Summer is here and that means, sun, vacations, long trips, and some risks to your vehicle’s exterior. Here are three things you can do to protect your car’s paint during the hot season.
Wash Your Car
Summer is often a perfect storm of dirtiness. For example, splattered bugs tend to attract dust and dirt, which in turn cakes onto the body of your car, damaging your car’s paint if left there for too long. That’s why you should make sure to wash your car often during summer. It’s worth keeping some basics of car-washing in mind: park in a shaded area, use two (or three) buckets, and use separate cloths and sponges for the body and the tires.
Also, remember that it’s preferable to hand-dry your car—allowing air to do the job may be easier, but it may leave minerals on the surface of your vehicle.
Wax Your Car
After washing your car, apply a coat of wax to protect the paint from the effects of the sun. Experts don’t seem to agree on how often you should wax your car, but once every two or three months is a good rule of thumb. As with washing, you should never wax your car in direct sunlight. The ideal time to wax your car is during the late evening. This way the wax has all night to dry before being exposed to the summer sun.
Park in the Shade Whenever Possible
Finally, the best way to shield your car from the intense summer sun is to avoid sunlight in the first place. While this may not be possible all the time, parking your car in the shade goes a long way toward protecting your ride during the hot season. A garage or a carport are ideal solutions, but parking under a try may work too. However, in that case you should watch for tree sap and leaves, two agents that can damage your car’s paint.
More Tips and Ideas
Keep your vehicle in mint condition with these posts that cover every aspect of the care and maintenance of your car.
- How to clean your car’s dashboard
- What is collision insurance?
- A basic auto detailing glossary
- 4 Classic car maintenance tips
- How to clean your car rims
Inland Empire Autobody & Paint Inc. is a family-owned business that specializes in collision repair and custom paint. We work with all major insurance companies!
We have locations in Riverside and Moreno Valley, California. Call us (951-465-7350), contact us through our website or through our social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to get information about our services: Collision repair, custom paint, windshield replacement, rim repair, paintless dent removal, auto detail, complete paint jobs and more!