Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Waterproofing the tonneau/de-waxing the screens

MeteoFrance was forecasting massive thunderstorms last night at my location and even my house insurer, AXA, sent me a text warning me to disconnect sensitive equipment. Now I do have a full cover for my M3W but it is the original Morgan one, made out of a waffle material that is about as waterproof as a string vest, in spite of many applications of patent waterproofing. It has been relegated to a dust cover for when the M3W is in its winter storage. Luckily the tonneau cover is pretty good but on the last storm I noticed that some water had dripped through at the zip. Now this is not the original zip, which failed at the insertion tab but one I had my local cover and tarpaulin maker, Monsieur Querol in Vidauban, stitch in for me and is a heavy duty, large tooth, black nylon zip, as used for wet suits.

I sprayed the whole tonneau cover with Nikwax and gave the zip a good soaking both open and closed. We duly had the storm from about 2AM all the way through to 6AM with continuous thunder and lightning. Fortunately the main thunder cell missed my house by around 1 km, as in the 17 years I have owned the house, it has been hit by lightning three times, causing electrical mayhem. When I went to the M3W this morning, I found not a drop of water inside, so the Nikwax had obviously done a good job. Less good was when I drove off when I found I had also coated the aero screens with the wax. Trying to wipe this off with screen cleaner, just smeared it around. I phoned Nikwax in Wadhurst, to ask what was a solvent for their wax and they suggested white vinegar but I really dislike the smell of this. Now the best solvent would probably be cellulose thinners or acetone but with plastic aero screens (? Acrylic or Polycarbonate) these were out of the question. I found that brake cleaner removes the wax very quickly, leaves no residue and does not harm the screens, so now I can see through them again. In retrospect, I should of course have taken the tonneau off the car to proof it but it is easy to be wise after the event.

Wilson

These folks make an excellent custom M3W car cover that is waterproof, fits well, and has a soft lining. International shipping might kill you, but for those in the US I’d highly recommend them.
Rolled up it fits nicely in the boot/trunk.

My M3W is only in use from May to early October in the South East of France and spends the rest of the time in secure, covered storage. For the most part, those are dry months (very dry this year, my cherry trees have died), with just the occasional thunderstorm. The car actually got wetter under the Morgan "all weather cover" than it does without. I am now happy just to lean on the tonneau cover and dry it off with a chamois leather if there is overnight rain. It saves me washing it, which officially is not permitted at the moment anyway. For years I have used synthetic chamois leathers made by a French company called Neoclean. They are better than a natural chamois and miles better than any other maker's synthetic, including expensive ones from the likes of Autoglym. They come in a near airtight container and can be put into it damp with no risk of them going mouldy. I really cannot understand why in the 25+ years I have used them, the rest of the world has not caught up, but it seems to me that they haven't.

Wilson

I use Nikwax products. Shoes, clothes, and about to waterproof a lightweight golf top.
Today we are up in Scotland. Overnight rain and some more whilst headed to Oban from Loch Lomond. The seams on the Everflex hood seeped rain through but just a few drips. This winter I’ll be using Renovo reviver but will try Nikwax stuff as well. I suspect water seeps through the stitching as the hood is fairly tight and stretching. The thread holes are a possible entry point
The storm cover is proving a good option as it is still waterproof after 10 years. It’s the cockpitlys bonner one not just cockpit.

Where do you see a custom cover for the 3W?

Reach out to them. I bought the “ 2013 MORGAN 3 WHEELER All - Supremeweave All Weather Outdoor Custom Car Cover with Fleece Lining - Grey”
There is a ‘contact us’ link on the web site. Cost me about $420 with shipping.

Thank you! I guess the volume is too low to bother updating the website. I have the MMC Outdoor cover (and indoor) but haven't tried it yet 'in the elements'.

Is the MMC cover still the waffle weave material or have they gone to something better. I found the waffle weave material in mine to be as waterproof as a string vest, in spite of many coats of Nikwax. Completely useless as a rain cover.

Wilson