Product Review: Empire Covers Titan 5L Car Cover

With press cars rolling across my driveway each week for testing, my personal vehicle has found itself sitting neglected. There have been months on end when my trusty Chevrolet ^[3] Trailblazer doesn't move from its home under the carport. While it's technically covered, its right rear flank is exposed to the elements – not to mention the endless Florida pollen that piles all over the maroon paint. I had often though about getting a car cover, but had never made the move.

Luckily Empire Covers contacted me about trying their Titan 5L car cover. Turns out, the Titan 5L is designed to be an all-weather, 100 percent waterproof cover that's backed by a seven year warranty. It might be a bit overkill for my carport, but its rugged design would mean I wouldn't have to worry about strong winds ripping it off.

The cover arrived a few days later via the big brown van. Inside the box was everything needed to attach the cover, along with a storage bag made of the same five-layer material as the cover. After treating the Trailblazer to a well-deserved wash and a few hours of drying, it was time to install.

Click 'Continue Reading' for the installation process

Step 1 – Unwrap

The Titan 5L comes nicely packaged inside a storage bag with all the necessary parts for installation and a short instruction manual depicting how things fit together. The only real work is attaching the plastic buckles to the pigtail ends sewn into each corner of the cover. Once the pigtails are threaded through the buckle ends, the job is done. A long piece of thin sting is also included for securing the center section of the cover. However, attaching the straps is best done once the cover is on the vehicle.

Step 2 – Cover Up

At this point, it's time to throw it over the car. The cover is clearly marked Front and the rear has the storage bag attached, so there's no confusion as to where to place the ends. Luckily I had a second pair of hands who guided her side in place while I did mine. The Titan 5L comes with an elastic hem around the entire base, so putting it on the Trailblazer almost felt like putting a fitted sheet on a mattress.

For those vehicles with mast-style antennas, Empire covers includes several reinforced patches for creating an opening to slide over the antenna. Since my Trailblazer's antenna is easily removed, I elected to go that route, allowing me to skip the process of creating a pass-through.

The cover went on very easily, and for the most part, secured itself with its elastic hem. Even without an extra set of hands, the cover would be an easy install.

Step 3 – Strap Down

Now with the cover completely over the car, it's time to strap it down. This is the point where it's easiest to thread the nylon straps through the plastic buckles and pigtail ends. With that done, you simply clasp the buckles and tighten the straps. It's that easy.

The Titan 5L does include two plastic grommets at the both center points of the cover for securing the middle. That long bit of string is then used to connect the two sides together from under the vehicle. Empire Covers does offer additional Gust Guard straps for less than $17.00 for those vehicles parked in extremely windy conditions.

Conclusion

The Titan 5L proved to be extremely easy to install, even for someone who has never had experience with car covers before. Empire's directions are very easy to follow and made the process that much easier.

Empire Covers does offer a full range of indoor and outdoor vehicle covers in a variety of sizes and weather ratings. The Titan 5L lands just behind the American Armor cover in terms of protection, and warranty length. For my needs, however, the Titan 5L and its seven year warranty do the job just fine.

Conversely, those looking for a better bargain can opt for the Titan 4L with its five year warranty. Both the 4L and 5L names represent the number of layers found in the covers' construction. They also come with a super soft fleece lining that protects paint jobs.

More To Come

I'll be using the Titan 5L cover for the next few weeks and evaluating is wind and rain resistance. At that point, I'll post my thoughts on the car cover and what it's like to use on a regular basis. Stay tuned.