Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

I guess that just leaves the 6.1 now doesn't it? :devilish:
 
So, as some of you may know, I got into buying car covers for my vehicles as I no longer have a daily commute or, indeed, anything that would make me use them very often. So now my area on the parking lot looks a bit like this

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This happened in November. Inasmuch as I can recall, we've never had any cars with car covers on my neighborhood. Today I walked out to this:

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I can, therefore, only conclude that the only reason that my neighbors didn't have car covers is because nobody had thought about it :p
 
Stupid question of the day. I only use a cover in heavy snow or ice to save time when cleaning the car in the morning. I also see no point in owning a car/cars if you don’t drive them.... so what is this good for exactly?
 
A couple of things, actually. The biggest one for me is protection from dust, bird droppings and incidental damages that those entail. As I don't own a garage it also reduces UV damage to the interior (especially important on the impala and the shitty plasticizer they used) and keeps it cooler even under direct sunlight (great when you live in the tropics and you need to go out at noon).

I still drive the cars, but I just don't drive them nearly as often as I did previously.
 
I've never sold a car cover to a "car person". It's always a retired couple. At some point quite late in the life of a person, dealing with a snowy and usually dripping wet car cover becomes easier than just using a snow brush and ice scraper. I don't know why that is.

Our sun isn't strong enough to ruin interiors either, so there's that.
 
I had a cover for the Roadster. Everyone has a cover for their Roadster. Roadsters leak. I lost the straps for it after the car starting living in the garage so didn't give it to the new owner. No idea where it is now...

When it comes to ice and snow I'm torn between scratches from a brush or scraper and those left by a cover over time. I don't like the idea of either affecting the Tesla, fortunately I didn't have to drive when we had snow a couple of weeks ago.
 
Get a car that’s not worth saving to deal with the snow.
 
Matt2000 said:
When it comes to ice and snow I'm torn between scratches from a brush or scraper and those left by a cover over time. I don't like the idea of either affecting the Tesla, fortunately I didn't have to drive when we had snow a couple of weeks ago.
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I usually clean the big part of the snow from the car with my glove (hopefully water-proofed), but I pay attention not to remove the layer directly in contact with the paint. I clean the windows and the lights thoroughly, though.

Then I drive the car wherever I need to go. When I get there, the car is usually warm enough that I can apply a constant, light pressure on the remaining snow and have it slide on the very thin water layer that forms between the snow and the paint.

It may take a little while to allow for he slab of snow to move without breaking, but once it gets going, it slides right down without stopping, and it leaves the paint perfectly clean from the snow.
 
Yeah I used the same technique (getting rid of snow and ice on windscreens and allowing the car to thaw itself) but since I’m driving electric the hood will stay frozen/covered. About to take my first proper winter drive with proper freezing and snow, so we’ll see how it goes....
 
I just bash the roof with the snowbrush until the snow comes off.

Driving with snow on the roof is a good way to be blindfolded when you brake and the entire thing comes sliding forwards.
 
Perc said:
I just bash the roof with the snowbrush until the snow comes off.

Driving with snow on the roof is a good way to be blindfolded when you brake and the entire thing comes sliding forwards.
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And bust your wiper arms. Watched it happen to my old employer on his work van.
 
Nearly busted my wiper arms too.... because of reasons a Golf cant raise the wipers , and there was a ton of ice in the tiny area between the wiperspindle and the windscreen.

Otherwise, things seem fine so far
 
Perc said:
I just bash the roof with the snowbrush until the snow comes off.

Driving with snow on the roof is a good way to be blindfolded when you brake and the entire thing comes sliding forwards.
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This is why I never let too much snow on the roof when doing that. But If you leave 1cm or less of snow, it won't blindfold you.

Also, I suppose that the average amount of snow I'm thinking about is quite little for your standards.
NooDle said:
Nearly busted my wiper arms too.... because of reasons a Golf cant raise the wipers , and there was a ton of ice in the tiny area between the wiperspindle and the windscreen.

Otherwise, things seem fine so far
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Yeah, that's annoying. I always had to remove it manually.

On the Golf it should be possible to raise the wipers to halfway up to the middle of the windscreen by operating the lever right after turning off the engine but before getting the key out of the keyway. Isn't it so on the eGolf?
 
The cage on the roof of the bobtail traps snow so I always drive around with a snow hat until it melts. :LOL:

Wipers are very weak so I absolutely have to clear the screen. I suppose if the motor was in top shape this wouldn't be so much of an issue.
 
SirEdward said:
On the Golf it should be possible to raise the wipers to halfway up to the middle of the windscreen by operating the lever right after turning off the engine but before getting the key out of the keyway. Isn't it so on the eGolf?
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My Mk2 Octavia facelift (facelift is important here, I think) had a stepper motor for the wipers rather than the usual DC motor and reciprocating linkage. It did things like move the wipers half a centimeter up after parking, but only every other time. This is to make sure the blade doesn't park folded in the same way every time. Clearly a feature thought up by someone with a thinkpad and a pocket protector.

Anyway, my point is that this unusual wiper mechanism meant you could grab and move the wipers manually, but only as long as the car was turned off and in standby mode. If you unlocked it first (which means the computers booted up), the wipers wouldn't budge.
 
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