This article is an overview of our surroundings that effect the conditions of your cars directly or indirectly, knowingly or unknowingly but each of them are obstacles in the maintenance of your premium cars. Following are the Natural, Un-natural and Human factors and their effects which degrades the conditions of our cars:
Because of your car’s regular exposure to exhaust fumes, a yellow colour haze deposits on the paint surface of your car. This haze is more visible on white colour paint surface.
When you drive your cars on the road, the debris and small stones from the cars moving ahead hits the surface of your car which wears off a very small portion of your car’s paint surface and your windshield, leaving the marks which are termed as ‘Stone Chips’.
Dust is one of the major problems for proper maintenance of cars in India, the major issue created by dust is that – if not carefully cleaned, it results in numerous scratches on your car’s paint surface. These scratches can be minor ones which can be fixed or major/deep ones which are beyond repair.
Industrial Fallout is the industrial dust, corrosive deposits from chimneys of foundries and ironworks, Rail and road chippings, Iron particles, oxidise in moisture and humidity which attack the paint surface of your car. They are little brown specs that a look like rust. It is chemical destruction of the paint surface by the corrosion of individual rust particles on the paint surface.
Similar to pollution haze, the cars regularly exposed to industrial environment are prone to yellow colour haze deposits on their paint surface. This haze is more visible on white colour paint surface.
These Industrial Fallout can makes the surface of your car so rough that even after washing your car, you can feel the roughness of these particles on your car’s paint surface while wearing a plastic bag on your hand.
While parking your cars near workshops construction sites there are very good chances of paint pigments and cement splashes bonding to your car’s paint surface which should only be treated with professional guidance.
Most of the car owners in India suffer from the bad habit of daily car wash guy who cleans 4-5 cars with same soiled water and cloth. Daily washing done in an improper way do more harm than good. It’s the major reason for occurrence of swirl marks on the paint surface of your car.
The effect of ultraviolet rays and heat on a car’s interior can quickly destroy the car’s interior quality and inflict irreversible damage. The heat constantly beating the exterior of the car is actually less than the inside of the vehicle. The reason for this is after the heat enters the vehicle it sometimes cannot escape so it just builds resulting in a greenhouse effect (a 90 degree day can cause temps inside your car to exceed 120) causing your dash and upholstery – whether leather or cloth – to fade, dry out and crack. Over time, the heat and sunlight will also dry out the natural oils in the leather, causing it to dry, stiffen and crack. The coatings on the buttons, consoles and other plastic parts of the interior are used to peel off or turns into a sticky, gooey mess if exposed to a direct sunlight for long period of time.
Constant, direct sun exposure can damage your vehicle’s clear coat and make it fade, crack or peel. Darker paint colour, like black, red, or blue, are particularly susceptible to damage from the sun. Plastic Rubber parts on your car’s exterior, like bumpers, fenders, mirror covers and luggage racks are equally vulnerable and fade over time when exposed to direct sunlight over prolonged period.
High Temperatures minimizes the effects of waxes and sealants on your car’s paint surface and decreases their longevity. It can degrade by the UV rays, and those degradation products may then evaporate.
A lot of places in India have problem of hard water availability for domestic use. Hard water has a high mineral content. When we wash our car (in sun) the water dries quickly leaving the mineral content behind. When the minerals harden and deposits on the beadings, badges, grills and other hard to reach areas of the car, the lingering stains are referred to as ‘hard water scaling’.
Identical to the above problem the hard water residue on the glasses and sunroof of your cars causes ‘hard water spots’ which are the most difficult to repair.
Use of car covers is a double-edged sword, as they are both protective and possibly damaging. A loose cover cause scratches in the wind by flapping against the paint surface. Also the dirt trapped between the paint the cover can also cause severe scratches beyond repair.
There are numerous body shops located all over India, which operate on the roadsides or in an unorganized dusty environment. Getting the panels of your cars painted by such workshops guarantees 100% paint defects on your car’s paint surface. The most common paint defects caused by these unprofessional painters are: Colour Mismatch, Pin Holes, Excessive Orange Peel, Paint Runs, Sanding Marks, Dirt and Dust in the Clear Base coat etc. Many of these defects are beyond repair and are major flaw in the final presentation/appearance of your dear car.
The so called ‘dry clean’ or ‘Teflon coating’ process done at your doorsteps are performed by untrained amateur technicians which damages the exterior and interior finish of your car. They use sub-standard ‘buffing polishes’ which are highly abrasive deteriorates the clear coat and edges of panels of your car beyond repair. They use solvents detergents for interior cleaning which are hazardous for most of the components of your car’s interior.
Bird Droppings Bugs Splatter are acidic in nature. If they are left for long period of time and exposed to sunlight, they can permanently damage the paint surface of your car.
‘Tar Marks’ are the black spots that stick to the paint surface of your car especially when driving through a freshly made road. They are clearly visible on the light coloured cars.
When you park your car under a large tree, next day you may find a spattering of a sticky substance coating the car. ‘Tree Sap’ is a sticky deposit produced by trees that hardens into a crusted mess wherever it lands. It can damage paintwork and, if left long enough, cause changes in paint pigment and is very difficult to remove from the car.
Most people in India are unaware about the concept of professional car detailing. They neglect the problems caused by above mentioned factors. As a result they are not able to maintain their cars in a prime condition. The extreme heat, pollution and dirt continually damage the pain surface of the cars. The bonded contaminants which stick to the paint surface cannot be simply removed by washing the cars. With an awareness about these factors and getting their cars detailed professionally on regular basis, they can avoid many problems mentioned above and effectively maintain the appearance presentation of their cars over prolonged period of time.
