Just bought an S8 and my Q7 will be my third car for towing. Anyone have an opinion on car covers?

 

I bought EZ Shade's windshield reflector/heat rejection to pop up quickly when parking it outside in Summer, and I also got their multilayer, all weather SUV cover, which is pretty good quality too. When I bought each item from EZ-Shade they sent me a card for a free item too, so as we had two Q7s I just got doubles on each with that deal. The price was great when I bought, and I've been very happy with both products. Your mileage may vary on pricing and post-sale perks.

I guess a lot depends on what type protection you feel like you need, so consider where it will be parked and what type weather you want to protect from, how sturdy it needs to be, warranty on it, etc., etc.

The car cover I ordered is a reflective/heat rejecting silver exterior with the bright orange reflective markers on each corner and at the mirrors. Fitted elastic front & rear w/ straps to go under car to secure it in windstorms, etc. The mirrors can be folded or in normal position, and it's got a driver's door 'zipper' opening in case you need to gain access the car, etc., so you don't have to remove the entire cover just to get in. Mine is considered a 'semi-fitted' type of car cover and they have a sizing chart. It fits really well and as it is really windy where I am, I use the undercar straps and built-in grommet anchor points on it to fully secure it and keep wind from damaging it by whipping it about.

I've put mine on in prep for ice, hail, and snow storms, and makes it really easy to clear the car after ice & snow, etc.. Mostly I use my windshield shade cover pretty much every day, which makes a huge difference in interior temps, and literally takes seconds to deploy or remove and store it. I tuck mine right next to the center arm rest/console & passenger seat and you wouldn't even know it was there.

Good idea to plan for at least a 3 amp trickle charger if it's gonna sit unused between sojourns, as that'll make your life a lot easier.

 

Thanks.I was planning on leaving it on our street and only using for snowmobiling and fishing. Or I could park it in the driveway on a charger in the garage. I leave my boat in Northern WI plugged into a charger and I get a lot of life out of those batteries. I did forget to plug in the snowmobile batteries.

 

The 4L Q7 tends to develop parasitic battery drains in a couple areas as it ages, especially if you don't address the known water drain clogs/leaks proactively, etc., but regardless, when sitting for extended periods it will run your battery down, as there are so many electronics. If yours has had drain issues prior it'll likely just be a lot faster battery drain than you'd like.

On my '10, it apparently had a plenum drain clog prior, as when I lock car/alarm activates, then I notice it really drains the battery, and obviously more so the longer it sits before I drive it again. If I leave it with alarm off, like when in garage, then it's fairly 'normal', with only very minor voltage drains.

This seems a pretty common issue as the alarm module is mounted at the very bottom of the windshield's plenum area (driver's side on LHD cars), so it'll definitely get wet if the plenum drains gets clogged up allowing water to back up, etc. On the other side of plenum is the ECU/ECM, but it's mounted higher; still same-same on possible water damage either from plenum drains (2 drains) clogged or possible water ingress due to lack of protective 'splash' cover over the terminal plugin on older models. Audi sells the black plastic cover for the ECU/ECM or you can get one cheap from FCP Euro and others, if yours doesn't have it already. The late model cars all should have it from factory.

 

Frankly, carcovers.com has the best available. I'd recommend the Platinum for your application due to the limited amount of time you'll actually be interacting with the car (so the cover will be in use most of the time). Probably a really good idea to consider rodent control, too, if that's a concern in your area.

 

I did have mice eat some wires on my 911 and the repair was $2K. Some rodent also ate the main wiring harness out of our Acura MDX, that cost $2,200. I have been spraying the engine compartments with Peppermint oil. 911 is stuck in the garage with the hood locked. I left the hood cracked and someone fully closed it. It doesn't have a complete circuit to use the actuator for hood release. I disconnected the battery for charging. It requires front wheel removal and wheel liner. It's 94 and humid in Chicago and that might turn into a fall project.