13 Methods of Preventing Ruins To Your Vehicle’s Paint Job/Finish: Tips Works for Sun damage, Corrosion & Fading

^{An Automotive paint or a vehicle’s paint finish is used on automobiles for protection and decoration/beautification. Water-based acrylic polyurethane enamel paint is currently the most widely used paint for reasons including reducing paint’s environmental impact. Modern automobile paint is applied in several layers, with a total thickness of around 100 µm(0.1mm). Despite the best efforts of car manufacturers to ensure your car is coated with a durable paint job, it is possible to ruin your car’s paint finish in no distant time. As a result, this article will address the nitty-gritty of the causes of car paint job damage and how to Prevent vehicle paint damage.}

Fading paint jobs on vehicles has always been a nagging problem for car owners. However, the impact of car paint damage is mainly felt in a culture with extreme temperatures(very cold & scorching) and dirty or poorly maintained environments.

In summary, you can prolong the life of your car’s paint by inculcating the habit of preventing factors that can damage its paint from coming in contact. The question now is; how to Prevent vehicle paint damage? Read on as we serve you the answers you seek due to the sun. Similarly, you can read my tip on how to fix a vehicle stress crack. 

Why Should You Prevent vehicle paint damage?

There is no cause without an effect. Some may argue they don’t need to protect their car’s paint finish. I am, however, telling you that protecting the paint can also prolong the life of some other components on your vehicle. Below are some of the reasons why you should prevent your paint Job moving forward:

• By protecting your car’s paint, you are also preserving the life of your windshield.
• You’d want to keep the paint job in tip-top condition so you can admire it and retain its resale value.
• Are you aware that protecting your paint job may also protect your car’s interior? For example, if you use a car cover or car war.
• While some wear and tear on your car are inevitable, you may be doing things that inadvertently ruin the paint job without even realizing it.
• Finally, most people, especially the youth, buy cars for the show. Your status & ego may suffer a slight dent if you ride around in a car with a paint job that is all peeled off.

What is a Vehicle’s Paint Job/Finish Damage?

In layman’s language, a paint job ruin/damage is a noticeable or physical deterioration to a vehicle’s paint. We can call it a situation when your car’s paint has started to fade or peel. Admittedly, vehicle paint can fade off or deteriorate with age. However, it is an anomaly for your paint job to be ruined due to some common paint problems that are easily preventable.

 

Related to this Article:

• Vehicle’s Windshield Stress Crack: Definition, prevention & repair

• Four Factors Unrelated to Mechanics That can Increase Your Fuel Consumption.(Opens in a new browser tab)

• This is why leaving your car parked unused for an extended period is bad for your car

Factors that Can Cause Damages to Your Car’s Paint Job

First off, two major factors affect your car’s paint negatively. The first is nature, while the second factor is artificial(chemicals). Few artificial chemicals can damage your car’s paint. However, the most common culprits are from nature. I mean the sun during summer, animal activities e.g. goats, dogs.., and in winter you have mud and sags.

Thirteen Enemies of Your Car’s Paint Job

• The Sun(Ultraviolet Rays): The sun is the number one factor that affects your car’s paint negatively. No matter how solid your car’s paint is, continuous exposure to the sun will surely get the better of your car’s paint.
• Mud & Dust: This can be dangerous, especially when the dew settles on your car overnight and gets dried up with mud and dust sticking into it.
• Robust Soap/detergents/Solutions for washing your car. Avoid using the following to wash your car; caustic soda and detergent.
• Washing your car in direct sunlight will damage the paint over time. This is the genesis of corrosion to your car’s paint.
• Beware of animal droppings, especially birds. From that gargantuan ball of fire to those pretty little tweeting birds. When you park your car under a tree or electric poles, please be prepared to see bird droppings the following day, except it rained heavily. Bird droppings are highly acidic and can erode paint and clear coat paint finishes.
• Stickers: Many vehicle owners love adorning their vehicles with stickers. Please avoid this unless you are covering a blemish with it. From the name, stickers are sticky and can deface your car in the long run.
• Brake Fluids & Similar Chemicals: beware of brake fluid spillage on your car. Fuel spillage can also corrode your paints.
• Tree sap: It’s easy to think about when you’ve discovered the transparent sticky blotches of tree sap. They seem like magnets for other dirt, dust, and grime particles. But more importantly, many trees can drop tiny mist-like droplets on your car’s paint — the kind of sap you can’t see unless you look very closely. Again, in the hot sun, this tree sap will bake into the pores of the paint surface and can leave stains. That is why it is essential.
• Salty air moisture: salt in the air wouldn’t do much for that ‘mirror-like’ sheen you expect from your paint. “Especially when the sun’s out and with that ‘terrific ocean breeze’ combined with salt in the air.
• Other Animals Apart from birds: If you have a dog, a cat, a goat, or free-roaming poultry(as is the case with some local African communities like Nigeria
• Insects & Bugs: Bugs might be tiny but can do actual damage to the paint on your car. Insects are surprisingly acidic, and if they are not properly cleaned off the surface of your car, they can etch into the paint.
• Ash: Murky air can leave behind ash and soot on your car. Though many people would be immediately inclined to wash this away with some water, mixing water with ash can create powerful alkalis that can ruin your car’s finish.
• Stone Chips: Loose stones, pebbles, and stone chips are everywhere on the road. These tiny pieces are kicked up from the ground and peck at the sides of your car. This can chip the top paint coat and sometimes even go down to the lower layers of paint.
• Your Kids: Do not write anything on your car; warn your kids about this too. We’ve all used our fingers to write a funny message or draw a goofy doodle onto a dirty car (or two) before. Little did we know that these innocent acts of jest, though oddly satisfying, can ruin the paint on a car. Dragging your fingers across the paint acts like sandpaper, grinding the dirt and debris into the paint and leaving wiry markings that will last long after the dirt is gone.

SOLUTIONS TO FACTORS THAT CAN DAMAGE YOUR CAR’S PAINT

Every problem has a solution. Now that we know the causes of potential damage to a car’s paint finish, we will be giving useful tips on how to Prevent vehicle paint damage.

Prevent Vehicle Paint Damage with these Simple Tips

1. Overall best prevention- An All-weather Car Cover

An eco-friendly car cover is the best way to Prevent vehicle paint damage. I call it All-in-one because it can protect other elements/components of your car. For example, it can protect cracks from your dash, stress cracks to your windshield, etc.

A good car cover can handle sun, rain, and contaminants. If you need one and are fully ready, please contact me. however, its a bit on the high side(EMAIL; INFO @ LEMMYMORGAN.COM).

In addition, a car cover can serve as your mobile garage since most of them are portable. The only downside is that it takes some effort to deploy. Compare the efforts to the benefits; you will know it is worth having one. When you know your car will stay in the open for an extended period. We look at what a car cover can protect your vehicle:
->【Material】 Four Layers, PE & Aluminium & PE & Cotton. PE Is 100% Waterproof; Aluminium Is Good At Sun Proof, Cotton Protect Vehicle Paint.

->All Conditions – Preserve your Vehicle and Paint Against All Rain, Snow, Sun, Bird Droppings, Dust/Dirt

2. Prevent vehicle paint damage from sun heat

Any time you can park your car in the shade (without that shade coming from a sappy tree), you’re contributing to a longer life for your car’s paint finish. A better alternative is to use a car cover made of cloth or synthetic material, especially if you don’t have access to a garage. You can also wax your car regularly to minimize the effect of the sun on its paint job.

3. Regular & Appropriate Washing of Your Vehicle

Surprisingly, this is a very tricky one. Many don’t know how to wash their cars. Regular washing is different from appropriate washing. By appropriate washing, we are looking at the right way to wash your car. And, of course, you must wash your car regularly but appropriately.

The best and easiest thing car owners can do is to wash their cars with clean water to remove contaminants regularly. Water will float sand and salt off the car without rubbing against the paint. Please, when dust or mud gets stuck in your car, do not dust it off; wash it off. Toilet soaps are permissible, but they offer no protection. Use only a car wash to wash your car; when you are washing in a carwash, monitor them. Only wash your car when thoroughly cooled off and under the shade.

Three common mistakes car owners make when washing their cars

• The habit of washing their cars in direct sunlight. This has two adverse effects. 1. paint job damage & windshield crack)
• Using abrasive solutions or soaps. For example, caustic soda, and
  

  Don’t Use detergents. Use carwash instead

• Wrong choice of clothes or sponges: for example, it is wrong to use a strong towel. Instead, use a microfibre towel.

4. Avoid Using a Dirty Cloth to Wash your Car

Let’s say, for instance, your washing cloth or sponge drops onto the floor; grab a new one. It’s always helpful to keep a spare cloth or two beside you to avoid scratching your car with dirty accessories and having to detail or repaint it. If you can take your car to get a touchless wash, that’s even better: A touchless wash removes any chance of microscopic pieces of dirt and grit from coming in contact with your car.

5. Clean any Ash that comes in contact with your Car

The easiest way to avoid this is to keep your car covered. if you plan to leave it parked outside. To get the ash off, gently dust the ash away with a car duster.

6. How to Prevent vehicle paint damage from Fingerprints and Other Writings

The easiest way to avoid this is not to do it. But it’s still bound to happen. You can use a duster to wipe down your car daily to prevent accidental sanding. Better still, you can use a little polish if you need to remove small scratches. However, it would be best to wash your car before polishing.

7. Prevention From stone chips

Treating these chips as soon as possible is best to prevent the affected spots from rusting.

8. Preventive tips for animals droppings on a Car’s Paint Job

Spray a bit of wash solution onto the affected areas and gently wipe away the droppings with a soft microfiber cloth. Use a lifting motion to avoid dragging any grit across the paint. Remove them as soon as possible.

9. Tip To Prevent Vehicle Paint Damage From fuel Spillage and brake fluid spillage

To avoid leaving a brown fuel-colored blemish around the gas tank cap on your car, if you dribble gas down the side of your car, try to clean it as soon as possible with a fine microfiber cloth. When it eventually happens, please wash off thoroughly with only water.

10. For Stickers on Car Paint Job

As a habit, always use minimal stickers. In addition, when you are peeling them off, wash them off properly with soft liquid solutions like carwash solution.