Summer Car Care Tips

Summer can cause cars in Australia a few issues. Paint, rubber, plastics and passengers all take a hit in the heat. Surfaces can reach a sweltering 85℃ on a hot day! Luckily, there are answers:

We list some simple summer car care tips to help you protect your car:

Car Care For Paint:

You may have seen faded paint before. It’s often a lighter off-white colour on exposed paint surfaces like bonnets. It’s caused by UV rays degrading clear coats.

Car paint has three layers - base coat (primer), the colour itself and a clear coat

Car Care Solutions:

• Ceramic Coating: These simple-to-use products are great for protecting the paint. They add a sacrificial layer to your car’s paint. Just spray on and wipe off after washing your vehicle and the ceramic coating can last for several months. They can increase shine and also bead water away too.

• Wax: This old classic has been protecting paint for many years. It works similar to the ceramic coating listed above. The wax prevents sun damage and gives your car a nice shine. Apply a thin layer of wax to your paint, let it dry to a haze and buff off.

• Car Covers: These are especially useful if you plan to leave your car for several days or more. They can be tricky to spread over a car and attach, especially in windy locations so ask a friend to help. Car covers offer protection from sun, tree debris, dust and rain.

Car Care For Windows:

Keeping the direct sun off passengers, especially infants is pretty important. As mentioned above, surfaces can reach a sweltering 85℃ with the air temperature climbing to 65℃.

Car Care Solutions:

Tint:
Tinting windows is not a new summer car care idea. Often, the ‘is that legal?’ question comes to mind when selecting tint.

The tint is measured in VLT (Visible Light Transmission). The higher the VLT, the more light passes through, the lower the VLT, the darker it appears. So, a clear window is 95% or more VLT. Check with your local window tint expert on the VLT limits in your state as they vary in Australia.

Shades:
Car care accessories should never leave your car in a worse condition than prior to using it. Shades that use suction cups, adhesive or clips can leave marks on windows.

Static window shades are excellent. They stick to the insides of car windows using static electricity and don’t leave any marks.

Car Care For Rubber and Plastics:

These parts are at risk of perishing and cracking in the harsh Aussie sun. Window rubber seals and dashboards are often the most noticeable examples. You may have seen an older car with a cracked dashboard.

Car Care Solutions:

• Products like ArmourAll offer protection against the sun and hot temperatures. They are easy to apply - simply spray on a cloth and wipe over the required area.

• Tyre black and tyre shine are other options for - tyres, obviously. Not only do these products really make cars look great and well-cared for but they can also protect against sun damage.

Car Care For Headlights:

The sun is an old enemy of car headlights. Often, the effect is a faded yellowish discolouration. It’s UV damage. Not only does it look disgusting, but it also reduces vision at night.

Luckily, it’s easily (and cheaply) repairable.

Car Care Solutions:

Some home remedies like polishing faded headlights with baking soda and toothpaste or polishing with metal polish might be worth a try but headlight restoration kits promise results.

After restoring your headlights, add a protective film to make sure the UV damage doesn’t reoccur.

Car Care Conclusion:

All Australians know the sun in our country can be harsh. Cars know it too - and often show the battle wounds.

Add some of the mentioned car care accessories above to your vehicle and protect your car (and yourself) from suffering this summer. Things like faded headlights and sun-damaged paint can really knock down the value of your car.