6 Great Tips For Maintaining Your Car’s Exterior!
Here are 6 useful tips that will help maintain your vehicle’s exterior in good nick for years to come…
1) Protect Car Paint From The Sun.
Paint does more than make your vehicle look great. It’s also the first line of defense against rusted body panels. Of course, the best way to protect the paint is to park the car in a garage. If that is not possible, park in the shade or purchase a car cover. The sun’s ultraviolet rays break down paint and cause it to fade. Some car covers protect your car from more than sun, moisture, bird droppings, and dust – they also have a thin layer of cushioning that will guard against light impact, such as from a tipped bicycle or small falling tree branch.
2) Fix Small Windshield Chips.
Got a rock chip, crack, or ding in your windshield? Bring your car to a windshield repair shop. For far less cost than replacing the windshield, they can fix chips and cracks, even quite long ones. The repairs not only keep the chips and cracks from spreading and restore structural integrity, they also improve clarity.
3) Touch Up Nicks Sooner Rather Than Later.
Touch-up paint won’t adhere well to rust. So be sure to keep some matching touch-up paint on hand so you can touch up any minor nicks, often found around door edges, before rust has a chance to form.
4) Wax To Protect Your Car’s Paint Job.
No way around it! Waxing your car is work. But it’s satisfying work that will help keep your car looking new. Car wax preserves paint by slowing oxidation and forming a barrier against bird droppings, sap, and pollution. Plus driving a nice shiny car is just plain fun.
Here’s what to do to ensure the maximum in protection:
a) Liquid and spray waxes are tempting to use – they make the car shiny with less work than rubbing in paste wax. But there’s still no beating paste wax for the hardest, longest-lasting finish. Look for paste with a high carnauba wax content.
b) Apply a thin, even coat of wax to the car’s surfaces with a damp sponge. Avoid applying too much, or it will be difficult to remove and some residue will inevitably mar your finish.
c) To avoid fine scratches, use a clean, soft cotton or microfiber cloth to remove wax once it has dried.
d) Apply an extra coat of wax to the nose and hood. The wax film in these areas wears away quickly.
5) Give Your Car A New Skin.
New self-adhering urethane films have been developed to protect the most vulnerable painted areas on your car from stone chips and other minor abrasions.You can wash and wax these surfaces, just as you would the rest of the paint job. While it’s best to have these films professionally installed, you can peel them off yourself. One product is made by 3M, and you can learn more by going to 3m.com and searching for Scotchgard Paint Protection Film Solutions.
6) Wash In Winter Too!
If you rarely wash your car during messy winter weather, you are not alone.The cars you see on the road make it obvious that lots of folks figure,”Why bother? The car is going to look awful the next time I drive it.” The problem with this thinking is that washing is more important in the winter than other times of the year. All that sand, slush, and ice mixed with road salt is exactly what makes your car rust.The fastest corrosion occurs when the temperature repeatedly rises above and then falls below freezing. Especially during the messy months, be sure to rinse the undercarriage and hard-to-reach areas that are susceptible to rust, such as the bumpers and inside the wheel wells. If the temperature outside is going to stay above freezing long enough for your car and driveway to dry, fill a bucket with warm water and tackle the job at home. If not, pay a visit to your local car wash and be sure they dry the car thoroughly.
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