Weatherproof Hood Cover

Leven Technology

Winter is coming! I am fortunate enough to keep my TVR in a garage to protect it from the elements. But when we are away from home or on a weekend break in the car, I needed something to protect it from the weather (and thieving prying eyes).

Like most convertible cars left in the rain, my Tiv tends to have annoying leaks. To help combat the situation, I purchased an Argos plastic car cover. I used it once and left the car overnight in the hotel car park. On return in the morning, I took the cover off and not only were all the car windows fogged up, but where the plastic material and bungee attachments came in contact with the paint work, it had left ‘chafing’ marks. After much swearing and stamping of feet (not in the car park of course), the marks did polish out (just) – the ‘car cover’ however, went in the bin.

There are several alternatives on the market ranging from £30 to many hundreds of pounds. An ideal compromise between security, protecting the car from the weather and cost is the Leven Technology Hood Cover.

Click to enlarge		The sealed hood cover package

The cover comes from Leven in a sealed bag containing the hood cover itself, a vinyl storage bag and all instructions on its use.
The cover is made from a cotton lined, leather grain patterned vinyl. Leven tell us that the vinyl is approximately 1mm thick and is ‘UV stabilised’, which means that it won’t be damaged by the sun.

All of the seams are vulcanised and glued (this is because the seams would leak if they were stitched). All the edges are bound to finish off the cover, and all the webbing and snap catches used on the cover are specially designed for outdoor use.

Leven tell us that the manufacturing of the covers is undertaken using state-of-the-art laser cutting machines (to ensure accuracy), operated by highly trained operators. I am hoping to visit the manufacturing facility quite soon and will post pictures of the hood covers being made as soon as I have them.

Fitting

To fit the hood cover, you pull it out of the supplied storage bag and lay it on the car roof. The cover folds out over the windscreen, back window and sides of the hood.

Boot flap up		Webbing strap inside boot

You open the bonnet and boot lid. You pass the webbing straps between the boot lid struts and snap the connector together inside the boot, then close the boot lid (as above pics).

Bonnet latch cut-out		Bonnet flap up

At the other end of the car, the specially positioned cut-out flap is lined up centrally over the bonnet latch mechanism in the engine bay, and the bonnet is closed, trapping the front of the cover inside the bay.

Bonnet flap down		Boot flap down

The two covering flaps on the bonnet and boot are dropped over, which forms a waterproof covering. The wing mirror straps are locked and tightened – job done.

Click to enlarge		Velcro flap undone

To get it off, you release the wing mirror straps, undo the velcro opening on the drivers side. Open the door, the boot and bonnet and reverse the process - easy.

Security

Once the cover is in place (which only takes a few minutes), thanks to the unique way the cover has been designed, you have to have FULL access to the car, the boot and the bonnet to get it back off! Therefore, it makes unauthorised entry into the car quite difficult without having to totally destroy the cover to get in. Another good feature is, having the attachments inside the boot and bonnet, it also stops anybody from actually making off with the cover itself!

I have been informed that the material used in the cover is laser cut from an exact pattern, which is why it fits the car so well (Leven produce a slightly different version for each TVR model). Because the material is also quite heavy weight, it is the weight of the cover that holds it snugly in position. The straps around the mirrors are there so the cover does not flap in the wind, which obviously reduces any chance of chaffing the paint.

Conclusion

The cover can be fitted or taken off in a few short minutes. The task can also be easily accomplished by a single person, which is handy if you are on your own. The only minor points that I would like to raise, is that it might have been an idea to include a packing diagram in with the instructions. I did have to fiddle around for quite a few minutes to get the correct folding sequence to actually get the cover back in the storage bag.

	Clean the bonnet latch!

I would also recommend that you remove any excessive grease or oil from the bonnet latching mechanism in the engine bay (and immediate area) prior to using the product, so not to get any over the hood cover.

With these minor points aside, it is a quality product which is extremely well made, it is obvious Leven have put much thought and hard work into this product, and I think it represents real value for money. If you leave your car outside, or are going on tour, this product is a must.

Leven advise us that the cover will fit the following wedges: 280i, 350i, 350 SE, 350 SX, 390 SE, 400 SE 450 SE and the SEAC models. The test car was a 1989 TVR 350i and fitted perfectly. Please note: The cover that was reviewed will only fit wedges, Leven produce slightly different covers for the other TVR models.

The Hood Cover can be purchased mail order from Leven Technology direct or through the TVRCC. The cost of the cover is £150.00 (at the time of review) and includes vat.