[Scottyz]

Have any of you guys used the ZL1 outdoor car cover on a ZLE?
If so how is the fitment and how does it hold up outside?

[Alain]

Originally Posted by Scottyz

Have any of you guys used the ZL1 outdoor car cover on a ZLE?
If so how is the fitment and how does it hold up outside?

I don’t think it would fit. The wind on the ZL1 1LE is pretty high. The front splitter also sticks out much further than the stock ZL1.

I bought a California car cover outdoor cover for MY ZL1 1LE. I sold my car three weeks ago and have the car cover sitting in my basement for sale if you’re interested.

[Vigilante375]

A ZL1 cover will not work for the 1LE Mainly for the rear spoiler since it since a foot or so higher.

You need to get a 1LE specific cover.

But any outdoor car cover will be fine as long as you tie it down properly. They all fade from the sun but will hold up fine.

[serper3]

probably not something you want to hear, but I wouldn't put a cover on it. You will do more damage than without if you properly protect the car paint.

Even if the car is clean every time you put the cover on, you get wind outside pulling on the cover constantly abrading on your paint.

[Alain]

Originally Posted by serper3

probably not something you want to hear, but I wouldn't put a cover on it. You will do more damage than without if you properly protect the car paint.

Even if the car is clean every time you put the cover on, you get wind outside pulling on the cover constantly abrading on your paint.

I disagree 100%. If the covers are secured properly and the cars are clean when stored there won’t be any paint damage.

I’ve kept my cars outside in the NJ winters covered with QUALITY car covers from California Car Cover Company since 2016 when I bought my Hellcat. In five years I have NEVER had any paint damage in the spring when taking the covers off.

Before covering the cars I take them to my local detailer. They wash, wax and polish them, I drive them home and immediately put the cover on. Never had an issue.

A quality cover that is properly secured will not cause any damage. California Car Covers are expensive but worth every penny.

[serper3]

Originally Posted by Alain

I disagree 100%. If the covers are secured properly and the cars are clean when stored there won’t be any paint damage.

I’ve kept my cars outside in the NJ winters covered with QUALITY car covers from California Car Cover Company since 2016 when I bought my Hellcat. In five years I have NEVER had any paint damage in the spring when taking the covers off.

Before covering the cars I take them to my local detailer. They wash, wax and polish them, I drive them home and immediately put the cover on. Never had an issue.

A quality cover that is properly secured will not cause any damage. California Car Covers are expensive but worth every penny.

You should polish after the winter. No reason to have the paint its best right before you put the cover on it for a while.

I am not saying your paint is going to be ruined, but you will get fine scratches, micro marring, etc., and of course this is worse if you constantly take the cover off and on, or when you put a cover on the car when it is dirty. any time you have contact with paint and something else, it is bad. especially when the paint or cover isnt clean and especially when you have even a small amount of movement, which you will have.
most people wont use the cover like you, and most people will have at least some areas that arent properly secured on the car. I am in CA so we dont get a winter here.

[Alain]

I polish before putting the covers on purposely so that I make sure there is minimal chance that there will be anything on the surface of the car that may cause scratches when the cover is on during the winter months. I suspect The smoothness and added layer of protection from the wax plays a big role in why I don’t get any sort of fine scratches or anything else. Trust me, I look every spring to see if any damage was done.

I don’t polish in the winter for the aesthetics of having a shiny car. With that being said, everytime I take the covers off in the spring, the cars look EXACTLY how they did when the covers were put on. The shine is still there, you can still smell the wax the detailer used 5 months earlier.

I should have mentioned that in the spring, after removing the covers, I wash them and hang them up to dry inside my house to avoid any debris from clinging to them. Once dry, I store them in a sealed container or in garbage bags until it’s time to use them again.

If you don’t wash the cover or ensure you have a clean car prior to covering them than yes, you’ll run into issues.

Again, Even with snow storms, blustery winds and all the other bullshit that comes with NJ winters I’ve never had any paint issues.

[Camaro1973]

Originally Posted by serper3

You should polish after the winter. No reason to have the paint its best right before you put the cover on it for a while.

I am not saying your paint is going to be ruined, but you will get fine scratches, micro marring, etc., and of course this is worse if you constantly take the cover off and on, or when you put a cover on the car when it is dirty. any time you have contact with paint and something else, it is bad. especially when the paint or cover isnt clean and especially when you have even a small amount of movement, which you will have.
most people wont use the cover like you, and most people will have at least some areas that arent properly secured on the car. I am in CA so we dont get a winter here.

3 years with my current ZL1. Stored outside with cover. As long as the car is clean before you cover it, your not going to have any issues with paint.

Even if you do put swirl marks in it, they’ll come right out even with simple spray wax and a cloth.

My cover is on and off 1-2 times a week, paint looks new.

[serper3]

Originally Posted by Camaro1973

3 years with my current ZL1. Stored outside with cover. As long as the car is clean before you cover it, your not going to have any issues with paint.

Even if you do put swirl marks in it, they’ll come right out even with simple spray wax and a cloth.

My cover is on and off 1-2 times a week, paint looks new.

The swirls arent coming out. you are just filling them temporarily. you can polish the car, but there is only so much clear you have to work with.

also... yes your car new was also swirled and marred like crazy. thats how they come.

just depends how much you want to care about your clear, and whether you have a better option or not.

[Camaro1973]

Originally Posted by serper3

The swirls arent coming out. you are just filling them temporarily. you can polish the car, but there is only so much clear you have to work with.

also... yes your car new was also swirled and marred like crazy. thats how they come.

just depends how much you want to care about your clear, and whether you have a better option or not.

Lol what?? Of course the swirls come out. I can breathe on them and wipe them with my finger.

We’re talking about extremely minor blemishes here, if that. There’s no magical sorcery at play here.

I haven’t polished my car in 6 months. I have 0 swirl marks.

[serper3]

Originally Posted by Camaro1973

Lol what?? Of course the swirls come out. I can breathe on them and wipe them with my finger.

We’re talking about extremely minor blemishes here, if that. There’s no magical sorcery at play here.

I haven’t polished my car in 6 months. I have 0 swirl marks.

if you wash your car and touch it in any way, you are going to have swirls and micro marring visible under direct sunlight. car color will play a big factor in how easy it is to see. black is easier, white is harder.

yes most people are not aware.. eventually the micromarring and swirls get so bad, especially with bad wash habits, using covers, etc., the paint starts to look dull and will need a polish.

here is an article by mike phillips on new car detailing. he worked for meguiars, and then autogeek. he is respected in the detailing community.

its your car you can do whatever you want. just trying to share some basic detailing knowledge.

[NZ ZL1]

Originally Posted by Vigilante375

A ZL1 cover will not work for the 1LE Mainly for the rear spoiler since it since a foot or so higher.

You need to get a 1LE specific cover.

But any outdoor car cover will be fine as long as you tie it down properly. They all fade from the sun but will hold up fine.

I've got a ZL1 with the 1LE wing and the OEM cover (indoor, red) fits perfectly fine, for sure it's a little higher at the back end, but still covers the entire car fine. I'm talking like, an inch max different. I suspect the no front canards helps

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by Camaro1973

Lol what?? Of course the swirls come out. I can breathe on them and wipe them with my finger.

We’re talking about extremely minor blemishes here, if that. There’s no magical sorcery at play here.

I haven’t polished my car in 6 months. I have 0 swirl marks.

Brother, with all due respect, this is just not possible. What's more likely is that you don't notice because you care a thousand times more about performance than paint quality And to think that you store this beauty outside... sacrilege!

Originally Posted by serper3

if you wash your car and touch it in any way, you are going to have swirls and micro marring visible under direct sunlight. car color will play a big factor in how easy it is to see. black is easier, white is harder.

yes most people are not aware.. eventually the micromarring and swirls get so bad, especially with bad wash habits, using covers, etc., the paint starts to look dull and will need a polish.

here is an article by mike phillips on new car detailing. he worked for meguiars, and then autogeek. he is respected in the detailing community.

its your car you can do whatever you want. just trying to share some basic detailing knowledge.

True that. His car is gray, so it's right in the middle, paint defects are much less obvious than with a black one. Mine is garnet red, and it's slightly worse than gray when it comes to how obvious these microscratches are.

[Scottyz]

Interesting comments.
My car has full PPF so I’m not worried about swirls as the sunshine will take care of that. I was hoping maybe the ZL1 factory cover may work on the 1LE but oh well. I have a 5th Gen ZL1 indoor car cover and it fits great. But I do need an outdoor cover for occasional use.
Alain would you mind giving me the details of the cover you have?
Any other recommendations?