Wash Frequently Dry Thoroughly
All of the dirt and debris that can accumulate on your car throughout the day, from bird droppings to pollen, can damage your cars paint if left out in the sun. You should wash your car frequently, indoors or out of direct sunlight so that paint is cool. Trying to wash a car when the paint is hot can lead to disaster. The heat will cause the water to evaporate, baking the wash soap into your paint. This can leave visible marks in your paint, which are difficult to remove. Make sure your car is dried thoroughly after the wash as well because the minerals in water will leave deposits on your freshly washed car not what you want at all.
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Paint And A Cloth: The Right Way To Wash By Hand
Do you prefer to wash your car yourself? You are a model citizen! Among car lovers, washing by hand is considered the kindest way to do it, Martin Jaworski observes. The important thing here is to use mild cleaning agents with a low pH value, as well as soft, clean sponges, brushes and cloths.
When using a pressure washer, the motorway principle applies: keep your distance!, Martin Jaworski says. This is because if the water pressure is too high, it damages the paint. In this case, the correct distance between the spray head and the car paint will depend on the individual appliance and model. As a rule of thumb, if the water jet is painful to your hand, it will also be harmful to the car.
How Does The Sun Damage A Car
Just like the UV rays from the sun damages the skin when we go out under the sun without sunscreen, that is the same way it damages our automobiles when they are left under the sun without protection.
The UV lights oxidize and fade the cars paints, leaving it looking worn and old before the expected time wear and tear should occur.
The sun doesnt just damage the paint it goes even further to damage the interior, such as the seats, dashboards, and windshields. It also affects the rubberized parts of the headlamps, tires, and many other parts.
In extreme heat, cars tend to overheat more, causing a lot of damage to the engine. We will discuss this more in another topic.
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Check Your Air Filter
With the increased heat during summer, the dirt and debris in the environment also increase, particularly in more arid regions.
Many car owners neglect a dirty air filter. But a clean air filter is essential for the engine to function correctly because accumulated dirt and debris rub on the metal parts of the engine causing them to wear away and may even have to be replaced.
It also affects your fuels mileage because engines need a proper ratio of air and fuel to perform properly. And with more dirt in the filter, your fuels consumption will suffer.
So, please make sure to check and change your air filter if needed before the summer starts. Getting an air filter changed will cost you much lesser than getting an engine part replaced.
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How To Protect Your Car Paint From The Sun
It is pretty apparent that exposure to UV radiation damages human skin. Still, these intense rays often oxidize and fade car paint and make the car appear old and worn out before its due. You can avoid car paint from harming the sun by keeping your vehicle inside a shed, under a covered parking lot or in a shaded area while its not on the lane. You can also shield the headlights and rubberized trim from damage by not leaving it to roast in the sun.
From being a significant cause of oxidation and fading or causing the paint to fade, sunshine tends to be a source of annoyance for car owners. In the details below, we will include a guide to discover what sun causes damage to cars, how to protect them, and the advantages of using a high-quality automotive paint sealant or ceramic coating.
But there are a few ways in which car owners can shield their paint, plastic trim, headlights, and other automotive parts from sun damage. Thats what were going to address today.
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Applying A Ceramic Coating To Protect Against Uv Rays
There are several products you can use to protect your car against UV radiation. The most effective, however, is a ceramic coating. Basically, nanocoatings are designed to fill those tiny valleys and imperfections in clear coats. It can be applied to any solid surface that is porous including plastic trims, wheels, vinyl wrap, PPF, headlight covers, and windshields.
During the application process, the coating is spread from left to right then top to bottom of each panel. Once youre done with the section, you need to wait for a few minutes to allow the coating to flash or initially cure before buffing off with a clean microfiber towel.
The exact wait time depends mainly on the ambient temperature of the area youre applying to. The hotter it is, the quicker the coating bonds. However, our product Armor Shield IX should only be applied in areas that fall between 55 to 85 degrees maximum.
Once youve waited the right time, youll simply buff off with a microfiber towel. Youll then proceed to each section on the car, your wheels , windshield and more. After youve completed everything, follow up with a second coating, to ensure you dont skip anything. This also verifies that your application is complete and no bare spots exist.
Ceramic coatings deflect UV rays, which helps to reduce the potential of exposure to the paint or clear coat surface. This results in virtually no chance for oxidation or clear coat damage.
What Products Offer The Best Uv Protection
Almost any modern wax or polymer product will give you some UV protection as well as protection from the acid in bird droppings and acid rain.
Synthetic products are designed to last longer and are more resistant to washing detergents so that will greatly help their lifespan.
Spray wax or spray detailer are the quickest products to apply and deliver great results. But I like to apply a liquid wax every few months to give even more protection.
Read my blog posts on sealants, waxes and spray detailers to learn more about these products.
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Invest In A Good Quality Car Cover
Do car covers scratch paint? Some may, so do your research before making a purchase. To get the best protection, choose one that offers superior water-resistance and breathability . More importantly, go for one that provides a snug fit. You dont want something that is too big for your car, since the loose cloth may whip against the exterior finish during windy days and ruin it over time.
Looking For The Best Car Cover To Protect New Car Paint Choose Seal Skin Covers
Seal Skin offers the best UV protection car covers at a great price! Each of our covers are guaranteed to provide multiple layers of protection, superior breathability and a great fit. To demonstrate our full confidence in our products, we are offering a full 30-day return and exchange warranty with every purchase, at no additional cost to you.
If you have any questions about our products, exchange, and refund policies, call us at 800-915-0038 during our office hours . We will help you find the right car cover to help you protect your new car paint and keep it looking as striking as the day you drove it home!
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Neglect For Paint: The Commonest Error
Those who love their cars wash them at least in weekly intervals. According to Martin Jaworski, failure to provide regular care is the commonest error that car owners make. If the car paint is looked after properly, it will also be more resistant generally to external influences, he says. This means expensive repairs with car spray paint or touch up paint can be reduced significantly.
How often you should wash your car depends on the type of car and how you use it, says Martin Jaworski. But one thing is clear in the BMW experts view: Frequent washing does no harm as long as you bear a few things in mind.
Your Car’s Paint Can Be Damaged By The Sun
It’s common knowledge that exposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun damages human skin, but these powerful rays also oxidize and fade automobile paint and make a car look old and worn out before its time. You can prevent sun damage to car paint by keeping your vehicle inside a garage, under covered parking or in a shaded area when it’s not on the road. By not leaving it to bake in the sun, you’ll also protect the headlights and rubberized trim from damage.
Proactive Care Tips to Keep Auto Paint Looking New
You can mitigate damage from the sun’s UV rays, caustic bird dropping and dead bugs and help keep your car’s exterior in shiny showroom condition by taking the following steps:
At Gerber Collision & Glass, we’re in your neighborhood and we’re here to help!
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Possible Reasons Why Why Cars Turn Yellow
Sometimes yellowing occurs on the bottom rocker panels because of blacktop asphalt or tar that stays too long. It can also be caused by engine heat, acid rain, industrial fallout, or early signs of rust if you live nearby the ocean.
If none of these still answer your question. Well give a more scientific explanation.
Buy And Use A Uv Protection Spray For The Paint And Interior Fabric
UV protection sprays like the 303 Protectant Automotive Interior And Exterior Spray, are great for giving your car a good layer of protection and safety from the sun. If youre parking in an area that gets direct sunlight for extended periods, these types of sprays can be the difference between a ruined interior or protected upholstery.
It is worth it to invest in a good UV spray that will go on evenly and penetrate the clear coat. The spray must be applied as directed for maximum benefit.
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Hand Dry The Exterior
When you expose your car to weather elements, the car paint gets worn out. This is why you have to take some effort to protect your cars exterior.
Besides washing the car, you should hand dry the exterior after the wash to ensure that the chemicals present in water do not combine with the suns rays to wear out your car paint. It is a good idea to hand dry your car when it is exposed to rain as well.
Use a cotton rag to wipe out the exterior parts of your car. It is definitely time consuming, but is worth the effort as it will not only give a clean look to your car, but can also prevent the accumulation of chemicals and residues from water, and the resultant reaction when these chemicals are exposed to suns rays.
The Reason Why White Paint Turns Yellow
That yellowing or yellow spots that you see on your cars paint is oxidation caused by UV rays from the sun. Sometimes, water that drains down the side of your door, side mirror, etc., can also cause faster oxidation. Dirt and grime that isnt removed right away cause these yellow stains.
The yellowing paint oxidation caused by UV sunlight, light stain from water draining down the side of the door near the side mirror & door panel, dirt and grime are more noticeable on white colour paint than on darker colours. But how can we solve yellowing white paint?
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Do Some Colors Fade Faster
Regardless of UV intensity and if youre located in a warm climate like Arizona, some color paints are more susceptible to fading, with red paint usually losing its color the fastest. To understand why we first have to understand that light comes in a spectrum of wavelengths, and how a material absorbs and reflects these wavelengths determines what color we perceive.
Every color has a specific wavelength, and a color paint is engineered to absorb all wavelengths except for the particular one or ones associated with its color blend. So red paint absorbs all wavelengths except those in the red band, which are reflected. We take in this reflected light, and if we arent color blind our eyes and brain combine to understand that light as red.
So why does red fade more than other paints? Its because wavelengths associated with red are the lowest energy of visible light, so to appear red its absorbing much more energetic wavelengths, which causes more aggressive degradation of the paints molecular bonds. This is in addition to what UV rays are doing.
Park Indoors Or Under Cover
Theres not much you can do about exposure to the sun while youre driving around town, but once parked you can make a simple choice that will go a long way towards keeping your paint in great shape. Choosing indoor parking, or at the very least parking under a physical cover such as a car port, is the single most effective way to keep your paint looking great all summer. Not only are you protected from errant birds, but youre also putting a barrier between the vehicle and the sun that simply cant be beat.
Learning how to protect your cars paint from the sun is simple: keep it clean, waxed and protected.
Check out all the chemical products available on NAPA Online or trust one of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on how to protect your cars paint from the sun, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local NAPA AUTO PARTS store.
Photo courtesy of Flickr.
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Effective Ways To Protect Your Car Exterior Paint From Sun Damage
We always heard that harmful UV rays cause extreme damage to living beings. But, do you know UV rays can adversely impact your car paint too. The powerful rays from the sun oxidize the car paint and give it an old look, generally, when the car is kept for long hours outside.
Now, how you can protect your vehicle from the scorching sun-rays? How you can protect the auto body paint? The most common way is to keep your vehicle indoors or under a cover or shed so that the sun rays do not reach the surface. However, it is not always possible as you have to take your car outside. Companies like McCullochs Body Works perform exceptional auto paint and repair services. As keeping the vehicle indoors is not possible all the time, you must follow some of the effective ways that will keep your exterior paint intact for a longer period, they are as follows-
Washing the car often is one of the simplest ways to protect the car paint. Washing the vehicle reduces the heat and paint oxidation. But, you must ensure to keep your car under the shed while washing. The auto paint should be exposed to direct sunlight when the car is being washed. You must remove the accumulated dust particles first from the surface. Then, give a thorough wash by an automotive cleaner. Once the stains are removed, you must remove the chemical residue from the car exteriors.
Tips For The Car Exterior
- Wash and dry often. Sun and heat can fade and crack the paint. Frequent washing and hand drying help remove dirt and dust particles that can cause micro scratches and dull your car’s finish.
- Wax your car. A layer of wax between your car’s finish and the sun’s ultraviolet rays is a great way to help protect it. How often does a car need a wax job? Answers vary based on the car, but it is generally best to wax cars on a regular basis.
- Check tire pressure. Hot pavement and underinflated tires can be a dangerous combination, and may lead to a blowout. Even good tires can lose about one pound of air pressure a month, so it’s really important to check tire pressure often when it’s hot. Make sure you follow your vehicle’s manufacturer recommended tire pressure.
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Optimum Car Wax With Long
Another one on the list while searching for the best car wax to prevent sun damage is the Optimum car wax. Best for all kinds of exteriors, including clear coat, plastic trim, chrome, paint, and glass, this product offers easy application and helps car owners to maintain the shine of their cars or trucks.
You can apply this spray car wax whenever you desire to retain the glossy appeal, and hence, it is the best way to protect car parked outside. The best thing about this powerful spray formula is that it lakes very less time to wax the whole car and it doesnt create any swirl marks like other traditional car wax and polishes.
The advanced additives included in the CarGuys Liquid Wax protect the cars shine. You can apply this full synthetic polymer sealant on your cars surface yourself without requiring the assistance of experts as it is too easy to apply. Once you use this best car wax for sun protection on your car or pickup truck, you will be surprised to see the results.
If you were still confused about how to keep paint from fading in the sun or how to protect car paint from sun and rain, this is your answer. You should definitely try it out because the CarGuys Liquid Wax is well known for providing long-lasting and excellent UV protection.
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