You love your automobile and do your best to keep it looking brand new. The problem is some things are not in your control. The outside can be pretty rough on your car, truck, or SUV’s exterior, and even if you wash and wax your automobile regularly, some things can still cause damage. Here are a handful of outdoor elements to watch out for when you pull your vehicle out of the safety of its garage.
Birds
You may love birds so much that you have feeders in your yard to draw them to you, but their droppings can eat through your vehicle’s paint. Birds have to just let it go and wherever the poop falls so be it. Bird poop has uric acid in it – acid that is produced from digesting food – and this acid is hard on all surfaces.
Bugs
Bug bodies are also acidic, so when they splatter all over your hood the acid goes to work on your paint and the protective topcoat. Wax helps protects against damage, but it’s a good idea to wash the bugs off as soon as you can. Wax makes it easier to remove the dead bugs, too, so keep your vehicle waxed.
Pollen
Pollen might seem harmless, unless you’re allergic to it, but these tiny, colorful particles can scratch your vehicle’s paint job. If you live in an area where your car, truck, or SUV gets covered in pollen, it’s best to remove it as carefully as possible. A gentle spray from the hose usually works.
Trees
Aside from tree branches scratching or denting your vehicle, tree sap can stick to your paint and you’ll never get it off. To avoid sap from dripping onto your automobile, park away from trees. This also helps prevent bird droppings. Parking under the shade is tempting but also damaging.
Weather
Finally, one thing you cannot control is Mother Nature. If she’s in a bad mood, your car, truck, or SUV might suffer the consequences. Rain and snow contain pollution in them, and this pollution is bad for your vehicle’s exterior surface. Mother Nature can also damage your automobile with high winds.
When the winds are fierce, they carry debris that can scratch and dent your vehicle as well as crack your windshield. If you can avoid driving during inclement weather do so, because it’s dangerous no matter how you slice it. If you can’t, drive carefully and be aware of flying objects.
Take good care of your vehicle’s engine, suspension, and undercarriage, too, with proper maintenance and repair. Call Urb’s Garage in Flagstaff, AZ, today for an appointment.
