I also bought a Goldline 6-7 yrs ago still looks like new, and I use it ALOT. Another thing I do (today) is before a snow, I have a 10x20 tarp I throw over the cover and pull it taught enough, so I hardly get any cavities (around A/C) and most of the snow slides off by itself. I started doing this after a few big sno's and the thaw/melt cycle would create big blocks of ice in the cavities created by the weight of the snow. I remove the tarp after the snow to let the cover breath. The cover is not 100% waterproof but close, it sheds most of the water. Makes a huge difference with black streaks, and it's good UV protection.