Your automobile is an investment that must be kept in good condition. You want to keep the exterior paint clean and unblemished. There are several ways to protect car paint and keep it in prime condition. Some of these are common sense and some take a little extra effort but are worth it. Following these tips will help you keep your car looking like new longer.
10 Things to Avoid to Keep Your Car Looking Like New
- Shopping carts are a major cause of dents and scratches. Keep your shopping cart away from the car to protect car paint. Park in the empty spaces at the back of the parking lot far from other vehicles whenever possible.
- Don’t place your plastic, metal or paper coffee carry cup or soda can on the roof of your car. Use a remote to unlock the door and keep one hand free to open it. Spilled coffee is acid that can eat at your paint. Spilled soda, especially cola drinks, can also ruin your paint. Cola drinks contain phosphoric acid, a rust remover, and should be kept away from your car’s paint.
- Do not park under a tree if it can be avoided. Twigs and branches can drop off and scratch the paint. Tree sap is another problem and can result in permanent damage to your car’s paint. Also, trees mean birds and bird droppings will leave a huge mess on your car. Which leads us to #4…
- Wash off bird droppings as soon as possible. They contain acid that can destroy paint. Keep your car in a garage or covered area at home. You can even purchase a car cover if you must leave your vehicle outside.
- Remove dead splattered bugs from your car and windshield for the same reason as bird droppings. The acid will attack the paint.
- Shaving cream and silly string are commonly used in pranks and they are a nightmare on cars. Shaving cream can permanently discolor the paint and should be removed as quickly as possible. Dried silly string is tough to remove and can cause scratches when you scrape it off.
- Rain will leave streaks and water spots on your car along with dirt, especially if it is windy. Wash your car after a heavy rain and dry immediately.
- Sprinkler systems can leave drops of water on the car that can burn into your paint job in hot weather. The ring of mineral deposits left behind after the water has evaporated can etch into the paint, causing damage which is costly to repair. Try to park away from sprinkler systems.
- To keep your car looking like new, it’s important to drive carefully over road construction areas. Bits of tar and pebbles can pit your paint and your windshield.
- Don’t write notes or draw pictures into the dust and dirt on your car. Coarse dirt is like sandpaper. In fact, keep your car free of dirt and dust with frequent washing and drying.
We hope this list will help you keep in mind the things to avoid if you want to keep your car in good condition. We also recommend that you protect car paint with ceramic paint coatings. Ceramic coatings can extend the life of your paint better than wax. This is a sealant that will last for years. Contact Details Matter in Melbourne, Florida for more information on paint and fabric protection for your vehicles.
