If you're planing on buying a car cover, don't make the mistake I did!

I've done some investigating, and through trail-and-error have discovered at least one popular manufacturer of aftermarket car covers that lists the wrong sizes for our cars on both the back of the boxes and on their website!

Budge Industries LLC
Available on the shelf at most department stores and auto parts stores. They have a line of semi-custom car covers in various sizes and degrees of quality. There is a chart listing all major makes/models with the corresponding car cover size to chose from, to help make your shopping experience convenient. This is what is says under Chevrolet:

Monte Carlo 70-88 - Size 4
Monte Carlo 00-04 - Size 3
Monte Carlo SS 83-05 - Size 4

Without giving it much thought, I instinctively grabbed a "Size 3=Large" car cover off the shelf for my 2002 LS. I brought it home and decided to open it and give it a try. Well, long story short, I struggled with it for a bit before getting it to stay on the car. In the end, it did not cover the whole car! There was about 3-4" of the bottom of the car exposed all the way around (side skirts, rear, and front bumper). The only item included in the box to "secure" it was a length of synthetic twine meant to feed through two plastic eyelets on the bottom left/right side of the cover, and tied underneath the car. Then I started thinking ...

I'm pretty sure I bought the same car cover for one of my Berettas a few years back. Sure enough, it's listed there in the chart:
Beretta/Camaro - Size 3
Wait a minute! That cover fits snug and conceals the entire Beretta. I know that very well, and this Monte is definitely a bigger car. How can they possibly use the same size cover? And Camaros, too? So I looked up some specs to compare lengths side-by-side.

4th Gen Monte Carlo - 202.4 inches
5th Gen Monte Carlo - 200.7 inches (not in chart, but Lumina = Size 3)
6th Gen Monte Carlo - 197.9 inches
7th Gen Monte Carlo - 196.7 inches
Beretta , all years - 187.3 inches
3rd Gen Camaro - 187.8 inches
1992-2007 Crown Vic - 212.0 inches (listed as Size 4)

Okay. This is where things really don't make sense. I can understand how the Crown Vics and 4th Gen Montes would need a larger cover, but a Monte that's only 2-4 inches shorter can get away with using the next smallest size? And the SS's are not bigger, but they need a bigger cover? Don't forget what I said about the Size 3 and my Beretta. It's a snug fit. The 6th Gen Monte is over a foot longer, and it calls for the same size cover??

No wonder it didn't fit properly!

I've since exchanged the car cover for the next largest one available (Size 4=XLarge), and guess what ... It fits like a glove! Then I look at the back of the box again and notice this:

Impala 1977-2008 - Size 4
Go figure!

 

The one I bought from Advanced Auto listed a Grand Prix as a Large and a Monte as a medium, I think. I thought there wasn't much difference, and bought a medium anyway. Well, I needed a large, and I had to trade it for a large the next day. I also had to use a pair of bungee straps and these little clamp on things that hold a bungee hook on the front and back, for a total of 4 bungee straps, to hold mine on the car on a windy day. I used mine every day... kept my car clean, but I think it also made a few scratches by being dragged over the a time or to... It seems like the harder you try to protect them ,the more scratches they get to me. I eventually gave it up after my car cover got about 5 tears in it and was just coming apart. But it worked for about a year and a half!

 

i gave up on the car covers as long as we keep them waxed as much as we can it can still look as good as when we got the cars

 

Hi `Jeff, thanks for taking the time to share with your Monte Carlo Family.....I've learned that not everything you read on labels, or on the net is true....4-Sure....

It pays 2 do your homework b-4 you pay....sometimes it's 2 late....after

 

the SS needs a different cover usually because that means stand-up spoiler and lip-kit.

 

I don't think that little bit of spoiler makes a size difference in a car cover. Besides, some LS's have those spoilers too.

 

Yes, the spoiler does make a difference with the fit of a car cover. Especially a custom car cover. I have an old wolf cover I bought from Summit for my 03 Monte ( think it said for the gen 5 Monte/Lumina so I don't know if they sold me the wrong cover or that was the only cover available at the time). It is too short, doesn't cover the ground effects. A year ago I bought another cover for the 05, a Kimberly Clark Evolution 4 cover and it fits like a glove. But I'm talking custom fit car covers. I would never buy a universal car cover for any of my cars.

 

LoL ya my mom got me a car cover for the summer cuz here in Texas it get's up too like 107-109 degree's. Not knowing she told the O'reilly worker that I had an 06 Monte Carlo SS and he gave her I believe number 4 and that shyt barely cover's the front. It leave's my front lip exposed. I gotta go get a size bigger now

 

Very true. The rear spoiler causes the car cover to go up a tad bit which causes either your rear lip to be exposed or the front lip depending on which way you pull it more towards lol

 

i just buy the biggest size... that way I know there isn't a problem lol