These Car, Tire, and Steering Wheel Covers Keep the Dust and Dirt Off

It can be a hassle to keep your beloved vehicle looking good, especially with all the factors out of your control. If you live in an area with smog or lots of wild birds or if you like camping off the beaten track, it can be difficult to keep the dust off your car. This is especially true near firework-heavy holidays like the 4th of July or New Years. Thankfully, car covers are a convenient solution for you. There are also automotive covers out there that protect other parts of your vehicle as well, such as spare tire covers and wheel covers. We’ll be looking at all three in this article.

What Are Car Covers?

A car cover conveniently protects your car as it sits parked in a parking space, your garage, or by the road. There are many different kinds of car covers on the market.

The main benefit of car covers is that they protect your vehicle from dirt, grime, and the elements. They’re especially helpful if you let your vehicle sit unused for some time. It prevents dust from building up on the paint and keeps UV rays that may cause your vehicle’s paint or interiors to fade.

Car Cover Types

The type of car cover you should buy depends on where you usually park your vehicle.

Indoor Car Covers

If you need a simple car cover for a vehicle that you often park indoors, something like the Covercraft Polycotton Indoor Car Cover should be sufficient. Parking your vehicle in a garage or car park means it’s less exposed to the elements. You don’t need to worry as much about UV protection or bird droppings. Indoor car covers mainly keep the dust off, though some of these covers might arrive treated to resist rot and mildew as well.

Outdoor Car Covers

For a car that you often park outdoors, it’s best to consider the climate as well. For instance, the lighter Covercraft 3-Layer Moderate Climate Car Cover does well in moderate climates where strong sunlight and heavy snow or rain don’t cause too much trouble. For harsher climates where those harsh elements are more common, you can pick up a Covercraft 5-Layer All Climate Car Cover instead. If you live in a sunnier area with less snow and rain, you can even consider the Covercraft Reflec’tect Series Car Cover, which is designed to keep the vehicle cool with its reflective silver finish.

What Are Spare Tire Covers?

While spare tire covers also protect against dust and the elements, there are additional reasons you should consider throwing one over your spare. For starters, while the UV rays and various weather conditions may be bad for your vehicle’s body, they’re worse for the rubber on spare tires.

If you use a rotation schedule for your spare tire, it should help alleviate the damage because driving on a tire keeps it supple. However, if you tend to keep your spare tire unused and exposed like on many off-road vehicles, it’s more at risk of developing cracks on its sidewall over time. The rubber might also weaken as it bears the brunt of the hot summer sunshine and cold winter evenings. These all ultimately affect the tire’s structural integrity. That’s why it’s best to keep your tire protected by using a tire cover.

Spare Tire Cover Types

There are a number of tire covers on the market. You can use spare tire covers for the spare on your vehicle and for any spares you keep in your garage.

Exposed Spare Tire Cover

Exposed spare tires aren’t very common these days, but if your spare happens to be mounted out in the open on the back of your vehicle, you’ll want something like the Bestop Spare Tire Cover. It’s mildew resistant and creates a snug fit with its sewn-in elastic band. This type of spare tire cover will keep the sun off your spare and look nice and classy on the back of your off-roader.

Garage Spare Tire Cover

Alternatively, you can pick up a Covercraft Set of White Tire Covers, which includes two tire covers that stay in place using a spring-steel ring. These types of tire covers are great for the spare tires you keep in your garage. Garage-stored spare tires aren’t as exposed to the elements as spares mounted on vehicles, but protecting them from dust won’t hurt.

As you can tell from our examples, tire covers can add some color to your vehicle as well depending on the design you pick. There are more types of tire covers out there for different looks and purposes. Some even come with locks to keep your exposed spare tire safe from thieves.

What Are Steering Wheel Covers?

Because you handle your vehicle’s steering wheel regularly when driving, it’s understandably prone to wear and damage over time. Steering wheel covers serve to prevent too much damage from affecting your vehicle’s factory-issued steering wheel. These covers can also hide unsightly blemishes on the steering wheel.

Steering Wheel Cover Types

Steering wheel covers often have different designs to serve various purposes.

Decorative Steering Wheel Covers

Steering wheel covers like the Dash Designs Boho Steering Wheel Cover are mainly decorative. They spruce up your vehicle’s steering wheel appearance. These covers add extra personality to your vehicle’s interiors and come in different designs to showcase this.

Comfort Steering Wheel Covers

Other steering wheel covers are for comfort. One example of this is the Dash Designs Comfort Grips Ultra Plush Steering Wheel Cover. These covers offer you a more plush grip on your vehicle’s steering wheel. They make holding the steering wheel for extended periods of time easier and more comfortable.

Grip and Performance Steering wheel Covers

Finally, you have performance steering wheel covers like the Dash Designs Multi-Grip Steering Wheel Cover. These types of covers make it easier to grip your steering wheel more securely. Some have anti-slip designs to help you keep hold of your vehicle’s steering wheel even if your palms start sweating.

Should You Buy a Protective Cover?

In the end, it isn’t strictly necessary to purchase a protective cover for your car, spare tire, or steering wheel. That being said, these protective covers do serve a purpose. Whether it’s just to keep the dust and dirt off, or to add that little bit of customization to your vehicle’s interiors, these covers are an excellent buy. Investing in any one of them can help keep your vehicle clean and stylish.