What Are DeFenders?

Handmade, vehicle specific fender covers.

DeFender Auto Covers are custom-fitted mechanic’s fender covers offering unparalleled paint protection for your classic and exotic car. The DeFender idea is simple- fender covers made to specific makes and models of vehicle, ensuring complete defense from spills, scratches, and impacts. Current day automotive manufacturers make assembly line protection covers exactly like DeFenders to ensure the vehicle stays out of harm’s way during production at the factory. Home builders and professional technicians had no access or available options to purchase fender covers of this caliber; until recently. You can now buy a tailored fender cover for your exact make and model of vehicle through DeFender Auto Covers.

Select Your Vehicle
The Problem
Universal

The 4 problems with universal fender covers

“What does a fender cover need to do?”

At its most basic level a fender cover needs to be the guard between the car and the technician. A fender cover is the car’s only fighting chance at paint defense during repairs, tune-ups, and restorations.

Frustrated with using universal-fit fender covers on a wide range of vehicles, I searched for a more comprehensive solution. The restoration and repair industry chooses to ignore the 4 issues of the universal concept:

Same Poor Fit

Every car make and model gets the same poor fit. A mechanics fender cover that fits perfectly on one automobile’s unique contoured shape cannot fit on another in that same perfected way.

Exposed to Damage

Work area left exposed for damage. Typical coverage of a universal fender cover leaves 70% of the work area open to become scratched, dented, or harmed by oils and solvents.

Obstruction of Work Area

Partial obstruction of work area in engine bay, wheel well, and fender. Wherever they are placed, their poor fit blocks either a wheel well opening, a portion of the engine bay or comes in contact with a brace and leaves your cover placement less than ideal.

Gimmicky Attachments

Require gimmicky attachments to stay in place. Some covers use sand filled pockets, others used sewn in magnets, and still others use straps and fasteners to hold the cover on the car. All of these gimmicks have the potential to harm the finish; magnets pick up metal shavings, straps and buttons can scuff paint, and sand is an extreme abrasive when the integrity of the cover is compromised.

The Solution

Re-inventing the fender cover

Arriving at the DeFender solution meant understanding the question:

What does a fender cover need to do?

It needs to completely protect the exceptionally painted finish from spills, scratches, and impacts that may happen while a mechanic works on the vehicle. A quality fender cover needs to be:

  1. Constructed from a soft, pliable, and padded material
  2. Impervious to spilled oils, solvents, and brake fluids
  3. Defend against debris that will scratch and harm the finish
  4. Fully cover all work areas to prevent possible damage
  5. Allow full access to all work areas, including engine bay and wheel well
  6. Fit the fender exactly
  7. Be completely secured once installed

Completely Protecting Your Finish

DeFenderCo fender covers are the only mechanics covers in the world able to perform every one of these requirements. These important design criteria are rendered unachievable by universal fit mechanic’s covers. How can a flat two dimensional mat be up to the job of protecting a curved three dimensional surface? The short answer is that it cannot. Armed with our design requirements, I set out to create the DeFender solution.

Product Details
The Resolution

The DeFender Advantage

DeFender Auto Covers are made to fit each make and model exactly, perfectly hugging every compound surface, with clearance for hood hinges, fasteners, braces, and other brackets that get in the way of a traditional universal fender cover. The interlocking panels provide total coverage of the most vulnerable areas so the mechanic can feel confident that the car is protected the entire working length of the engine bay and even beyond without blocking access to important areas.

Material Engineering

Tailored by hand in the USA from custom draped patterns, the covers stay in place while working on the vehicle and ridges formed into the top surface prevent tools from rolling off. The material is custom made exclusively for DeFender Auto Covers, and is the only fender cover material that kills 3 birds with one stone-

1. The vinyl upper layer is impervious to oils and solvents

2. The middle expanded foam layer protects from impacts

3. The textured underside prevents the covers from scratching, slipping, moving, or falling off.

PRODUCT FEATURES

DeFenders

Universal

Blankets

Fit the fender exactly

✓

✗

✗

Cover clears braces, hinges, and rubber stoppers around engine bay

✓

✗

✗

Allow full access to all work areas, including engine bay and wheel well

✓

✗

✗

Be completely secured once placed on vehicle

✓

✗

✗

Cover will not attract debris or metal

✓

✗

✗

Product material is foam padded and textured

✓

✗

✗

Constructed from a pliable material

✓

✓

✓

Impervious to spilled oils, solvents, and brake fluids

✓

✓

✗

Fully cover all work areas to prevent possible damage

✓

✗

✓

Requires magnets, straps, tape, or fasteners to stay on vehicle

✗

✓

✓
Cost Analysis

Average cost of complete paint and bodywork: $32,500.00

Welding in patch panels, floor boards, sanding surfaces for paint, primer, color, clear coat, and assembly all add up quickly. Typical time spent at the body shop is 2-3 years and costs tens of thousands of dollars to complete. Once you have your ride completed and ready for enjoying you need to think about the long term protection of your investment. DeFender Auto Covers are the only products that will satisfy all your needs.

Average cost of body repair: $11,000.00

Rust repair, panel straightening, and adjustments to body panels to achieve perfect gaps is a time consuming tedious process. This stage of the restoration typically takes the longest, and can have the most hidden costs associated with it. Make this stage a one time cost and prevent further bodyshop visits with a set of DeFender Auto Covers to protect your hard work.

Average cost of materials: $5000.00

Paint and bodywork is expensive even if you do all the labor yourself. Average cost of materials needed to perform these jobs average between $3500-$8000. This does not even account for specialty tools, compressors, or booths needed to get a high quality job. An investment in a set of DeFenders is but a fraction of the overall budget for a restoration.

Average cost of scratch repair: $1000.00

Lights scratches in clear coat can be removed by a cut and buff job, but those deep scratches that go down to the metal require bodyshop work. Most scratches require multiple panels to be color matched and it typically requires a two stage paint and body process that costs thousands. Prevent those deep scratches and save yourself thousands of dollars in body shop bills by investing in a set of DeFender Auto Covers.

Average cost of dent removal: $325.00

Paintless dent removal can occasionally be used to remove a small crease, dent, or ding caused by parking lot accidents, tool slips, or environmental factors. Prevent further damage to your vehicle by using a set of DeFender Auto Covers when wrenching on your ride.

Average Cost of Detail: $250.00

A full clay bar detail, with cutting and buffing of the clear coat, and a wax job afterwards can restore an older paint job making it shine like new again. Keep that fresh look protected with a set of DeFender Auto Covers.

Cost of a set of DeFenders: $349.95

DeFender Auto covers are made to fit each make and model, perfectly hugging every compound surface, with clearance for hood hinges, fasteners, braces, and other brackets that get in the way of a traditional universal fender cover.

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