Dealer Collision Center

Save Your Car’s Paint During the Hot Summer Months

Save Your Car’s Paint During the Hot Summer Months

As you enjoy the warm summer weather by taking vacations, embarking on weekend excursions and just cruising around St George, your car is going to be exposed to the hot sun. This can lead to fading or premature rusting. During the summer, your car will also encounter more grit and grime from road trips, including bird waste, splattering bugs and other debris that can cause fairly serious damage to the surface of your car’s paint. The summer sun adds to this by baking all of these things into your car’s paint, making it much difficult to remove.

Here are some precautions you can take to protect your car’s paint from fading or getting ruined from the summer sun, courtesy of Dealer Collision Center in St George, one of UT’s finest body shops and well-known for high-quality repairs and exemplary customer service.

Washing schedule: Washing your car regularly will reduce the possibility of dirt or other debris from ruining your car’s paint job. At Dealer Collision Center, we know that too many people let dirt and debris sit for long periods on their car. This gives it the time it needs to bake and dry, and literally enamel itself onto your vehicle’s paint job. Now you’ve got a real dilemma, because these foreign substances have bonded to your paint, which means that it will be much more complicated to remove them. Washing or rinsing your vehicle off immediately after objects have dirtied your car is highly recommended. To remove the offending substances from your car’s paint job, get a soft cotton mitt to avoid scratches and always utilize an automotive cleaning product that is approved for use on your car.

Hand dry your car after a wash: It’s easy to let your car air dry after you wash your car, but water spots can leave minerals behind that can lead to the fading of your car’s paint job. To prevent fading, make sure you use clean cotton rags to absorb and dry away the water spots. Drying your car with a cotton rag or chamois protects your car's paint from minerals left behind by water evaporation.

Wax your car: Waxing your car creates an extra level of protection from dirt, debris and also helps to protect your car from the summer sun’s rays. The wax protects the paint against roadside pollutants while also combating the sun's ultraviolet radiation.

Keep your car in a cool place: Parking your car in a garage, under trees or somewhere where you can shield it from the summer sun will not only prevent your car’s paint job from fading, but also helps to keep your interior, headlights and tires in better shape.

Get some protection: You spent a lot of money on that paint job, so why not purchase an auto paint protection film kit so that you won’t encounter the same problems further down the hot and dusty road? There are a wide range of products to choose from, so do your research and find the right one for you and your car.

We hope that these tips are helpful to protect your car from the sun, but if you do end up getting fading issues or encounter blotches or any type of discoloration, take your car to us at Dealer Collision Center in St George. We’re painting professionals who know the ins and outs of how to save your car’s paint from all of the things that can cause damage.