Category: Maintenance

You cringe when you look at your hood, roof, trunk lid and all the other vulnerable spots on your vehicle that have taken a brutal beating from the sun. You see the cracks, buckling, paint chips and flakes that fly away in the wind only to make your vehicle appear more ready for the junkyard than your driveway. You know constant exposure to the sun can damage the paint on your car, but how do you protect it from repeated exposure? You also want to know why it happens and what to do about it. Here are some reasons sun exposure ruins the paint on your car and some ways you can combat it.

 

What Sun Exposure Does to a Vehicle

Car paint damage happens because of ultraviolet or UV rays that penetrate the paint on a vehicle’s surface. Years of exposure to this invisible and powerful form of sunlight speeds up a strong infusion of energy that produces heat, and a breakdown of molecular bonds in paint that results in oxidation. The longer exposure to the ultraviolet rays occurs, the more chances that the paint on a vehicle reflects less and less light and becomes duller and duller. The transference of light diminishes outwardly, which means less noticeable paint color on a vehicle.

 

Ways to Protect your Car Paint

There are preventatives in decreasing the sun damage to your car while protecting it at the same time. Here are some suggestions.

1. Keep your vehicle in a covered space such as a garage, carport, portable carport, a large shade tree or other areas away from the sun. Besides keeping your vehicle undercover, look for parking areas that provide shelter when you are working or just out and about. Anytime your vehicle is away from the penetrating rays of the sun, you can protect the paint, headlights, rubberized trim and other areas of your vehicle that readily absorb heat.
2. Wash your vehicle as often as possible in a shaded spot. Rinse your vehicle first and then use a cotton cloth and a mild automotive cleanser that removes dirt, grease, and other debris. If there is an accumulation of mud or bird droppings, try using an automotive clay bar to gently remove the stains without harming the paint. Once you have removed the stains, thoroughly rinse your car to clear any remaining residue.
3. Hand dry the exterior of your vehicle with a soft cotton cloth after washing it or after a rainstorm. Hand drying helps prevent the accumulation of any chemicals or other substances found in water that can cause a chemical reaction when exposure when exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun.
4. Wax your vehicle with a quality product after washing and hand drying it. Waxing prevents ultraviolet damage to the paint on your car, plus it deters dirt, grit and environmental pollutants from sticking to your car. Also, waxing is a good way to hinder pitting.
5. Apply a paint protection film to your vehicle. There are now many coatings or film kits that cover the exterior of a vehicle and protect its paint while allowing the color of a vehicle to show through. They are available in both spray and protective film, which you can apply yourself or you can go through a professional film specialist.  You can cover an entire vehicle and the headlights that can show wear, pitting and yellowing over time through exposure to ultraviolet rays.
6. Use a car cover to protect your vehicle’s paint from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. If you have no other way to protect your vehicle, a car cover can be a quick and handy way to protect your car without having to find enclosed parking. Car covers today easily fit most car models. They are durable, weatherproof, windproof, dustproof, biodegradable and made to endure the elements.  There are even disposable plastic car covers that you can use in a pinch to dodge the rain, other weather, and messy street situations.

Protecting your car’s paint from the sun is important. There are several ways to protect your paint job and following the information here is a good start but if you need further help in protecting it, fill out the online contact form and an expert will get back to you with the advice you need to protect your vehicle from the damaging rays of the sun.

According to most insurance companies in New Jersey and throughout the US, damaged windshields rank the highest among reported insurance claims in the industry. It doesn’t matter how good your driving record is or how safe you drive, windshield damage can happen when you least expect it. Most drivers on the road today at one time or another have experienced an airborne rock that hits their windshield from another passing vehicle that causes damage.

If your windshield becomes damaged, there’s a good chance that you will need to either have it repaired or replaced with a certified windshield installer in New Jersey before too long. Please continue reading to learn when to repair or replace damaged windshields.

 

Damaged Windshield Factors

Windshield chips are not created equal; therefore, the size and shape of a chip can determine if the damage is repairable or not. If the chip is beyond repair, a windshield replacement is your only option.

The location of a chip can also be a leading factor when it comes to either a quick repair or replacement if the damage extends beyond the outer perimeter of the windshield. Windshield replacement may also be necessary if the crack is obstructing the driver’s view or causes a crack that spreads across the windshield.

 

6 Types of Windshield Damage

Knowing the six different types of windshield damage can help you determine the severity of the damage and just how soon you should contact a New Jersey repair specialist. Failure to repair or replace a damaged windshield can obstruct your view, cause an accident or get you pulled over by the police.

1. Surface Pit: Chips in the glass are known as surface pits and are generally small in nature. They don’t cause significant damage to your windshield and surface pits bigger than 1/8th of an inch can be repaired.
2. Crack: A crack typically starts out small and gradually expands or instantly forms when an object impacts it. They extend horizontally across the windshield and can be repaired as long as they’re not in the driver’s view or smaller than 14 inches.
3. Bullseye: A bullseye forms a dark circle at the sight of impact with a cone-shape around the outer layer. A bullseye in your windshield can be fixed as long as the diameter is less than one inch, not in the driver’s view, and doesn’t contain any debris or dirt.
4. Star Break: A star break can oftentimes look like a star or spider web. Many cracks form in several different directions from the site of impact with a star break. A star break can be repaired if it’s less than three inches in diameter.
5. Half Moon: Half moons are half the size of a bullseye, and they can be repaired as long as the damage is less than one inch in diameter.
6. Combination: A combination will include several of the elements listed above and look like an impact from a baseball. Combination windshield damage can be repaired if the damage is less than two inches in diameter.

 

Finding a Good Windshield Repair Company in New Jersey

With standard rates for windshield replacements ranging between $200 to $1,000, it’s important to hire a company that installs high-quality auto glass and guarantees their work. A trustworthy business will have a strong community presence with a solid reputation for quality installations and customer service. Most professionals will have have a website that explains more of their services and provides contact and additional information.

Hiring a business that is certified as an auto glass technician is a good way to ensure that you’re getting the best in industry and safety standards. If you live in the greater Medford area and have a damaged windshield? Please fill out the contact form to be put in touch with a certified technician for immediate repair or replacement windshield services in South Jersey.

We’ve all experienced the dreaded “scratches.” You come out from your work, the grocery store or the local mall and make your way to your parking spot only to discover that your vehicle has experienced scratch damage.

 

All the Usual Places

You can usually find scratches on the driver’s side of a vehicle or on the passenger side as well as other larger areas of a vehicle. Discovering any major scratch, especially on a newer vehicle, can be exasperating, maddening and nerve-racking. Once it happens, you wonder how you’re going to fix it all, and at what cost. So, how do you deal with any significant scratch or scratches? Here are some answers.

 

Dealing with Car Scratches

In relation to car insurance coverage, scratches are dealt with differently. There are factors that determine exactly what kind of coverage is necessary for the repair of various kinds or types of damage that are due to scratches. In addition, certain types of coverage govern whether a scratch or scratches can be repaired at all.

 

Scratch Category

The actual cause of a scratch or scratches will dictate whether your insurance is going to reimburse you for the damages. If you don’t carry the right type of coverage, your scratches may remain scratches, unless you fit the bill for the expense. Filing a claim will depend on the category of scratch and how it happened.

 

Insurance Breakdown

In order for a scratch or scratches to go through the repair process, certain kinds of insurance coverage are necessary. One insurance coverage, comprehensive, is part of that coverage. Though it is an optional coverage, it does safeguard a vehicle in the event that scratches occur in certain situations.

 

Scratches Covered by Comprehensive Insurance

To begin with, comprehensive insurance covers damage that is not within a driver’s control such as fire, natural disasters, vandalism, theft, windshield damage and other calamities. Coverage is necessary if you want to protect your vehicle against scratches and receive reimbursement for the repair costs.

 

Scratches that happen within the bounds of comprehensive coverage include:

• a runaway shopping cart that is driven by the wind, collides with a vehicle and causes a scratch or scratches
• defacement by a criminal deliberately scratching a vehicle with a car key or other device
• a falling object, like a tree branch, that falls on a vehicle and causes scratches

 

There will likely be a deductible with comprehensive coverage which means paying that before insurance will take effect and payment made for any repairs. If a scratch or scratches occur because of deliberate defacement or vandalism, making a police report is the first step in the process. Filing an insurance claim is the next step but only if the policy includes comprehensive coverage on the vehicle. A deductible is taken and any remaining repair costs are covered by the insurance policy.

 

Scratches Covered by Collision

When it comes to collision insurance and dealing with scratches, this type of coverage applies to a vehicle that hits an object and the damage results in a scratch or scratches. Many times scratches are hard to avoid particularly when the circumstances are such that there is not enough maneuvering room to get out of a tight situation. There will be a deductible to fulfill with collision insurance. Damage from a scratch will fall under that deductible rule unless another person (other than the driver) was the cause of the damage.

 

Scratches that happen within the bounds of collision coverage include:

• Scratches that happen in a car wash
• Scratches caused by sideswipes involving another vehicle
• Scratches from barely rubbing or scraping against a stationary object (light pole or mailbox)
• Scratches from a car door that hits your parked car
• Scratches that occur during driving because of tree branches

 

Anonymous Scratches

It’s hard to know what to do when there are no clues as to how your vehicle was scratched. A claim can still be filed and the circumstances discussed with an insurance claims adjuster. A good claims adjuster will be able to assess the damage and pretty much determine how the scratch or scratches occurred. More serious scratches are usually caused through a collision but it will be up to an adjuster to determine that.

 

Do-it-Yourself Repair

If you’re up to repairing your own vehicle scratches, there are numerous sources of information on and offline with detailed repair tips. So, if an insurance claim is hard to determine, the DIY route for repair may be the way to go.

Scratch damage varies as well as the costs to repair them. Once you have a valid insurance claim or simply need to repair scratches quickly and aren’t covered by insurance, it’s best to get a few estimates as to the cost of repairs. If you’re unsure as to what to do about those nasty scratches, complete the online contact form and an expert will get back to you with the answers you need to make a decision.

There is nothing quite as exasperating as a newfound ding or a dent on a vehicle, especially if you discover it on your newer car or truck that you have babied along and kept in pristine shape since you bought it.

Parking Perils

Maybe your vehicle has never been exposed to the perils of a parking lot, driveway, parking garage or anywhere else where close contact with another vehicle is bound to happen. Unfortunately, that day will likely come along when you discover that your vehicle is vulnerable to just about any kind of ding or dent. Walking out to your vehicle and witnessing its first ding or dent is a hard thing to accept. Lo and behold you discover a ding or dent you thought would never happen. You try to recover from the shock of how the whole thing could have happened, but you pull yourself together and admit that the problem is up to you to resolve. Just how are you going to return your prized possession to its old, new self?

Difference Between a Ding and a Dent

Car body damage can go from small scratches to a state of total disrepair and those unsightly dings and dents are somewhere in between, but they still are unappealing and can be damaging to a vehicle. So what is a ding as opposed to a dent?

Ding

A ding is usually about a half inch in diameter. A ding won’t damage a vehicle’s paint or leave a bare area where rust can form. Dings usually occur in parking lots and causes are due to runaway shopping carts, rocks or opened car doors. Hail showers or storms can also cause dings. Damage from hail can be extensive and repair costs costly, but there are newer paintless repair processes that can help with ding removal.

Dent

A dent is larger (over half an inch wide) than a ding and covers a more extensive area of a vehicle. Paint damage occurs with a dent as well as underlying damage that can result in rust formation on the frame. The same factors that govern a ding can also affect a dent, but a collision with another car or object is another leading cause of dents. Even a slight impact with another bumper can create a dent that is critical enough to require repair. Dents are more difficult to repair, and damage can lie beneath an indentation in the metal of a vehicle. Rust damage is enabled because of bare metal exposure that happens when a dent is exposed to moisture and the elements. With the larger area of exposure that a dent causes, damage can involve substantial metal work as well as repainting and panel replacement.

Major Differences

The major difference between a ding and a dent has to do with size and whether the paint is damaged as well as the amount of labor and expense required to repair any damage.

Repairs

Small ding repair doesn’t appear to be a top priority with vehicle owners and oftentimes dents are treated with the same lack of urgency. The absence of concern is often linked to the fact that dings and dents are cosmetic issues rather than mechanical. Though the thought of cosmetic repairs, any damage, large or small, should be attended to, particularly if a vehicle owner is leasing a car, planning on selling it or using it as a trade-in for another vehicle. A leasing company will likely charge for any wear and tear on a leased vehicle, and car dealerships may limit trade-in value on a vehicle that has dings. So, there are financial implications when there is no follow-through on dings and dents.

Financial Loss

When ignoring dings and dents is connected to major financial loss, vehicle owners should make it a point to deal with dings and dents and a repair process.

Proper Repair Process

With the possibility of major financial loss due to ignoring ding and dent damage, it’s in the best interest of any vehicle owner to look at the repair process. Currently, the best repair procedures involve what is called paintless dent repair. This involves the use of slow pressure on the ding or dent. With this process, no damage occurs to the original paint job. This procedure is less costly than other methods used to remove dents and dings.

Now that you know the difference between a ding and a dent, you might want to take into consideration what repairing either one can do to the value of your vehicle as well as any mechanical and safety factors that may come into play with a more involved ding or dent. If you are concerned about any dings or dents on your vehicle and need some quick answers as to the repair process and the costs involved, complete the online contact form and a repair specialist will get back to you with the answers you need to determine what can be done to resolve the ding or dent issues plaguing your vehicle.