Nothing feels better than driving around in a car with pristine looking paint. It shows pride of ownership and ultimately, retains your car’s resale value.
Follow these simple tips to maintain your car paint this spring and to keep it in top shape for years to come.
Keep it Clean
Nothing ages and devalues a car faster than dull, chipped, or otherwise bad paint.
One of the easiest ways to keep paint looking like new is to keep it clean. Regular car washing is vital to the look and health of your paint.
Outdoor elements can be brutal to car paint. Washing off airborne pollutants, bird droppings, leaves, and other gifts from nature rob all of these things from the chance to damage your paint.
If you find bird droppings, dirt, or tree sap on your car, wash off immediately to avoid potential spotting, staining, or other damage to the paint.
One insider tip is knowing that hand washing is far better for your car paint than the car wash. While running your vehicle through the car wash may be more convenient, detergents, blasting water spray, and brushes can cause damage to car paint over time.
Keep It Dry
Another problem with frequent automatic car washes is that those droplets of water (you can’t get them all) air dry on the paint and cause damage. As the hot sun bakes those water droplets into the car finish, it looks worse than before you washed it with all those unsightly water spots.
Also, the minerals left behind from evaporated water don’t do the car paint any favors. Water minerals can scratch and wear on the paint finish.
Dry off those water spots before they set with a soft, absorbent cloth.
Protect with Wax
After hand washing, treat your car paint to a good coat of wax.
Waxing gives car paint protection from nature’s elements, in addition to delivering a shine that makes it look brand new.
As a rule of thumb, plan to wax your car at least twice a year, preferably every three months, with a professional-grade quality wax used with soft, paint-saving microfiber cloths.
Conclusion
With just a little extra TLC, you can keep your car paint looking fresh for a long time. If you need a clean slate or paint blending for damaged areas, Downtown Autobody has the high-quality tools and skills to re-paint or restore your car paint to like-new condition.