One of the leading dumb internet rules interpretations is how vehicles deal with cover. Yes I said dumb, let me expand on that. Dumb, ignorant, R-trded, and even silly enough to laugh people out of the store.Six months or so ago, I would fall into that category. So I dont falt people that listen to some of these silly internet rulings. I read them too. Some of them are quite good, others are complete crap. How do we filter through these? Simply. We read the f'n rulebook carefully. Here is the arguement. You MUST be obscured for your vehicle to get a cover save.
Lets break it down. Please go to page 62. It says. If a vehicle is obscured, and it takes a glancing or penetrating hit, the vehicle may take a cover save. And since vehicles dont recieve cover saves the same way as other units, this makes sense. To further the arguement.... A vehicle that is in area terrain recieves a cover save, however, you are not permitted to take that save becuase of the previous line (if you are obscured you may take a cover save). Make sense?
What this says is that vehicles must be obscured in order to actually take their cover save.
These are the reasons you will read elsewhere, and now to deal with that kind of silliness, lets look at some of the basics of the rules. Lets look back at page 62 and read a little more carefully for the slow people out there. (i was there too, so dont get all huffy like I normally hear or see when this rule comes up).
Page 62. The title of the section. Vehicles and Cover-obscurement. That says alot already. Then it goes on to say that vehicles do deal with cover the same way as other models. Now we starting to understand if we are reading carefully. The whole section here is talking specifically about cover, and how vehicles deal with it. Vehicles can only be in cover if they are obscured, as it describes there on page 62 of the rules. The problem is that this isnt talking about cover saves. although it gives you permission to take one if you are obscured. Obscurement is only the means by which vehicles deal with cover, not the end all of how they can recieve cover saves (although if you are obscured you can take a cover save). There is no obscurement save. No where does it say that you must be obscured to recieve a cover save.
The only way a vehicle can be in cover (or hull down) is to be obscured, and there are some wargear or abilities that do give you cover=obscurement (smoke, fast skimmers going flat out). There are also things that give all units a cover save. These abilities dont give you cover, they simply give you a cover save. Meaning you can be out in the open and not behind something and still recieve your cover save. Cover is defined as being in area terrain or being behind other units. Let me repeat though..... There is no such thing as having a cover save, and not having permission to take it. I mean holy crap of silliness, r-trdness. Vehicles dont even have a save while in cover, unless they are obscured. It says that. Again, holy wow.
There you have it. Yes the shield of sanguinus gives all units a cover save within 6". As do all other abilities that work on all units.