DIY Hailstorm Cover for a Car. Will it Work???

[@CasualDIY]

In short I find this project as a failed one. Overnight we had a thunderstorm and there was no issues. The material stayed on the car etc. But the next morning when I was trying to take it off the whole bubble wrap came off as well. The glue was not suitable for this task and to be honest when I thought about it, the sunshine would probably melt off any other glue. On top of it when I was tying to fold whole thing together it was just too big and if you put too much pressure then the bubbles would blow. All in all I don't recommend this way of securing a car from hail.

[@mrjoeace1]

Its a great idea. How about silicone or a flexible glue and put pressure or weight for better contact. 👍

[@5084204]

Now you have an excellent excuse to build a proper carport.

[@CasualDIY]

@@mrjoeace1 yes could be a better idea

[@CasualDIY]

@@5084204 the carport is the end goal I just don't have funds to get the parts. That's why I'm trying a cheaper diy option first

[@5084204]

@@CasualDIY Let me chip in to your future carport ;)

[@BigDen06]

A car port is the way to go, you will even have room for some racking to store long lengths of timber.

[@CasualDIY]

Yes eventually I will have the carport but until I get the funds for it I need some cheap DIY options

[@paulskinner540]

I also think the carport is the way to go, perhaps use the tarp as a temporary measure for the roof so not a total lost and maybe secure with bungy straps allowing some movement with heat/cold as the materials react differently with your current climate.

[@CasualDIY]

@@paulskinner540 yes when I get some funds the carport is clearly the wright way to go. Just need a solution I the meantime👍 all the best mate

[@johannamit4388]

Unfortunately the council wont' approve a carport in front of my house, they can have it taken down.

[@johntaylor2489]

Well. It was a nice try. Sometimes though and I know it hurts, you just gotta pay the money and buy the right thing. Liked the video. I enjoy your relaxed style.

[@CasualDIY]

You nailed it. Sometimes its just worth buying the more expensive stuff but it also worth trying a cheaper option and on some occasion it may work. And I think KZbin is perfect for sharing this kind of things so we can all learn from it

[@jonhjfofs5959]

there is a high temperture spray adesive you can get which is used in camper van conversions which would be suitable

[@CasualDIY]

Thanks

[@idlersdream826]

Hi Tomasz, what a lovely area your house is in, looks spacious 👍. As others have mentioned, you have the space for a really nice car port.

[@CasualDIY]

Yes eventually that will be my permanent solution when I get some funds for it👍

[@davec5209]

how about a couple of old duvets covering the main body of car and cover with the tarp.

[@CasualDIY]

Hmm I think duvets would come up with moisture eventually even when covered with water resistent tarp

[@davec5209]

@@CasualDIY better for paintwork plus if tarp is water resistant only and duvets get damp they can be dried out still. Bubble wrap breaks down with UV and heat. Plus the cost of the roll would be two duvets 13.5 tog :)

[@CasualDIY]

@@davec5209 you've got a point there mate 👍

[@markduggan3451]

I hope you're keeping safe and well my friend.

[@CasualDIY]

I'm trying mate 😁👍 all the best 👍

[@daffodildeb]

I don’t think bubblewrap is sturdy enough to withstand hail, even if the glue had stuck. You may be able to get a high-density foam in sheets, sometimes used in construction. The kind I am thinking of is sold in rolls like carpet, and is about 1/2” thick. A tarp secured by rope over it should work. OR, a large roll of carpet, plush side down, again covered by a tarp might work. Either cover would probably need a second person, though.

[@CasualDIY]

Not seen a foam like that to be honest, but I wasn't looking for something like that. Worth checking out. Yes the bubble wrap didn't work out for me. But the tarp that I got seems to be doing quite a good job on its own. But I will have to invest in a carport next year. That's the best solution I think.

[@daffodildeb]

@@CasualDIY Until I got my current house, I lived 38 years in Texas with one car outside-more cars than garage space, LOL. Hurricanes, tropical storms, and one tornado, but never had damage. Lucky, I guess! The foam I was thinking of is denser than upholstery foam, and may not be available where you live. As an alternative, the kind of foam used for a bed liner might work, say 1” thick. That wouldn’t easily roll, though. You only need to cover the horizontal surface, so as long as you can tie it in place you’d be ok. Look in the bedding department of your local store, OR in building supplies. Styrofoam insulation comes in stiff boards, with various thicknesses. All of these would be available in my local stores, but you’re not in the US, so I don’t know what you have. Maybe plush carpeting would be easier to find? Plush side down, of course!

[@CasualDIY]

@@daffodildeb I'll have a look for that foam you mentioned. I'm sure it must be available somewhere. Seems like a good idea, thanks 👍

[@thelastchapter1332]

Loving the vlogs tom keep them going

[@CasualDIY]

Thank you my friend 👍

[@normanboyes4983]

How apart sinking three fence posts next to the edge of the drive the centre one 1.8M above ground in the centre of where you park the car and the other 2 about 1M from front and rear of the car and 1.5m above ground. Secure the tarp to suitable fixings on the building (high up) and stretch and suspend the tarpaulin to the fence posts?

[@CasualDIY]

I was thinking of something very similar to your idea 👍😁

[@jesusisoursavior2682]

where did you buy this cover? nice video

[@CasualDIY]

At a Polish version of Amazon.

[@reneegazconnors739]

Maybe a car port Tomazc?

[@CasualDIY]

Yes thats my end goal solution. But the one I want that would look nice with the house is just too expensive for me at the moment. Hence I was looking for a cheap solution until I can afford the car port.

[@reneegazconnors739]

A project coming for the Channel 🤔

[@CasualDIY]

@@reneegazconnors739 It depends. If decide that the car port will have a wooden construction then yes. I will make from ground up. But at the minute we are looking at a metal construction which will just come as a flat pack. I could still film the assembly tho🤔

[@monteglover4133]

Use a high quality spray contact glue spraying both tarp and bubble wrap

[@CasualDIY]

@@monteglover4133 yes that could be better, I only used the cheapest spray glue I could have find

[@colinwalker7204]

Hi Tomasz, even if it wasn't successful it was definitely worth having a go, but given the location Its probably worth you considering a lean to car port instead if the weather is that dodgy as it can go from the side of the workshop to posts put in the grass area. I made a cheap lean to covered way from my back door to my built in shed, all I used was cheap round fence posts, cheap CLS timber, a couple of bits of decking timber I had laying about which i fixed to the house to take the timber joists and a bargain basement cheap tarp to cover it....the tarp held up for over a year in the crappy UK northern weather, and i've now replaced it with a heavier version that will last much longer but it does the job REALLY well, and overall it doesn't look too bad either....more importantly it was dirt cheap,, and will do until I can afford to do something better lol

[@CasualDIY]

I'm thinking of some sort of frame that I can easily put up and take down for the tarp. Until I get funds for the carport

[@colinwalker7204]

@@CasualDIY Good idea, if you've got a frame of some sort one side, you'd only need a few eyebolts fixed in the wall and a few Karabiners to hold the tarp at the right height, then you'd probably get away with using paracord to to pull it taught and tie it off to the frame the other side like a camping Bivvy, easy to put up and take down :)

[@rwind656]

If adhesives fail, how about cable ties or even tacking with needle and thread (sewing ) the bubble wrap to the tarp? It doesn't have to be entirely waterproof, a few holes are okay. I've had two friends who had bad hail damage this last Spring. The insurance totaled a good car (terrible used car market for buyers right now, costly to replace), a house roof (horrible building market as well), and greatly damaged several other cars! So I have pondered this same DIY because we have 2 old vehicles outside, irreplaceable... I was thinking, though, of building a cover out of 1 inch or 2 inch rigid foam insulation. Could you try that instead of bubble wrap? If so better hurry because I understand the product is being replaced with a less durable product soon! Or how about thick cardboard? Made water resistant in some way? Or a metal frame under the tarp that holds it away from the car surface? Plastic Spacers under your tarp? Plastic plant pots? Styrofoam meat trays? All you need is an airgap? I hope hail will bounce off the tarp? How about finding an old discarded camper shell for a truck, to put on stilts and drive up under? Or some metal from an old roof? Even discarded windows or storm doors to cobble together a greenhouse? Look at construction of portable greenhouses? Paint booths? Pvc pipe for a frame? Hail might come in at an angle, too.

[@CasualDIY]

Hmm few options there. I was thinking of some sort of frame that I can easily put up and take down for the tarp.

[@rwind656]

@@CasualDIY if you do make a frame, I like the idea of hinged parts, stowable and deployable... or how about an elastic or bungie cord connection for tubes, like many nicer portable tents for camping, that snap into place? I do realize that cost is a driving factor. Salvage will create innovation. ( If we are all fortunate, the cost of lumber here will become affordable again. We have not bought any since February 2020. )

[@rwind656]

@@CasualDIY Question. You have the tarp... do you need a frame? How about spacers between car and tarp? Just create an air gap?

[@CasualDIY]

@@rwind656 yes the cost of lumber is crazy that's why I pushed back many projects that are wood or plywood related. Just waiting for better times. So one of the viewers recommended something that I really liked. I can put 6 heavy duty hooks in my garage wall. They wouldn't be so visible. And then in the ground as the pavement finishes I could put 6 concrete tubs with hooks as well I could then attach the tarp to those. Like a sail in a way but front and back would have to be secured somehow to prevent it from picking up wind.

[@rwind656]

@@CasualDIY Yes, I saw that suggestion. But missed the "concrete buckets" idea to anchor hooks for the tarps. I thought the suggestion was to have anchors in the ground. FWIW, I have a friend who has moved to an area in Arizona where they can get very high winds during monsoon season... They have been trying concrete in buckets for hanging tarps over the raised garden planters. Surprisingly, the concreted buckets get blown around and tipped over. Even setting 2 concrete blocks on too of each concrete bucket has not been successful. The sail of the tarps lifts them to fall over. Maybe yours will be ok, anchored on one side by the garage wall.

[@SamusOG]

Velcro, pool noodles wrapped in fleece & a tarp?

[@CasualDIY]

Why not

[@johnfithian-franks8276]

Hi, maybe make a carport out of wood and connect the tarpaulin to that so you can drive your car under it each night. If memory serves me, “Pask Makes did something like it on his channel, good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[@CasualDIY]

Hmm I'll have a look at his video thanks 👍😁

[@frugalmum7943]

Would packaging bubble wrap work?

[@CasualDIY]

If it's thick enough

[@harrycollins1347]

Would a Carport be better?

[@CasualDIY]

Will be eventually when I get some funds. For now cheap diy solutions must do🤔

[@robinbroadwater2147]

I think your concept was right, but your execution may have been wrong: 1) The bubble wrap did not need to be glued, since it was going to be covered in such a way as to prevent wind exposure, and therefore, movement. 2) Ideally, the straps, or bungee, should have been attached to some steel portion of your vehicle's undercarriage, or, if you were going to attach it to another bungee, it should have been done, under the undercarriage, and with little to no slack, so that no wind could get under the tarp. 3) Tarps are generally stored, just as yours came, when you bought it, folded up. They can be a pain in the @$$ to fold, if you're in a hurry, but you have the benefit of the open land, where you unfolded yours. If your tarp came in a plastic container, it's great to be able to put them back in it, for storage. Otherwise, fold to an acceptable height, and length, then roll it, and either rubber band it, or use twine. And, bubble wrap can also be re-rolled, and stored. I think you gave up on yourself, to soon, Guy. Good idea, which minor tweaks could improve.

[@GabiFodorrasRO]

Big like!👍👍👍👍👍✅💪Felicitări! Great video 👍👍👍😎

[@CasualDIY]

Thank you my friend 👍

[@JayArrr130]

I like that you shared a failed project. We can all learn from that. Question: is it worth considering getting some old duvet's and another sheet of tarpollen, as you called it, and then glue it together making a sealed sandwich? Just a thought

[@CasualDIY]

Yes I think sometimes fails projects are worth sharing to. We can then all learn from it. Old duvet you say 🤔

[@DeafMaker]

Why not sandwich the bubble wrap between two tarpaulins and join them together using the eyelets. Then just super glue the edges of the bubble wrap to keep it in place between the two tarpaulins.

[@CasualDIY]

That could be an idea but then the cost is going up and it would be even harder to fold it and store it

[@TheAussieincalgary]

Price of a thick tarp, plus bubble wrap (must be made from gold in our country) is higher than just buying a hail cover. 😢

[@barryroberts6470]

I was going to say a Car Port would fit nicely were you have placed your car, but looking at the comments someone has already suggested that. So it looks like when you get some spare cash as you have said, it looks like building a Car Port is the next building project for you to do, in the meantime if you have some old spare Carpet or Underlay put that on your Car with the Tarpaulin over that, there should be enough thickness to protect your Car, or just enough to protect your windows at least. Stay Safe, Barry (Wirral, ENG)

[@CasualDIY]

Yes for now it will be a carpet(got one spare lol) plus tarp. I think the car port will be a next year's project. Got too much to do inside my garage first 🤣 all the best mate

[@handyjim]

well you tried, looks like a nice place where you live

[@CasualDIY]

Yep if you don't try you never know what you could be missing 😁👍 Yes its very nice, outskirts of my home town👍

[@johngratton467]

Unless the car is absolutely spotless any dirt or grit on the cars surface before before covering with a tarp will turn into a grinding paste especially if it's damp it'll scratch the car badly especially on corners, edges or anything that sticks out such as plastic chrome trim, as the tarp moves or flexes due to wind, don't ask me how I know

[@CasualDIY]

hmm didn't know that, thanks for the tip👍

[@tubee2b]

There is no way that that tarpaulin is 3 mm thick.

[@CasualDIY]

It's better quality, very heavy and strong

[@ciciliaflores6997]

Sew the bubble wrap or staple it

[@CasualDIY]

Spray glue

[@stevenc123]

That wasn't glue, it was silly string :-P