10 Things You Didn’t Know Could Harm Your Car’s Paint
Sometimes the dings and scratches your car’s paint gets are unavoidable. But if you want to keep your paint job as shiny and new as possible, the important thing to do is be aware of the things that can cause it harm! After all, your car’s exterior has more enemies than just sharp objects, ex-significant others and stray shopping carts. Make sure you’re aware of these 10 common things that can cause damage to your automobile’s paint!
10 Common Things That Can Damage Your Car’s Paint Job
1. Road Construction. Areas of road construction tend to have loose rocks and pebbles, wet tar and other pointy objects that aren’t secured. Avoid driving through construction zones if at all possible, as these “construction bits” can scratch, stick to and all around damage the paint on your car.
2. Rain. Yes, rain. Rain pulls with it pollution from the air and this can make your car very dirty. Continuous rain can also cause parts of your car to rust, which will eat away at the paint. If you have a garage at home, make sure you use it.
3. Bug Guts. Those splattered bugs on your car are acidic. Wash them off right away to prevent damage; once those suckers harden they are next to impossible to scrub off.
4. Writing Messages. Writing messages or drawing funny pictures with your finger on a dirty car is an easy and humorous joke. Unfortunately that dirt can have the consistency of sandpaper, and etch that image into your car’s paint permanently! Keep your car clean and keep the “dirt artists” away from your vehicle.
5. Silly String. Whatever this stuff is made of is potent, and bad for your vehicle. It’s not too hard to get off when it’s wet, but when it dries and hardens it can peel back your paint when you try and scrape it off.
6. Coffee. Coffee and its caffeinated friend soda, are both acidic drinks. If you spill this on your car’s exterior make sure you wipe it up right away.
7. Shaving Cream. Chances are you’re not shaving in your car, but this is another item that is commonly used to leave prank messages on cars. Shaving cream can permanently discolor your paint, however, and should be washed off immediately.
8. Bird Droppings. It’s common knowledge that birds always find the cleanest, shiniest cars to poop on. This just seems to be what they prefer! But besides being ugly and gross, these droppings are also acidic and no friend to you car’s paint.
9. Salt. We’re talking about the kind of salt used in the winter to de-ice roads and sidewalks. This stuff can be corrosive; so don’t let it stay stuck to your automobile’s exterior for weeks on end.
10. Sprinklers Systems. Automatic sprinkler systems can leave permanent water droplet spots on your vehicle’s paint. Direct sunlight will permanently burn these water spots onto your car, and there may be nothing you can do about it.
Cars are durable, and they’re meant to be driven, so there’s no doubt that your vehicle’s paint job will encounter some unavoidable dings and dents. But knowing these then common items that can cause even more harm to your car will help you at least stay away from the avoidable damage!
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