January 5, 2015

5 Great Tips to Protect Your Car Paint From Chipping

Are you worried about damage to your car’s paintwork and protection? There are many everyday causes to paint chipping on your motor vehicle. However, if you follow these 5 simple rules you can protect your car and enhance the longevity of your car’s paint. Follow these simple steps for well preserved car paint coating on you motor vehicle.

  1. Wash Your Car Properly: Many people run out of car cleaning products and substitute them with products they find around the house, such as dish soap or laundry detergent. It is important to remember never to use such products when washing your car. This is because of certain chemicals they contain that can cause your paint to be stripped apart and deteriorate. Try taking your car to the car wash or wash at home using only top quality car cleaning products that are designed to be kind to the paint of your car. Avoid using rough cleaning material such as scrub pads. If possible, use a sponge or a soft cleaning mitt such as sheep’s wool. These items can be purchased anywhere car cleaning products are sold.
  2. Protect From Temperature Inflations: One of the most unavoidable and most harmful things to your car’s paint is temperature. Living in Canada means having to deal with extreme weather, whether that means it is hot or extremely cold. This can be harmful to your car because when your vehicle is exposed to extreme temperatures it can cause the paint to expand and contract which can cause cracking. These cracks can lead to water seeping through the cracks creating heavy moisture which causes rust to develop. It can be tough to avoid this process from happening when driving your car in different seasons of the year. A good way, however, to avoid this type of water damage is to keep you car parked in a garage if possible. The garage’s constant room temperature and covering from the elements is a great way to avoid excess damage.
  3. Bird/Animal Dropping: Nothing looks worse than a car with multiple bird droppings splattered all over the car. However, bird droppings are more than just a simple nuisance, they can also be dangerous for your car’s paint. There are several ways to avoid the damaging effects of droppings. Avoid parking under tall trees as this puts you in particular danger of having droppings on your car. Park your car in an open area free from cover. However, if you do have droppings on your paint, immediately remove them using warm, soapy water and gently rub it off with a sheep wool wash mitt.
  4. Stones and Dirty Cloths: A lot of damage to your car’s paint can be caused by small stones or rocks constantly hitting the surface of your vehicle. This is almost unavoidable, but you can prevent this by driving more carefully on unsurfaced roads and surfaces that have recently been redone. Scratches can also be caused by using a dirty cloth or sponge to clean your car, as there might be small stones, grit or dirt in them. If there is dirt or similar substances on the cloth, you rubbing it across your car’s paint can cause unnecessary chips and other damage.
  5. Brake Fluid and Gas Damage: These are common things that keep our cars running.  Although brake fluid and gas are on the inside of the car, they can occasionally come in contact with a car’s paint which can cause it to peel off revealing what was underneath. Try avoiding this by making sure to not allow spillage on the paint work of your car when filling your car with gas. If however, some of the gas does spill onto the paint of the car, immediately wash it off. Brake fluid is also extremely dangerous to car paint, so take extra care when topping it up in your car.

The points listed above can sometimes be unavoidable, but proper care and fast action can keep your car paint intact for a longer.  If you do end up getting paint chips or scratches, bring your vehicle over to one of our CARSTAR Express Auto Care locations that specialize in cosmetic services such as paint repair, and we can get your car looking as good as new.