Car body care tips you shouldn’t ignore Rahul Narayan, a software engineer in Bangalore commutes to work from Hebbal to Whitefield in his Hyundai Verna. Rahul has owned the car for a couple of years now and the biggest challenge he faces is ensuring that the car’s body is unblemished. Unfortunately for him the bad roads, pollution, horrendous traffic, unruly drivers and a lot of other environmental factors don’t quell his worries. Well, Rahul isn’t the only one who struggles with this aspect of car maintenance. Car owners spend a lot on fuel, car accessories, car insurance renewal and also on routine car maintenance/servicing. But it is the body care of the car that is a bummer. You mustn’t ignore it though as it can cost you dearly.
Why is it important to take care of the car’s body and keep it in a pristine condition? It’s a given that your car depreciates in value over time. You don’t want to further bring down its value by not taking care of the car’s appearance especially if you are going to be selling the car in a few years and expect to get a good deal. Nobody is going to purchase a car that has not been maintained well. How the car looks inside and outside is the bait for coaxing the buyer. Keeping on top of your car’s body care is important not to just improve the sale-ability but to also ensure longevity of the vehicle. And you want to be driving a nice looking car! Your car collects a lot of grime every day. It usually is in the form sludge due to rains, exhaust smoke, bird droppings, pollution and dust from nearby construction sites or road repairs. These when not removed have adverse effect on the body of the car and the under-chassis. Your car’s body is also subjected to harsh UV rays everyday especially if you park your vehicle outdoors. Next is the problem of dents, scratches and stone chips caused due to various reasons such as congested traffic, bad roads, bad drivers and bad people that derive some weird pleasure scratching cars with coins or key chains. We know it’s frustrating but there is only so much you can do. However, let’s look at how you can take care of your car’s body
Car Body Care Tips Car Wash Washing your car regularly i.e. at least once or twice a month will remove all the dirt from the surface of the body & under the chassis and keep it clean. Failure to remove can cause staining and rusting. An important thing to remember is that rains don’t remove the contaminants off your car. In fact it collects a lot of pollutants that can damage your car’s exterior. It is recommended that you wash your car immediately after a heavy rain fall. It’s better if the car is washed with a pressure hose at a service center as you get the under body as well. Of course there are eco-friendly car wash services available that you may want to consider. Ensure you get a full body wash at least once every month. One can also hand wash the car if its only the body that needs cleaning. You’ve just got to ensure that you don’t use detergents used for dishes and clothes. These damage the paint which may result in oxidation. Instead use a branded car wash shampoo which will enhance the appearance of the paint. Now you are not going to go for a car wash to remove a bird dropping right? But you can’t also leave it until your next car wash. Instead use water to get rid of bird droppings. Many people think that bird droppings contain acid content that cause the blemish but its actually the paint lacquer which warms in sunlight and then hardens when it cools down in the night. It’s during the cool down that it hardens around the bird droppings. This can be usually avoided. Act as soon as you notice the dropping on your car. Soak it with soap water and then wipe/spray it off.
Car Waxing Car wax creates a layer of protection against abusive external elements such as acid rain, bugs, bird droppings and prevents rusting or corrosion. Therefore contaminants get embedded in the wax and can be easily removed during wash than otherwise. Wax can also prevent breakdown of molecular structure of paint aka oxidation due to harsh exposure to UV rays and oxygen. Stains begin to show up which is an indication of the onset of rusting. So the wax is like a sacrificial layer. Ensure you wax your car from a trusted service center or car spa at least 2 to 3 times a year. If you have the time and the energy you can do it yourself. Look for a manufacturer recommended car wax or research to find one suitable for your car. Ensure the car is freshly washed and thoroughly dried before you begin waxing. Also ensure the car is indoors or in a garage before you begin. Scoop out the wax on a soft sponge and apply in smooth overlapping strokes in a 2×2 feet area. Apply mild pressure during application. Once you notice the wax drying, start buffing with a microfiber towel. Check out this video for simple instructions on how to go about it – https://goo.gl/tLjr2g
Rusting Rusting is caused when iron is exposed to moisture & oxygen for a long period of time. A car’s under body can rust faster in coastal areas due to salt in the air. The car’s under body comes into contact with water because of driving through puddles and during heavy rains. This is best taken care by the car service center. A lot of car spas and car detailing centers apply a rubberized anti-rust coat to the under body that prevents the iron from coming in contact with oxygen and water.
Repairing Dents and scratches Consider yourself extremely lucky if you don’t have any dents or scratches on your car. It’s almost a miracle because not many can boast the same. But if you do, then get them fixed right away because the body is susceptible to rusting if the paint is peeled off during the impact. The rusting can occur rather quickly and will work its way through the body of the car. While there are sprays available to take care of the rusting it is advisable to reach out to the experts for fixing the issue. There are multiple ways to get that dent removed. Many car detailing centers now provide paintless dent removal and repair service without the need for repainting. Also many service centers today do a good job of touching up the scratches by accurately matching the paint as per manufacture specifications. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ CarServo helps you find the nearest car service center for all your car body care needs. Our wide network of service centers provides a plethora of car maintenance services for all major brands. It’s the most convenient way to get your vehicle serviced. Locate Maruti Service Center, Hyundai Service Center or service center for other brands such as Honda, Chevrolet, Renault and more.