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Tips to Maintain New Car Paint
The quality of your vehicle’s paint is the first thing that people see. It has an immediate impact not just on the look of your vehicle, but on its potential resale value too. It protects the metal body panels, stopping exposure to the elements from triggering rust. So while most people choose their paintwork purely for aesthetic reasons, it actually has a significant role to play in the general maintenance of your vehicle and its resale value.
That makes it even more important to ensure you look after that thin outer covering as carefully as possible. Here are five top tips to help you maintain your new car’s paintwork and keep it looking better for longer.
- Keep it clean
Regular washing not only keeps your paintwork shining, but it also gives you that ‘hands-on’ time to go over every part of the surface to check for chips, blemishes or damage. Removing road dirt also prevents the top layers of lacquer from deteriorating, which in turn protects the paint underneath. A simple bucket of hot soapy water and a sponge will do the trick. Our top tip: Start from the top and work down, so that you’re not getting the thicker, more abrasive mud and dirt from the lower part of the vehicle embedded into your sponge, which can then scour and scratch your paintwork. Rinse thoroughly and get ready for the next stage – waxing.
- Wax regularly
Waxing your vehicle not only makes the paintwork shine, but also adds a further protective layer that prevents abrasive materials such as sand, road dirt and dust from scratching your paintwork. It can also hide minor blemishes and give your new car paint that glossy, showroom finish. Waxing doesn’t have to be done every time you wash your car – take the time to do it thoroughly including buffing and finishing and it should last for a couple of months before it needs to be done again.
- Find a shady spot
If your new Toyota is continually exposed to direct sunlight it will eventually break down the paint and even fade some colours, particularly red hues. Find a shady spot or even better, an underground car park or garage to park your Toyota in to avoid bright sunlight.
- Watch out for natural corrosives
If you park your Toyota underneath a tree in the hope of finding that shady spot we mentioned above, beware. Bird droppings are extremely alkaline, which is incredibly corrosive to paintwork. Likewise, tree sap is very sticky and can adhere to your paint surface, turning into a grinding paste once it becomes impregnated with dirt and dust. If you do notice any natural corrosives such as bird droppings, wash them off as soon as possible to avoid any damage.
- Light damage? Try Smart repairs
If you have an unfortunate moment with a traffic bollard and end up with a slight dent in your bodywork, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll need to pay out for an expensive respray. Smart repairs can be carried out on some knocks and dents as long as the surface of the paint hasn’t been damaged. Not only are smart repairs quicker and much cheaper, but they also do not appear as a crash repair on your car’s history, which could reduce its resale value as a pre-owned car.
If you’re planning on selling your car in the UAE, Al-Futtaim Toyota is your first port of call. Use our online valuation tool to find out how much your Toyota is worth, or contact us today to talk to one of our professional team members, who can also tell you about our range of services including Smart Repairs.