I figure I could probably use a car cover for my truck on it's periodic sit times to keep dust low and paint protection a little more safer when working in the garage with another vehicle or such. What would be a good one that won't cost outrageously. I'm not looking for the best of the best, doesn't need to withstand rain or snow as I just want it for inside my garage. A budget of about $200.00 would be ideal. With Black Friday & Cyber Monday deals I feel now is the time to act.

Other things to consider:

1, Will my wheel offset and tires mess with things or are car covers flexible for these issues?
2, I also have a fiberglass Leer 700 bed lid, not a camper shell. I would say it adds 3"s of height to the bed portion.

As for product, car covers.com is where I am looking. The $100 Basic shield cover and the $150 Delux shield are what I am considering. Probably go with the Delux for the peace at mind of a better product.

Recommendations? Thanks folks.

 

I think cover craft makes some nice ones. Good ones get up there in price...you may not need something crazy fancy. You just need to make sure it don't scratch the paint.

 

There have been covers that scratched auto paint? Yikes, kind of defeats the purpose right .

 

I have Dustop models from California Car Cover for all of my stored vehicles: http://www.calcarcover.com/n_carcove...%20Car%20Cover

They are primarily designed for indoor storage, but can be used outside on an occasional basis. They do a great job for what I want out of a cover -- providing added protection from dings and keeping a detailed vehicle dust free while in storage.

When I ordered one for my F-150 with a Snug Top tonneau they didn't make any adjustments to size at all, and I can't imagine they would adjust for wheels and tires unless they stuck out ridiculously from your wheel wells.

If you call them they will walk you through the whole order process so your cover fits like a glove on your specific vehicle.....

 

In the past 40+ years I think I have used about every car cover known to man....when I had to store a car outside for a few years, I really appreciated my cover from California Car Cover Company....but for inside garage, general dust type protection, for my "Toy" (65 Mustang) use (1-2 times a month) this is what I have determined for myself works the best, easiest and cheapest!

After the car is wiped down.....

I cover the wheels with 33 gallon trash bags....I cut a slit on the back, traveling up about 2/3rds the way, allowing me to slip the bags over the tires from the top down. It keeps the dust off the wheels, keeps any remaining oils off your legs (walking by), the car cover (so to speak) and if the pup likes to pee on the wheels, they are protected 9this works real well in the outside environmental protections as well....just use duct tape to secure the slit backside together.

Next, I bought 4 queen size 100% cotton sheets (at the outlet center.....$20 total)
each is marked with a permanent marking pen identifying trunk, roof, hood and front, back, or side....for a truck, make it king...

I 1st cover the roof, placing about 2" of the sheet inside the driver’s door at the top of the window, that pinches it in place and places the other end, covering the passenger door and terminating at the rocker panel. Place the second one at the top of the passenger window and drape it to cover the driver’s door, terminating at the rocker panel as well.

Next, cover the hood, poke a hole for the antenna....the sheet should cover most of the windshield (overlapping the roof sheets), terminating just below the front apron and the side of the fender just below the turn signals. Yes there is excess in the corners....just wrap it around the ends of the front bumper...it acts as padding and protects from any damage.

Next cover the trunk...starting just about 1 foot above the rear window (overlapping the roof sheets) and terminating about 1 foot below the rear license plate....yeah there is excess...hold on.....

Now you have made two stops before doing this...one to a paint supply store (no not home depot...I'm thinking Dunn Edwards, Sherwin Williams, etc.), they sell an 400 x 20 foot roll of visqueen (.31 mil) for about $18....yup do the math...you get enough to cover the car 20 times...it comes in a roll so you just cut off what you need...storage is easy since the box is about 18" by 4" x 4" so the cost is about $2 per use). Drape the car with the plastic.

Now for the attachment ......the other stop is at the local hardware store.....purchase 20 1/2" diameter magnets. Place them about 3 feet apart along the rocker panels and at the bottom of the front apron, on top of the plastic and the cloth sheets....not even a chance of causing a scratch, but secure enough to prevent movement from a moderate breeze, light wind.

Now for the rear...yes there is some excess....just like a Christmas package, wrap/fold the sheet/plastic as one at the corners, bringing the ends at the license plate, secure with magnets underneath at the gas tank. It covers the exhaust tips as well (I will also use a small trash bag to cover the tips to protect the sheets from carbon)

It is loose enough that it allows the paint to breathe (no moisture build-up), but no dust contacts the paint, bumpers, etc. The cotton sheets are soft, the plastic is the dust barrier- typically you can get 2-3 uses out of the plastic, then just throw it away (about a $1 loss each time you replace). The sheets are small enough that you can wash them (as needed) in your own washer- going on 8 years now.

With a conventional indoor car cover.....they do breathe, prevent moisture, etc, but, when they get dusty they really transfer a lot of dust to the vehicle (even when you are removing them)......and to wash them...well that's a trip to the laundry mat...typically in 5 years, they are starting to get tired.

Overall, it's much more convenient, easy to maintain, store (I use a 33 gallon trash bag to store the sheets when we have the car out) and cost a fraction of a car cover.

 

I've also got the CCC Dustop cover on my mustang.. Great indoor cover, had it custom made because I have a Saleen wing and cowl hood. Might be a little out of your price range tho.. Think it was just over $300 for your truck but its worth it.

For my truck I've got an oem cover that cost me a fortune.. Then I throw a cheepo eBay cover over that..