When your car’s body and its paint finish are in good shape, at least your car looks great, no matter what else might actually be wrong with it.
And simply having a great finish is almost as important a mechanical fitness when it comes time t sell.
But just driving your car around every day is not good for your car’s paint finish. From dust and debris blown by the wind or kicked up by other vehicles, to parking lot scrapes and dings, they all contribute to robbing your car of its ‘like-new’ appearance.
ENEMIES OF YOUR CAR’S FINISH
To get a better idea of how to preserve your vehicle’s paint finish, it helps to know what you’re fighting against. Here are some the major factors of a bad finish.
1. THE SUN
It’s bad for your skin and your car’s skin. Too much sun can make the finish and body colour fade. The sun also causes paint to expand, which means it will absorb more dirt.
2. BIRD DROPPINGS
They are acidic and can eat away at your finish.
3. TREE SAP
It’s very difficult to remove and dirt clings to it voraciously
4. SALT
The stuff they pour on Toronto’s roads in the winter will erode layers of paint and corrode all the metal underneath them.
5. DIRT & DEBRIS
Just moving through the air bombards your car with airborne particles that can slowly wear away at your paint finish.
It’s a formidable list of enemies that are almost constantly working to deteriorate your car’s paint.
SO WHAT WEAPONS ARE AT YOUR DISPOSAL TO FIGHT THE ENEMIES?
1. GARAGES, CAR COVERS AND SHADE
Considering its one of the finish’s worst enemies, protecting your car form the sun goes a long way to preserving its paint.
2. CLEAR-COAT PAINT
If your car has clear-coat paint, it already has a protective layer on top of the paint colour.
3. KEEP IT CLEAN
The longer that dust and dirt sit on your car, the higher the chances there is that it will be ground into the finish.
4. WAX
It’s one of the best ways to preserve your car’s finish. Wax is like sunscreen for your car.
Remember, just keeping your car looking good helps to make it more valuable.