How to protect your vehicle’s paint

Whether you have just acquired a new car or have given a new paint job to an old or collector’s vehicle, you want your shiny and gleaming bodywork to stay that way for as long as possible. To keep the paintwork of your vehicle in new condition, all you need to do is protect and maintain it properly.

The elements (rain, hail, snow), dust, sand that the winds regularly bring back from the Maghreb countries, bird droppings, not to mention fresh tar and micro-scratches, the paintwork of your car sees all the colours. These repeated attacks end up damaging its appearance, which tarnishes and loses its shine. In addition, with the water restrictions that promise to be recurring in certain regions, cleaning its bodywork and restoring it to its original appearance in summer becomes a real headache.

• Prevention rather than cure
• Preserving the painting requires a few basic precautions:
• park sheltered from the elements,
• avoid leaving your vehicle under trees,
• wash your car regularly with non-aggressive products,
• use protective waxes,
• If necessary, apply a nano-ceramic protective layer.
• Park under cover

It’s not always easy to park your car under cover when you don’t have a garage. To avoid the inconveniences of acid rain which dulls the paint and hail, park your vehicle in a covered car park or, failing that, under a tarpaulin. UV discolors certain colors such as red or blue. Putting your car in the shade will help preserve the shine of the paintwork longer.

In the absence of a hot water high-pressure cleaner to remove tar, Vulcanet soaked wipes, designed as a receptacle for pollutants, thin at first, trap all types of dirt and thicken as the vehicle becomes clean without damaging the support.

In the absence of a hot water high-pressure cleaner to remove tar, Vulcanet soaked wipes, designed as a receptacle for pollutants, thin at first, trap all types of dirt and thicken as the vehicle becomes clean without damaging the support.

It is tempting to park under a tree to find your car cool and in the shade. The only downside is that birds, especially pigeons, love trees and their acid droppings can corrode the paint, or even attack and erode the transparent varnish that is supposed to protect it. You should know that once dry the droppings of the birds gnaw the support; so if you find your vehicle covered in droppings, wash it as soon as possible.

Wash your vehicle as soon as possible

Washing your car keeps your paint shinier, longer. In summer, after driving for a long time, your vehicle is often covered with crushed insects, fine particles and various residues. All that dirt will set and the longer you wait, the harder it will be to get it off. Ridding your bodywork of this layer of dirt helps keep the initial appearance of the paintwork in good condition. Never use a brush or sponge to remove them. The action of dust when you rub the bodywork acts like an emery cloth and you risk creating micro-scratches. Be careful, however, not to use too aggressive detergents which would also end up attacking the protective varnish. prefermild cleansers . Systematically apply a protective wax, synthetic or natural, to create an additional barrier between the elements and the surface of your bodywork. Besides the fact that it protects the color from UV rays, it gives shine to the surface, helps water run off and prevents mud or bituminous residues from sticking to the bodywork. That said, a wax finish only lasts a few days at best.

 In fact, the drops of water act in the sun with a magnifying effect which “burns” and which, when drying, leaves white traces which are difficult to eliminate.

Also be careful with too frequent polishing or buffing which in the long term removes the thickness of the varnish and weakens it.

On the parts that the high pressure washing has not entirely stripped, it is preferable to apply a cleaning product which will unclog the dirt, in particular tar.

On the parts that the high pressure washing has not entirely stripped, it is preferable to apply a cleaning product which will unclg the dirt, in particular tar.

Renew clear varnish

Originally, you should know that the surface layer of bodywork paint is made up of a varnish that is resistant, shiny and flexible at the same time, with an infinitesimal thickness of 0.04 to 0.05 mm. Depending on the quality of the varnish applied, your paint, if you take care of it, should retain its appearance for at least ten years.

Nevertheless, after a few years, depending on the care you have given it or not, this protective layer wears out and it may be necessary to invest in having it reconstituted by a bodybuilder.

This varnish does not protect against everything and anything, but it visibly helps the paint to retain its initial appearance.

The absolute enemy… the sand

Météo France regularly announces the return of desert dust, particularly in the south of France. Sand is particularly corrosive on the bodywork. To avoid the “emery cloth” effect, it can only be removed with a high-pressure cleaner.

Avoid micro-scratches

Nothing is more annoying than these swirling micro-scratches which are in fact nano superficial marks on the surface of the varnish. Even new vehicles are sometimes covered in micro-scratches while fresh off the production line. A simple wiping with a cloth can cause them, hence the interest of the chamois leather which alone will prevent you from this phenomenon.