SO YOU’RE BUYING A NEW CAR…
Congratulations! Doubtless you’ve spent hours comparing different makes and models, reading articles and reviews. Now you’re making the purchase, and you’re anticipating the excitement of laying eyes on your new or new-to-you auto-mobile for the first time.
What if that excitement didn’t go away? What if years later your car could look as good or better than it did the day you bought it? That’s not easy. Over the life of your vehicle rocks, sand, salt, sap, birds, bugs, rain, sunshine, and more will pose an unrelenting threat to your car’s glossy finish. So what’s a new car-owner to do? Here are five steps you can take today to make your car more resilient against the dangers of the road, and keep it looking like-new for years to come.
DECONTAMINATE
Believe it or not, the first thing your car needs after it rolls off the dealer’s lot is a thorough decontamination and wash. Here’s the truth: Dealership cars are dirty. Upon purchase, a car has often been sitting in a dealer lot for several months. During that time, the vehicle has most likely been stored outside and exposed to a host of environmental contaminants. If the car has been shipped any distance by train, rail dust has most likely bonded with the paint. If contaminants like metal filings or acidic deposits are not properly removed from the vehicle, they will end up causing permanent damage to the clear coat and factory paint.
POLISH
Dealerships are infamous for improper washing techniques. You can understand why. A dealership must wash many cars in a short amount of time. If they gave each car the time required for a proper wash, there would never be any time to sell. What does that mean for your car’s paint? In short, swirl-marks. Swirl-marks are a collection of very fine scratches in a vehicle’s clear coat caused by improper washing techniques, specifically when a dirty rag is wiped across a panel, or an inappropriate rag is used for drying. The good news is that a professional polish or paint correction process can remove swirl-marks and restore the glossy finish of your factory paint.
APPLY WINDOW TINT
Once the exterior is decontaminated and polished, it’s time to start adding layers of protection. The first layer of protection to add is not just for your car, but for its passengers. Did you know that car drivers in Australia are more likely to get skin cancer on their right side? If you will be spending any amount of time in your new vehicle, you should protect its interior with a premium window film (that is, unless you plan on applying sunscreen every time you get in the car). In addition to protecting your skin, a good window film will keep your upholstery from being faded by the sun. It will also block heat from the sun, making your interior not only safer, but cooler.
APPLY PAINT PROTECTION
Now that your new vehicle is cleaned, polished, and tinted, what are we going to do about the rocks, sand, salt, sap, birds, bugs, rain, sunshine, and other threats mentioned above? What can you do today to keep your shiny car shiny, despite the dangers it will face? Here’s the number one answer: Apply a premium Paint Protection Film. An automotive Paint Protection Film (sometimes called a Clear Bra) is urethane covering that is applied to a vehicle’s exterior surfaces to preserve the quality of its factory paint. Paint Protection Film is most famous for its ability to stop rock chips, and is commonly applied on high-risk panels like the front bumper, hood, and fenders. However, it can also be applied to all exterior painted surface to provide protection from all kinds of hazards. When a bird poops on your car, acid in the dropping quickly starts eating into the paint’s clear coat. If not removed in a timely and professional manner, the bird dropping can cause visible, permanent damage. The same is true for tree sap, bug splatter, acid rain, and other contaminants. A layer of protective film makes your vehicle more resilient to whatever may threaten your paint.
APPLY CERAMIC COATING
If you’ve been careful to care for and maintain your previous vehicles, you know the benefit of a good wax: It adds a small layer of protection and makes your car easier to clean. You also know its limitations: The protection is minimal, and it requires repeated application. A Ceramic Coating is kind of like a good wax on steroids. It is a liquid polymer that is applied by hand to the exterior of a vehicle. Upon application, the coating creates a permanent or semi-permanent chemical bond with the vehicle’s factory paint, meaning that it does not wash away or break down and does not require repeated application every few months (leading brands have manufacturer warranties of up to 10 years). When covered by a Ceramic Coating, a vehicle is more resistant to oxidation caused by the sun and chemical stains caused by naturally acidic contaminants. A Ceramic Coating also creates a hydrophobic (that is, water-repelling) surface, making your car easier to clean. Mud and grime have a more difficult time bonding with coated paint, and when you wash your car, contaminants can be removed with less effort.
DRIVE AWAY WIT PEACE OF MIND
When the process of buying a new car reaches its summit and you are driving away in your new auto-mobile, you will be excited. Don’t let that excitement get suffocated by the discovery of swirl-marks left by the dealership, or collection of fresh rock chips, or a damaging bug splatter, or a careless parking lot driver. It’s true that nothing will make your car bullet proof. None of the steps outlined above will provide 100 % protection from anything your car could face. Moreover, none of the steps above make ongoing maintenance obsolete. Nonetheless, each step will add significant value to your vehicle, give you peace-of-mind, and help preserve your car’s appearance over the long-term, so that years from now you can be just as excited to sit in your beautiful vehicle as you were the day you bought it.
