Top 8 Tips That Will Help You Protect Your Car's Paint Job

Save yourself and your wallet the annoying car repairs. Follow these tips and you’ll surely enjoy a shiny and brand new looking car longer than most cars wherein their owners don’t take these extra precautions.

1. Use A Car Cover
There will be times when you won’t be able to find a covered parking lot, but that doesn’t mean you have to let your car get soaked in the sun.

2. Wash It Thoroughly
People don’t just seek car servicing in Singapore due to engine problems, more often than not it’s due to exterior damage from different kinds of dirt like grease, grime, and bird poop. When left unattended for extended period of time, they can cause serious paint damage on your car. Avoid the stress and unnecessary expenses by keeping your vehicle clean.

3. Do Not Skip Drying
Yes the sun and wind can easily dry your car, but letting your vehicle dry that way will leave unsightly water marks which renders your hard work useless. Use a microfiber towel or preferably a weave drying towel to absorb the water and dry the car.

4. Clean With A Clay Bar
Washing your car with water and car specific cleaning agent is a great way to prevent any dirt from causing damage on the paint. However, even after washing, some contaminants still cling to the paint. To totally get rid of them, using a clay bar is the way to go. Using this product is very easy but time consuming. First, use a good quality auto detailing shampoo to wash the paint and get rid of dirt and grime as much as possible. After that, you can use the clay. Many clay bars in the market come with a lubricant but if it does not, there are products that you can purchase separately. It is extremely important to lubricate the surface first to enable the clay to glide easily across the surface. You’ll know it’s working because the clay gets dirtier as you go because of all the contaminants it’s grabbing.

5. Wax Your Car
Remember that a good wax will easily last 8 – 10 months on a car that will protect the paint of the car from external elements like scratches, dust, contaminants, and UV rays. To be on a safer side, apply a coat of wax every six months on your car to keep it clean and smooth.

6. Seek Car Polishing
Polishing is one of the most misunderstood paint care procedures and as a result many individuals skip this important step. Polish is an abrasive compound, which, when worked into the paint using the hand or a polisher, shaves off imperfections of the paint. It levels out the surface and makes it smooth, thereby preparing it for the next step of applying wax or paint sealant. If you wax without polishing the surface first, not only will the paint look dull, but you will also notice that the wax layer will wear off quicker than usual. So ultimately it is a huge waste of your time and resources. Because polish is abrasive as mentioned above, it is important to master polishing techniques especially if you are using a rotary buffer, or you risk burning right through the paint.

7. Clear Coat Protector
Most new cars come with a clear coat over the paint layer to keep the car shiny and protected from external elements. The clear coat offers a more glossy finish to the car, and will keep harmful elements like UV rays and dust at bay to protect the paint of the car. Any minor issues can also be buffed out, if the car has a clear coat. However, clear coats are sensitive to scratches and are prone to oxidation. It is still not a substitute for wax and needs to have a wax job to protect the shine of the car.

8. Park In A Garage When Possible
Even a warm garage beats being parked in the sun all day. So whenever there’s an available garage, use it. Not only that your interior will stay cool, but your paint job won’t suffer to premature damage either.

Best Way To Polish Your Vehicle

Car washing and grooming sure guarantees a sanitary environment for you while driving and a clean looking car outside. However, if you like to keep your vehicle looking branded new, that won’t be enough. You need car polishing to achieve that. If you’re in Singapore, it will be hard to escape from the periodic drizzles and the rays of the sun. Washing the cars will take care of the dirt accumulated but will not help you get rid of the harm done by the climatic changes. Polishing the car would be the best thing to keep the vehicle fresh and shining. Doing this at least once every three months will keep it looking like those automobiles in showrooms. Here are the different ways you can do that.

Include Clay Bar In Your Car Cleaning Supplies

Washing your car with water and car specific cleaning agent is a great way to prevent any dirt from causing damage on the paint. However, even after washing, some contaminants still cling to the paint. To totally get rid of them, using a clay bar is the way to go. Using this product is very easy but time consuming. First, use a good quality auto detailing shampoo to wash the paint and get rid of dirt and grime as much as possible. After that, you can use the clay. Many clay bars in the market come with a lubricant but if it does not, there are products that you can purchase separately. It is extremely important to lubricate the surface first to enable the clay to glide easily across the surface. You’ll know it’s working because the clay gets dirtier as you go because of all the contaminants it’s grabbing.

Seek Car Polishing

Polishing is one of the most misunderstood paint care procedures and as a result many individuals skip this important step. Polish is an abrasive compound, which, when worked into the paint using the hand or a polisher, shaves off imperfections of the paint. It levels out the surface and makes it smooth, thereby preparing it for the next step of applying wax or paint sealant. If you wax without polishing the surface first, not only will the paint look dull, but you will also notice that the wax layer will wear off quicker than usual. So ultimately it is a huge waste of your time and resources. Because polish is abrasive as mentioned above, it is important to master polishing techniques especially if you are using a rotary buffer, or you risk burning right through the paint.

Waxing And Applying Paint Sealant

Most people love shiny cars because it makes the car look expensive and sleek. To achieve this look, they often opt to wax their car because we all know wax can help give that sparkling effect. However, the problem with this is that it is temporary and easily melts especially when constantly exposed in the sun. A much better option will be paint protection because it can provide the same luster for your car but is more durable compared to wax so it last longer.

Make Sure You’re Using Non-Abrasive Car Wash Methods

People don’t just seek car servicing in Singapore due to engine problems, more often than not it’s due to exterior damage from different kinds of dirt like grease, grime, and bird poop. When left unattended for extended period of time, they can cause serious paint damage on your car. Avoid the stress and unnecessary expenses by keeping your vehicle clean. 

Avoid Sun Damage At All Cost

Summer time is a fun season to drive to the beach, go on a road trip, or simply go anywhere because the weather is nice. But while you may not have to worry about slippery roads driving which can be dangerous, it’s the heat of your car that you should be worried about. This is why aside from preparing thick towels to place on the seats, and windshield cover, it’s also important to try to park your car in the shade as much as possible and invest in paint protection especially in such a sunny country like Singapore. Unless you’re fine with your car paint blistering and peeling as well as premature fading and cracking of your car interior.