You walk into a car showroom and take a quick glance around. What’s the first thing most people notice about the cars at a cursory glance? That’s right, the vehicles paint job. A few years down the line however a car will lose its shine due to natural wear. Here’s a few tips courtesy of CarDekho, on how you can prolong the time it takes for your paint to wear out and keep your car as shiny as when you drove it out of the showroom.
Washing
Washing your car regularly is as important as your bath, if you want to maintain its shine. It’s advisable that you should wash your car weekly. Once a month you should use pressure jet to remove slime from the car, especially from the areas such as inside wheel arches, under the bumpers and behind the mouldings etc where there is a high chance of accumulation of dirt. It is advisable to maintain the nozzle at a suitable distance from the car surface while using a pressure jet as it may damage the paint and sheet metal. The doors and the floor mats should be washed by hand. You should also clean up any kind of debris and dust particles present near wipers, if these particles are left out near wipers, they may damage the windshield while wipers are being operated
Shampoo
Use car shampoo weekly while washing your car.
Drying
Drying of paint is as important as washing. Use a soft piece of cotton cloth to dry the surface. This will prevent the formation of watermarks on your paint surface.
Bird Droppings
Bird droppings are a big nuisance as they frequently leave marks on the front bumpers and bonnet and to add to the problem they are acidic in nature, posing the threat of paint corrosion. You should immediately soak the dropping with water and then spray it away. If they are left unattended for some time they tend to dry up and cause cracks on the paint surface. There are some specific chemical solutions also available in thr market which can be used to clean them. However you need to be cautious that you don’t apply these solutions in bright sunlight as these dry quickly and then it becomes difficult to remove them. After applying these solutions wash with water and leave it to dry naturally.
Waxing
Waxing your car regularly is also a good idea as good quality wax retains the shine for at least 3-4 months. A car wax gives natural shine to car and protects the paint too. Before applying the wax, wash your car and allow it to dry. Cover all the plastic parts before waxing as they may develop white stains. Apply a small amount of wax on a sponge and wax one part at time by gentle rubbing; you may also use a wax machine for the same. Ensure that you always apply wax to car only while it’s parked in a shadowy area.
Repairing Stone Chips and scratches
It’s very important to visually inspect the car for any kind of scratches. These scratches can be repaired using some basic tools and spray paints. It is to be noted that the scratches should be attended to as soon you see them, else they may result in metal corrosion and further damage the paint around the scratch. Take a matching spray paint of the colour of your car. Clean the car and dry it. Shake the spraypaint very well, take a very small amount in cap and apply it with a wooden stick to the scratched area.
Touch Up of Deep Scratches
Often while driving, your car may get deep scratches due to tree branches, bushes etc. If you get deep scratches, its best to get the repair done immediately because if the bare metal is left like that, corrosion would start and increase the trouble you would undergo. For deep scratches you can get touch-up paint or pen and apply it to the scratched area. It’s advisable to take the car to a service centre for getting a touch up job done rather than doing it yourself.
Big Damages
For big damages on paint surface the touch up job will certainly not work, you need to get the top coating of paint again from your service centre.
Photography By - Sitaram Swami
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