Any legal way to use a car cover on the street?

[zmgmeister.livejournal.com]

I'd really like to put a cover over my car, but there's that whole issue of needing to show my parking permit, and probably license plate, when its parked on the street. Has anybody found a way to make a car cover street-legal, perhaps one that has cut-outs to expose plates, permits, etc?

Comments

[ron_newman]

If you just want the car not to get hot in the sun, aren't there things you can put in the windshield to block sunlight?

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

yes, but most people who use a car cover (in my experience) aren't using them for that reason. more to protect from dings/scratches, pollen, general weather, etc.

[zmgmeister.livejournal.com]

There's shades for the windshield, but then there's all the other windows, there's paint oxidation, rubber turning gray and upholstery cracking, dust, birds, sap, etc. Not to mention GPS-loving passersby ( though I'm not sure if the mystery of whats under the car cover would add to the temptation ).

[motive-nuance.livejournal.com]

Crowded northeastern cities are hell on cars — the real solution is a garage. (And the real real solution is not owning a car worth fussing over, but for some people that's not a good option.)

That said, I bet that if you took a knife to your cover and very carefully exposed all the badging (plate, permit, VIN, make, model, &c), that would probably constitute enough bowing and scraping to the parking gremlins to take a big chunk out of the number of tickets you'd get.

(Maybe two narrow ovals on each side just above the wipers would also help. For inserting tickets, y'know.)

[zmgmeister.livejournal.com]

Maybe I could make a pouch for the tickets, like on a Trapper Keeper.

[cnoocy]

Don't forget the big clear pocket on top for your Duran Duran poster!

[gruene.livejournal.com]

There's a car on my block (Jay Street) that regularly uses a cover in winter and never gets ticketed. I would call the parking and traffic office and ask them about it.

[perich.livejournal.com]

Just put the cover on.

If an officer issues you a ticket - and what are they going to stick it to? - simply call up the parking office and say, "Hey, this was issued in error. I have a parking permit; here's my plate number and the permit number." They may just cancel it over the phone.

(This is easy for me to say, of course, as it's not my car being gambled with. But the worst that can happen is you get a $30 ticket. Paying that will cost you less than buying a $35 car cover and cutting holes in it)