I have no garage. Hail scares the bejesus out of me and I want to get something for during the summer months to ensure my S2K's protected. During the winter I will revert back to driving my Pathfinder and store Elle in a storage facility. I've found quite a few tent/canopy sort of shelters (I rent so I don't have the luxury of erecting something permanent) that seem reasonably priced (I'm trying to hold it under $300), but that's money pissed away of they are too cheaply constructed to withstand moderately-sized hail. Any suggestions/experiences with sheltering cars from hail? TIA.

 

Move to California?

I've lived here 13 years and never seen hail.

A Honda car cover for the S2000 should protect the car up to marble sized hailstones. Golfball sized and larger would still be a problem.

I keep the Honda car cover on my car whenever it's outside and I'm not driving it, more for sun and door ding protection than anything else. The padding helps keep hard objects from putting dents in the surface.

 

Look in the back of Motortrend or another major car mag and look for an ad for automotive tents. They come in all different sized and are not permanent. They do a great job of keeping out the elements including monstrous diameter hail.

 

If you're new here, welcome to Colorado, home of hailstorms.

As has been mentioned the "tent" structures should protect your car from up to 3/4" hail, but guess what, anything 3/4" or smaller shouldn't leave marks anyway.

Anything that will provide true protection from hail large enough to do damage will have to be a structure.

Of course, going along with it being Colorado, most hail here hits between 2:30 PM and 6:00 PM or so, so odds are you would be at school/work anyway and wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

In short, all you can do is remember that's what comprehensive car insurance is for...