Auto owners like you take pride in their cars. Regardless of whether you bought a new car from the showroom or bought your car used, you want to keep your vehicle looking like new for a long time. Unfortunately, modern life is the enemy of a great-looking car. Tar and stones from roadways can wreak havoc on beautiful finishes. Other drivers can carelessly dent your car in parking lots and refuse to accept responsibility for the damage. Debris flying out of trucks, birds, and other problems add to the long list of threats to your car. Rather than accepting dings, scrapes and grime on your car as a fact of life, follow these five steps from our team at BMW of Freehold to keep the exterior of your car looking fabulous.
1. Get covered
Rain, snow, and sunshine can all adversely affect the exterior of your car. You can do little about the weather while driving your car, but when you get home, you can cover your car to protect its beautiful finish. Although garages offer the best protection against outside forces for your car, you might find out that you can get similar results by using a car port or a portable garage. A portable garage is a flexible cover that you can put over your vehicle to protect its exterior while not in use.
2. Paint Protection Film
Special products exist that help protect the finish of your car at all times, even while you drive. Paint protection film creates a layer of protection between the exterior surfaces of your car and the environment, so your car can withstand an array of road hazards. This type of product eliminates expensive trips to your dealer’s body shop for touchup work and preserves the resale value of your car. Ask your dealer what recommended paint protection products will work best for your model.
3. Wash Your Car
Although a carwash can put the exterior of your car in jeopardy, it can help prevent harmful grime build up. If you care a lot for your car, you will give it a loving hand-wash and wax periodically to keep its finish looking great. While you wash, you can look for new scrapes and dents that either you or your dealer can quickly repair before they become ugly and embarrassing.
4. Cautious Parking
Parking lots pose some of the most severe threats to auto exteriors. Regardless of how carefully you park, someone else will come along and park too close to your car, giving your car a free dent. Although often minor, parking-lot damage can cost a lot to repair. Motorists these days live with the fear that a claim will cause their insurance premiums to rise, so they might not take responsibility for denting or scraping your car. It’s time to take parking into your own hands. You can try taking up two spots when you park, making it impossible for other car doors to reach your vehicle. Also, you can park far away from other cars where most people will never park. The long walk will give you valuable health benefits, and the remote parking spot can help prevent damage to your car.
5. Common Sense
Your best defense against scrapes, dents, and grime might reside under your own hat. Common sense should tell you to avoid roads while they undergo paving line-painting work. Avoid attempting to enter narrow alleys and resist the temptation to drive up to your mailbox when you get home at the end of the day. Never drive your car near trees and bushes. Always avoid dirt or gravel roads. Also, keep your garage and carport clear of tools and other objects that can easily fall and damage your car.
