdown products. Our Interstate's dash trim is starting to look really bad, even with garaging.

[Luckysnuck]

Would love this kind of "hard" cover for my rig (ha-ha); although I'd be afraid that it might be a bit cost prohibitive over the long run. Curious if you'd like to share; what is your approximate monthly rate for a high profile garage storage stall in your neck of the woods?

I pay approximately $ 55. per month for a decent outdoor parking space in a gated & camera secured lot in the Cincinnati area. This rate is 10% cheaper than standard because I paid for a year upfront...all refundable if I were to pull out, less the discount of course.

[InterBlog]

I pay $150/month for an electronic-access garage that includes electricity, water, and dump station. For most of our ownership period, it was $135/month but the price recently went up.

The greater Houston area is the cheapest mega-metro in the country. Stats depend on perspective taken, but our cost of living is below the national average. In many other locations, we'd be paying several times that $150 in incremental mortgage costs, so I don't fret too much about it.

[Luckysnuck]

Thank you for sharing.