To keep an automobile looking nice, its paint job must be maintained. The second that paint is compromised, the automobile loses a portion of its aesthetic value.
The question lies in how to protect car paint. After all, your vehicle is outside all of the time. It’s bound to meet physical trauma at some point.
But there are things you can do to protect car paint. In fact, we’re going to discuss them in detail below.
Polish Your Vehicle Regularly
First and foremost, you need to make sure that you’re polishing your vehicle regularly. Polish provides a variety of benefits, one of which is paint protection. Not only does polish help to protect your paint job from direct physical trauma but from rain and sunlight exposure as well.
Generally speaking, it’s wise to break out the polish 2 times a year. Do it any less than this and you’ll be unnecessarily leaving your vehicle susceptible. Do it any more than this and the polish will start to have adverse effects on the paint job.
Park Away From Others
Parking lots are havens for paint damage. Whether it’s an individual throwing his or her car door into the vehicle in the next parking space, or an errant shopping cart slamming into a car during a wind storm. Paint damage and other auto body problems are a common occurrence.
For this reason, when parking in parking lots, you’re advised to park away from others. Yes, this might require you to walk a bit more, but it will be worth it to keep your car’s paint looking like new. Plus, a little exercise couldn’t hurt, right?
Stay off the Side of the Road
Parking on the side of the road is like gambling. Sure, your car may just go by unscathed. On the other hand, it wouldn’t be unusual for it to be smashed into by another vehicle, resulting in everything from paint damage to dents to dings and a ripped-off side mirror.
As such, when possible, you should stay off the side of the road. Park your car in your driveway or a garage or anywhere else in which your vehicle won’t be directly adjacent to fast-moving vehicles.
If you’re parking on the side of the road regularly, it’s just a matter of time before your vehicle gets hit. At the very least, it’s going to be hit with flying stones or other launched debris.
Apply a Paint Protection Film
Another thing you can do to facilitate car paint protection is to break out paint protection film. This is a thin, transparent film that adheres directly to the body of your car. It provides an additional layer of protection for paint jobs, protecting them from the sun and rain as well as from direct physical trauma.
These films last between 5 and 10 years and pull off without damaging the paint in any way. If you’re serious about protecting your vehicle’s paint job, applying paint protection film is an absolute must.
Wash Your Car Consistently
When it comes to protecting auto paint, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of washing your car. You need to wash your car consistently, ridding it of bird droppings, tree sap, soda, oil, and whatever else might be on it.
Failure to do away with these substances promptly will result in them sticking to the paint. Then, when you finally remove them, they’ll take small remnants of paint with them. Over time, this can lead to large-scale paint damage.
You should be washing your car approximately every 2 weeks. That is unless, of course, there is an obvious reason to wash it (.ie it’s covered in bird poop, etc.).
Cover Your Car
Another thing you can do to protect the paint on your vehicle is to cover your vehicle with, well, a cover. Polyester covers provide protection from many of the elements, from rain to snow to bird droppings and more.
All you have to do is carry this cover in your vehicle and then drape it over your vehicle when you park. You don’t necessarily need to do it every time you park, but it might be a good idea to put it on at night, at the very least.
You can buy car covers for between $25 and $150. These can be purchased online and in most auto parts stores.
Drive With Plenty of Clearance
There’s no quicker way to do damage to your vehicle’s paint than to be involved in a collision. As such, if you want to avoid paint damage as much as possible, you need to take measures to avoid collisions as much as possible.
The best way to do this is to drive with plenty of clearance. Make sure there’s a good amount of room between your vehicle and the vehicle that is in front of you. You want to be able to stop without having to slam on your brakes.
This is doubly important when winter weather rears its ugly head. Snow (and even ice) can slicken up a road substantially, making it difficult for drivers to maintain control of their vehicles. When weather conditions are like this, slow down a bit and pay particular attention to your surroundings.
And That’s How to Protect Car Paint
If the aesthetic of your vehicle matters to you, you have to keep your paint job protected. Now that you know how to protect car paint, you can put these tips into action and reap positive results.
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