You had an accident. You brought your car to your closest Grand Sport Auto Body. We just repaired your car. Now you have a fresh coat of paint for your car and it looks beautiful. It sparkles in the sun and the light glistens off of it. Things are going great until you feel a moment of panic as you think about taking it out on the street, in the city, or heaven forbid, down a dirt road. How long will that beautiful shine last? Well, you can maintain that gorgeous bright look that your car has through a course of careful maintenance. A good auto body paint job can last much longer than expected if you take good care of it. Here’s some pointers for making that gorgeous paint job last:
Wash Your Car Regularly
Ideally, you should wash your car every week. This is especially important if you live near a beach or in an area where the roads are salted during the winter. The salt will quickly corrode your new paint job if it’s allowed to sit untended. Taking it to a car wash and using a pressure washer to remove a lot of the grime will avoid scratches from a brush. If you’re washing it at home, be sure to use a mitt made of cotton or microfiber. Choosing the correct cleaner is important as well. It should be pH balanced and should not contain detergents, which can strip the wax from your vehicle. The cleaner should also contain a conditioner to keep up the shine and a lubricant to ensure that you don’t scratch your car while washing it. Rinse your wash mitt regularly in a bucket of clean water to remove any grime that can get caught in it and scratch your paint.
Make Sure You Dry
Don’t skip the drying. Your work is not done just because the car is clean. If you do not adequately dry your car after washing it, water spots can form leaving behind mineral deposits. A sheepskin chamois or paint safe drying towels work best. Materials such as polyester or microfiber can scratch the paint while drying it. If after washing and drying your vehicle, you still see residue, use a clay bar to remove it. Insects, bird poop or tree sap may still be clinging to your car and a clay bar should remove these. The clay will come with a lubricant which is to be sprayed over the area first to protect it. You can then slide the clay over the necessary areas and it should take hold of the remaining contaminates, lifting them off your paint. Below is a video on how to clay your car.
Use Wax
Waxing your vehicle is the most important part of maintaining your auto body paint job. The wax will restore that beautiful shine to your car and will protect the paint. Wax helps to prevent oxidation by protecting the oils in the paint. To best maintain your car’s paint, you should wax every two to three months. If you live in a harsher climate, you may want to wax every month. If you’re unsure whether or not your car needs to be waxed, watch how the water sits on your vehicle when you wash it. If the water forms beads on the surface of the car, then your wax is in good shape. If the water creates sheets rather than beads, you’ll know it’s time to break out the wax.
Protect Your Car From the Elements
The more your car is exposed to inclement weather and the sun as well as birds and insects, the faster the paint will dull and corrode. Park your vehicle in a garage whenever possible, or if a garage is not available to you, try to find some kind of shelter or shade under which to park. Prolonged exposure to the sun can be especially detrimental to your auto body paint job.
A new paint job can provide years of enjoyment and pride in your car. It takes time and effort to maintain but you’ll find the time well-spent when you see how your car gleams and stands out from the rest when you pull into a parking lot. You may even come to enjoy the routine of washing and waxing.
The post How To Maintain The Life Of My Auto Body Paint Job appeared first on Grand Sport Auto Body.
Source: http://www.grandsportautobody.com/blog/how-to-maintain-the-life-of-my-auto-body-paint-job/
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