Street Rodder Road Tour Kick-Off

A group of 14 West Coast hot rodders kicked off a drive from Los Angeles to Louisville, Ky at our headquarters on July 30th. The group is heading for the NSRA Street Rod Nationals next weekend. The Road Tour is put together by the great crew at Street Rodder Magazine. The magazine puts together quite a few road trips during the summer. Jerry Dixie, the lead driver, drive tens of thousands of miles each summer promoting Street Rodder and the Road Tour. We cannot thank them enough for letting California Car Cover and our new Golden Shine Car Care Products be the official car care provider for the tour.

Each participant on this leg of the tour was given a small goodie bag of Golden Shine products to keep his or her classic looking its best on the road.
This is the official Street Rodder Road Tour vehicle that Jerry has been driving all summer. Since May, he has already put 12,000 miles on it. Now, that's a daily driver.

14 classic and unique automobiles are driving from LA to Louisville. Here are some photos of the cars making the haul.





The guys from Custom Built Machines, located here in Chatsworth, drove over a few project cars to display during the meeting and talk cars with the drivers.


It was a nice morning to get together with local hot rod enthusiasts and hang out before everyone had to depart.


Jerry, the tour coordinator, holds a daily driver meeting so everyone knows what to expect and where to go. The first's day trip includes a little more detail as Jerry outlines what to do and what not to do. We assume that you should just listen up and follow him to Louisville.
Here's Jerry relaxing in the Chevy Sampan that John Schiess ( in the back) of Custom Built Machines is currently working on at his shop.
The cars head out of California Car Cover and get on the road. Next stop, Arizona. Again, thanks to John, Tim, Jerry and the rest of the Street Rodder crew for letting us be a part of the fun.

For more information on California Car Cover, please visit: http://www.calcarcover.com
For more information on the Road Tour, please visit: http://www.streetrodderweb.com
For video from the kick-off, check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ok35Hvqsdw

Golden Shine Car Care Hits the Catalog and the Road

Our Golden Shine Car Care Products are now available through our monthly retail catalog. Volume 1 of our products can be seen in our July catalog, which features a classic 1934 Packard on the front cover. In addition to the initial group of waxes and cleaners; a variety of towels, applicators and combo kits are available for purchase. Our Golden Shine line of products are available just in time to clean your vehicle for the next road trip.

In fact, Golden Shine was recently announced as the official car care provider for Street Rodder's Road Tour 2010. For more details on the tour visit streetrodderweb.com.

Going Back to the 50's

St. Paul, Minnesota
June 2010
One of our favorite shows to attend each year is the Back to the 50's Car Show in St. Paul, Minnesota. It features nearly 12,000 of the finest classic cars from all over the country. This year we flew in a day early to setup and were able to sneak over to the new home of the Twins, Target Field.


The stadium is amazing. It meant we had to hurry up and set up our booth first thing in the morning, but it was worth it. The crowd, stadium and just about everything in downtown was top notch. The guys and I are big time sports fans and we really appreciated the hospitality at the field.
The show runs from Friday-Sunday and lasts until the late hours on Friday and Saturday night. Thousands of people fill the streets of the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. The days are long, but the friendly people make the show enjoyable. This event was the first out of state event for our Golden Shine Car Care Products and they were well received.
You could spend all three 3 days walking the fairgrounds and I still do not think you would see all the cars. It was nice to see a lot of vehicles from Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Mercury, makes you do not see as often in Southern California. People walk around the fairgrounds all night long. Once the sun goes down, the fun really starts as car owners start cruising. We look forward to being a part of the show again next year.

More Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/calcarcover/sets/72157624089894780/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYF9g9L-mpw

What Goes Into a Catalog Cover Shoot

What Goes Into a Catalog Cover Shoot?

Customers often ask us how we go about coordinating our catalog cover shoots. Most of the time we shoot locally, either at our studio or at a nearby location. eStudios, our catalog designer and studio, is right around the corner from our headqaurters so we like bringing in unique vehicles in a controlled setting. During the warmer months, we'll go out to a local customer's house, if he or she happens to have a cool garage to shoot at or in front.

At the Grand National Roadster show this year, we spoke to longtime customers and friends, Steve Moal and Roy Brizio. Steve and his son, Michael, had just finished a unique roadster that was on display at the show, and our owner, Jim DeFrank, wanted it shot for the catalog cover. Roy, and his father, Andy have been friends with Jim for many years and Jim wanted them to participate in our annual Father's Day catalog cover. Both customers work in the Bay Area so we had to do something different this year. Jeff, from eStudios, and I, traveled up to the Bay Area to shoot both cover shoots in one day. It was the first time that we had done two cover shoots in one day, plus done cover shoots that far from home. It was a little stressful, but we think well worth the effort.

After taking the first flight out of Los Angeles, we arrived at Moal Coachbuilders in Oakland, Ca. The Moal family has been in the fabrication business for generations and we were thrilled to see the unique shop. After a quick tour of the facility we began setting up the shot. We took a lot of great photos of Michael's roadster, many more of which can be seen on our Flickr page.

To get the cover shot just right, we enlisted the help of some of the workers at Moal Coachbuilders. We are thankful for their assistance in making the cover look great.

We finished up in Oakland around noon, so after a quick lunch, we drove over to Pleasanton, Ca to meet the Brizios at the local county fairgrounds. There was a Goodguys car show going on that weekend, which a crew from California Car Cover was attending. Roy and Andy agreed to meet us there, so we were grateful for their cooperation. Once the vehicles were in place, we just had to wait for the sun to cooperate. It was a very sunny day, but the shoot when just as planned. Those roadsters sure do look good in front of our trade show set up.

In case you have not received your latest catalog from California Car Cover in the mail yet, here are the finished products.

May 2010 Cover: Featuring Michael Moal's Ford Roadster


June 2010 Cover: Featuring Roy and Andy Brizio with their roadsters.

Golden Shine Car Care Products Introduced at Open House

Golden Shine Car Care Products, our exclusive line of automotive appearance products, was introduced at our 15th Annual Open House and Car Show over the weekend. The line has been in development for several months and we wanted to unveil the products at our show to our local customers.
At the show, our Golden Shine crew demonstrated some of the new products. The initial lineup includes 8 items to enhance and protect the exterior of your vehicle. Currently available is: Premium Wax, Quick Shine Detail Spray, Cream Wax, Tire and Trim Dressing, Sparkling Glaze, Wash & Wax, Go-To Cleaner and Degreaser, and Glass Cleaner. More items are in development and should be available in the coming months. One of our Golden Shine crew members shows off the Clean and Clear Glass Cleaner.
Giving information on Golden Shine Products to customers.
The Golden Shine demonstration display. Live in the area? Stop by and talk to the Golden Shine team at any of the upcoming car shows that California Car Cover will be attending. In addition, we will be hosting a Golden Shine Detail Day at California Car Cover on the morning of Saturday, June 12th from 9am-12pm.
To obtain more information on the Golden Shine Car Care line and California Car Cover, please visit calcarcover.com

Universal vs Custom-Fit Car Covers

Universal vs. Custom Fit Car Covers

When looking to buy a car cover there are two options: universal or custom fit covers. Universal or ready fit covers are typically less expensive since they are not an exact pattern and are usually constructed with less expensive materials. Being a retailer of custom fit car covers we are always going to suggest purchasing a custom fit cover over a universal fit. We know that ordering a custom fit car cover is not always in the budget, but below are some examples of why we think a custom fit cover is the way to go, especially a California Car Cover.

I ordered a cover online from a retailer of car covers I saw in an automotive magazine. Note, only companies that sell custom fit car covers will say that their covers are custom fit on their websites. If the retailer does not say that the cover is custom fit to your year/make/model then most likely the cover is of the universal or ready fit variety. Whether you purchase a cover from California Car Cover or not, it is better to know what you will be receiving.



Above is the first cover I received from the vendor. I ordered the top of the line cover for the 2008 Audi Q7 SUV shown. The black bag sitting next to the wheel is the cover that I received. I was excited about the compact size of this premium cover until I discovered it would only cover a portion of my windshield. Also, the fabric was a little rough and felt like a canopy material.


After trying on this cover I contacted the retailer about the cover. They said that they would exchange the cover for the correct pattern, but I had to send them measurements of the Audi since they did not have a listed pattern for the vehicle. I was able to keep the smaller cover which I might use to cover some bikes in my garage. One week later I received the replacement cover which is shown below.


This cover is a little baggy, but definitely covers the entire vehicle. The fabric this time around was different. Their premium fabric looks and feels like our Multiweave II material, one of our standard fabrics. The cover shown cost $160 plus shipping. I knew the cover was not going to have mirror pockets, but I was hoping for a better fit considering I supplied them with measurements. These photos show examples of the material and the elastic. The cover does have elastic around the entire bottom edge. It does make the cover more secure, but makes it difficult to take on and off. I prefer having mirror pockets in the cover and elastic around the bumper areas only.

Below are photos of one of our Superweave car covers on the 2008 Audi Q7. This cover is 2 years old, but is still holding up. The cover provides a snug fit with mirror pockets. A custom fit car cover does cost more than a universal fit, but I think it is worth the investment. We have a variety of materials for any budget and a custom fit cover for an Audi Q7 ranges from just over $200 up to $400. Also, we have thousands of vehicle patterns on file, so there is no need to provide measurements.

This cover has had some use in the past two years. The cover has a 4-year warranty from our factory. Notice the seams might be dirty, but are still in great shape. I have not had to bring it in for a repair or replacement. A nice feature on a select number of our outdoor covers is that they are washer and dryer safe. I wash this cover 2-3 times a year, in my home washer in fact! The material folds up small enough to be cared for in my home washing machine.

When looking for a car cover, do some research beforehand so you know what you will be receiving when your cover is delivered. A custom fit cover might not be in the budget or needed if you looking for just a temporary cover. We hope that you found the above information useful and that when you or a friend is looking for a custom cover, you will give California Car Cover a call or visit our website, calcarcover.com.

-Tony