When you buy a new car, one of the first things that attract you is its dazzling shine and that beautiful polished new car paint. If you want to keep that sparkling shine for years to come, you need to take proper care of your car’s paint.

A damaged paint is not just aesthetically sore on the eyes. It also decreases the value of your car as getting a new paint job is expensive. No one wants to incur unnecessary costs; hence you must try keep the paint as good as new.

The good news is, protecting your car’s paint is far from rocket science and can be achieved relatively easily. Following these simple tips can keep the paint of your car in pristine condition for years to come! 

Tips to Protect Your Car’s Paint

No matter the age of your car or the colour of your paint job – your paint needs protection from bird droppings, tree-sap, scratches, and also from the car wash. The following tips will help you to protect your car’s paint and keep it as new.

1. Wash Your Car the right way

While most of us know how to wash our cars, it is quite possible some of us are actually using the wrong equipment and doing our paint more harm than good. Washing our cars using the right tools and method is essential for your car’s paint.

If you wash your car using a regular dish detergent (such as green Sunlight or an equivalent, stop immediately). There is nothing worse than the acidic dish soap to wreak havoc on your car’s paint coat. Experts recommend that you should only use high-quality car wash with a foam applicator. Remember these 5 points when buying a car shampoo:

1. pH balance. You’re going to want to make sure whatever car soap you purchase is first and foremost pH balanced. This is ultimately the most important factor when it comes to protecting your paint during the wash cycle. A balanced soap will be neither acidic or basic and maintains a pH of 7, which is the same pH as water! Lower quality soaps can contain harsh solvents that strip away your car’s clear coat.
2. Foam. You will also want to pick a soap with a heavy foaming formula. Foam actually does a lot of the heavy lifting for you in the washing process and is a great way to protect your paint thanks to the thick lubricant between the coat of your car and the dirt you are removing when you wash. You can also use a foam cannon to achieve even more suds! 
3. Only a wash. Experts recommend avoiding the 2 IN 1 WASH AND WAXES. Seriously, these products are a total sham. Washing intends to degrease and remove dirt whereas waxes are oily, sticky and can accumulate dirt when exposed. The two ideas of washing and waxing are conflicting and creating a product that encompasses both simply is not realistic. Any product that claims to be doing both is likely not doing a good job at either.
4. Eco-friendliness. Remember that when car soaps are rinsed off of your vehicle, the soap doesn’t just disappear. A typical wash solution will run down the driveway or parking lot and into the grass, gutter or street. From there they end up in surrounding rivers, lakes and other bodies of water or will run into storm drains and eventually become part of the ecosystem.
5. Concentration. If value is something that you, well, value, then consider buying a concentrated brand of soap (considering it meets all the other criteria).  It will save you A LOT of money in purchasing one of these. With concentrated soaps, you mix less soap with water to achieve the same desired sudsy levels. So that 5L container of soap can last you years when washing one car weekly or bi-monthly. 

2. Clean Immediately

It’s practically impossible to prevent birds from taking a number 2 on your car. Sure, you can do things like avoid parking under trees but eventually you will end up with a fresh dropping on your hood. While these may seem like a harmless inconvenience, but it can actually be pretty harmful to your paint.  Bird droppings are highly acidic which as we discussed when talking about car soap, acidic and basic solutions can eat away at your car’s paint even if you have a clear coat finish.

Tree sap is another thing to be wary of. Certain trees drip a sticky sap. While it won’t damage your car immediately, it will eventually leave a stain on your paint if left to continuously bake in the sun. If you live in a particularly hot climate, this will speed up the baking process. Another reason to quickly get rid of tree sap is that the longer it sits, the more difficult it is to remove!

3. Don’t Skip the Drying Process 

After washing the car, most people forget the drying process, assuming that it will air dry naturally. I myself have been guilty of this. I would take my car to one of those “wash and go” car washes and hope the car would dry off on its own as I drive to work. Or I would wash my car myself on a Sunday morning, and leave it to dry in the sun while I moved on to starting the braai. The truth is that’s what damages the paint of your car most. 

If you don’t dry your car immediately after washing, it will leave water spots, turning your hard work into a complete waste. Always use a microfiber towel to dry the car as it can perfectly absorb the water.

4. Use Synthetic Coating

Even regular use of the car will subject it to damages and natural wear and tear. Your car will need a special coating to protect itself from debris, dust and animal and bird droppings. Using a synthetic protective coating is exactly what your car needs. 

Although new, the use of synthetic coating has become quite popular among many car owners. It’s a ceramic car paint protection that keeps the paint safe for the long run.

5. Polish Your Car

If you want to protect your car from the sun and make it shine at the same time, then you must consider a car polish. It has micro-fine abrasives, which gently clean the paint surface without causing any damage.

Besides, it can protect the paint by fighting the pollutants and free radicals in the polluted air in the cities that can be harmful to the paint.

Polishing your car is quite simple. Just clean your car and hand dry it, then use a foam applicator to apply a coat of that polish.

6. Cover your Vehicle

This is one of the easiest daily actions you can take to protect your car’s paint. This makes a world of a difference for maintaining the entirety of the vehicle, but especially the paint. The sun produces harmful UV light which over time can deteriorate your paint and also sun bleach the interior of your car.  In addition, you are less likely to come across sap, bugs, and bird poop in a covered area. This may seem pretty obvious, but you can really tell the difference between two cars of the same make, model, and year when one has been garage kept and the other has not.

A simple, easy and inexpensive option for anyone who doesn’t have access to a covered parking space is to bring the cover to yourself! If you don’t have where to park undercover at home or at your workplace, then head over to Start My Car and have a look at our car covers.

When using the cover, always make sure your car is properly dry. Using a cover to wrap a wet car may produce mould or fungus.

7. Use a Clay Bar

One of the most effective methods to protect your car’s paint is to use a clay bar.  Our Shield clay bar cleaning kit is one of our best selling products, and with reason, it can successfully remove dust and even the unseen contaminants stuck in the paint.

Make sure the claying is followed by a wax polish so that your car remains clean and spotless.

8. It’s time to Wax

Once you have cleaned your car paint with a clay bar, it’s time to wax your car. If done properly, this wax can protect your car’s paint from dust, scratches, contaminants, and UV rays for up to 6 months.

However, under the particular harsh African sun, it’s highly recommended that you wax your car every three to four months to be on the safe side. You can use both the liquid and paste wax – the latter requires a less frequent application. Start My Car has an extensive range of waxes . For best results, take your car to an expert instead of doing it on your own.

9. Invest in Vinyl Wraps or Paint Protection Film

For those who can afford it, if you have just invested in a brand new car and would like to protect it’s beautiful paint coat (or even if you have an older car you would like to freshen up) in addition to protecting its exterior, go for a vinyl wrap. It works as a protective shield for the car’s original paint and saves it from going dull. 

Additionally, vinyl wraps are thick enough to sustain minor issues on the car such as scratches. The glue doesn’t leave any residue on the paint of your car, meaning that you can easily remove it anytime you want.

Another option is to consider getting a paint protection film. This film will protect the paint of your car from UV rays, dust particles, tar, scratches and other environmental factors. The process is quite expensive but can last for at least 5 years, meaning that it will eventually save your car other maintenance costs during these years.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to protecting your car’s paint, prevention is always better than going for an expensive repair later. Even the slightest carelessness from your end can cause severe damages to the car’s exterior, causing you to spend a lot of money to fix it all.

Head over to Start My Car for all the cleaning equipment necessary to maintain your car care regiment, and to keep your car looking as good as new.

Don’t forget to clean your car immediately with water if there’s any bird dropping. No matter how busy you are, make it a habit to wash your car once a week.