It’s human nature to want the paint job on your shiny new car to impress the neighbors. It’s human nature to clean away anything marring or scarring that shiny new automobile. However, most car owners aren’t aware of what things can mar or scar their paint jobs. We’ve compiled a list of these things to help you.
1. Dust
Parked cars anywhere near pine trees are fair game. Even ordinary dust accumulating on cars is dangerous to the paint job. Why?
When dust, yellow pine dust, and pollen mix with rain, they create a substance that eats the paint away on a car. You might not notice at first, but the paint job will appear dull. Then it will appear patchy, and lastly, it will appear with bare spots in the paint job. Keep your car gently washed, and this shouldn’t be a problem.
2. Tree Sap
Just like tape and other sticky things take the paint off your home’s walls, so will sticky stuff take the paint off a car. Scraping it off can be harmful to your paint job, so grab your favorite cleaning product and a wet cloth. Wet the sap thoroughly, and place the cloth over the sap. Let it sit for a half-hour.
Wipe the cleaning solution and sap off the car. If any remains, repeat the process until it’s gone. This process works just as well on windows and windshields.
3. Bird Droppings
Anything acidic, such as bird droppings, acid rain, and kamikaze bugs, eats away the paint on a car. As the car sits in the sun, the acidic product hardens. Since scraping away the product scrapes away paint, use the solution detailed above. Gently soak the product away, and be sure to keep your car scrupulously clean to avoid damage from acidic things.
4. Gas And Brake Fluid
Two things vital to operating a car are gas and brake fluid. Neither are good for a paint job. Brake fluid acts as a paint thinner when it hits the outside of a car. Gas won’t eat the paint, but it will stain it.
In both cases, blot the spill instead of wiping. Wiping spreads the fluid and abrades the paint job. Wash the car as soon as you can. Gas will stain the clear coat above the paint, so apply a new coating and then wax.
5. Pranks And Vandalism
Kids seem to find all kinds of reasons to vandalize cars and not just Halloween. Silly string, shoe polish, shaving cream, tomatoes, eggs, and lots of other things they can get their hands on take the paint off a car. While soap and water clean most substances off a car, it takes a special cleanser to take shoe polish off. Contact your local auto body shop for details.
6. Coffee And Cola
Have you heard of the tip about using cola to eat the gunk off your battery terminals in a pinch? It works, right? However, you shouldn’t allow coffee or cola to get on your car’s paint. It will do the same job on the paint that it did on the battery terminals. Gently wash the car if this happens, and keep your coffee and cola away from the paint.
7. Salt
It helps keep your car from sliding on ice, but it plays the devil with your paint job. Its pointy shape stabs at your car’s paint, while its chemical nature interacts adversely with the paint. Wax your car before winter hits, and keep it scrupulously clean to avoid damage from road salt.