What could Ruin a Cars Paint Finish
Sharp and rough objects are a bane to vehicle owners when it comes to ruining a car’s paint. Deep and long lines of scratches are difficult and costly to repair. Many vehicles are not safe when parked in an area where there are frequent passers-by. Belts, buttons and denim rivets are often the culprits that cause deep scratches on a car’s paint. Even when cleaning or washing the car, make sure your do not have sharp or rough objects on your clothes that you could accidentally scrape on the car.
For non-acrylic paints like ordinary lacquer and enamel paint on cars, they could easily be ruined by petrol based solvents and brake fluid. Even rubbing and liquor alcohol will smear those types of paints. Thin plastics can easily stick when the car has been exposed under the sun for a length of time. Usually the plastic binds with the paint.
Some may not be aware of it, but in many cases it is the rag used to clean the car will ruin the entire car paint. To avoid this make sure the cloth used to wipe thecar paintis at least 80 percent cotton. It should be clean, free from dust, oil and other substance that can harm paint. If the rag is dry, frequently turn it over and dust it off while wiping the paint surface.
Dust is also one that could easily ruin paint surfaces of a car. It is not advisable to wipe away dust outright from the paint especially on the roof and the front and back lids. Dust is a very fine abrasive that will do very fine scratches or burrs on the paint. That is what you see at some angles and causes the paint lose its shine. To lessen the abrasiveness of dust, dust it off carefully with a feather duster, if not, rinse it with clean water.
Road asphalt spots will not necessarily ruin a car’s paint unless it accumulates very thickly on the surface. Turpentine and kerosene can easily do the job in wiping it off. Again, care must be taken if the paint type used is lacquer or enamel. It is twice as difficult to wipe off asphalt on them compared to acrylic types of paint.
The worst enemy of a car’s paint is nature. Excessive exposure under the sun will make the paint fade, brittle and crack. As much as possible, park the vehicle where it is least exposed to sunlight. Front and rear lids and the roof are the most susceptible to the ‘beating’ of the sun. Sand storms, especially in the Middle East, can practically sand-blast away a car’s paint finish! Snow and, most of all, hail can do some nasty things on car paint even on its body. Hurricane, typhoon, cyclone and twister winds carry different objects that can ruin paint, if not, even the entire car.
What were mentioned above are those that ruin a car’s paint on practically a regular basis. There are many other objects like stone, things on the street, chemicals and solvents that could harm a car’s paint but rarely encountered. For those living near salty water areas, make sure to have vehicles frequently washed from under. It might not directly ruin paint. The damage starts from the metal body parts going towards the paint.
