Category: Maintenance

When it comes to your car, one of the most common forms of damage (and thankfully one usually very reparable albeit at a cost), is to your paint job. Vehicle paint consists of various specialty formulae (they vary) and is applied through a very specialized set of processes that require professional training to wield properly.

Needless to say, over the over a century that vehicles have carried us about our hectic lives, there has been a lot of effort and science into creating durable paints that can stand up to the ravages of nature and damage afflicted by high-speed impacts with things like insects, debris and precipitation.

Unfortunately, no form of paint can be truly indestructible. Really, no form of anything can. You might be surprised at the things that can actually ruin your paint job. Some of them are things you’d think are temporary forms of “dirtiness” that merely require a loving wash to do away with. However, that is sadly not always the case.

In many instances, the longer these elements are present, the more damage they’re doing to your paint job, too. Knowing this, and the further danger to your vehicle’s longevity and resale value which can be brought about by compromised paint, it’s high time we look at five commonplace things that can cause serious damage to your paint.

Some of these may surprise you!

Tree Debris

On top of being a nuisance and a source of dirt, trees can do active damage to your paint job. Pollen usually only provides an annoying layer of crud to be washed off, but some breeds of this stuff can actually be abrasive, not unlike comet or some other granulated cleaning supply. This calls for caution and very gentle washing-away.

Furthermore, sap, which possesses sugars and organic acids, can eat away at your paint job as well. The acids are fairly obvious, eating at the enamel and base. The sugars can crystallize, resulting in the paint being pulled away when the sap is removed, or peeling as it expands and contracts from eating.

Acorns and other tree seeds/nuts can also act similarly to hail, causing dings or scratches that you really want to avoid. Avoid parking under trees, and keep your trees trimmed if at all possible.

Bird Droppings

Ah, the most infamous (and darkly-humorous) nemesis of a clean car – the bird dropping. Yes, we all know the woes of a freshly-washed car seeming to magnetically attract loaded avian nemeses. But, did you know that these droppings do more than just make your car dirty? Like tree sap, they contain acids, though these are quite a bit nastier than the ones coming from trees.

Originating in the digestive tracts of complex animals, these acids are designed to break pretty much anything down, and they will do precisely that to paint and metals alike. If a bird does what birds do, your aesthetic appreciation isn’t the only reason to wash it off immediately.

Bug Splatter

This one sits right next to bird droppings in the category of cliché problems for keeping cars clean, and is another “funny when it’s not you” situation. Bugs are usually a problem in the spring and summer and can be severe, depending on where you live.

Like bird droppings, bug splatter can actually cause damage to your paint job, due to organic acids being present. However, they can do more than this, because bugs are usually a high-energy impact. Anyone who’s had a bug hit their face on a motorcycle, or on an arm hanging from the window of a fast-moving vehicle can vouch for the fact it stings.

Most insects are actually fairly dense, rugged things that will also put dings or microscopic scratches into your paint, which will then be further exacerbated by that awful acidic organic soup.

Sunlight

Yes, even the sun is your car’s enemy. The sun doesn’t just put out warm light and heat. Considering that the sun, like all stars, is a massive, powerful nuclear reaction, spewing out intense radiation across the known spectrum. UV is one of the biggest offenders, and on top of causing sunburn and potentially cancer, UV can also fade and break down things like car paint.

To learn more about car paint care, and the forces stacked against you, fill out our contact form today.

Your car’s appearance is important to you, which is why you wash, wax and detail it on a regular basis. You apply touch-up paint to places where rocks may have caused scratches. Despite all your best efforts, you may have noticed some small areas where the paint seems to be peeling. Despite taking good care of your paint, other factors can lead to peeling paint on your car, a process known as delamination. If you don’t deal with the issue, your car could decrease in value.

Multiple Layers

Your vehicle has multiple layers on its surface. The first layer is primer which serves as a bases layer for the paint. It protects the metal and evens the surface so that paint adheres well. The next layer is the base coat. This consists of several layers which are applied carefully to give the car it’s unique coloring. Finally, a clear coat is added as a hard shell that keeps the car from rusting, a process known as oxidation, minor chips and scratches as well as to keep it protected from rain, snow, sleet, and other environmental issues.

Peeling Paint

When one or more of the layers stops binding to the surface below it, delamination can occur. If the primer stops adhering to the bare metal, the paint above it will begin to peel. This can lead to small circles of paint flaking from the surface of the car. There are two reasons why this could occur. If the factory made a mistake in the process or if a DIY paint job was not done correctly, there could be flaking. Chrysler, Ford and GM models manufactured in the late 1980s to mid-1990s experienced issues on the production line that led to premature paint delamination due to a problem in the factory. The second cause is a compromised paint seal due to a rock chip, ding or scratch. If the chip breaks through the paint seal, road salt and other contaminants can damage the paint.

Repairing Peeling Paint

The first thing is to determine the deepness of the peeled area. If the paint beneath the clear coat starts peeling badly, the problem is serious. You will want to address the affected area as quickly as possible. There is a possibility that the factory paint job was faulty. You will know this if the peeling is over the entire body. If the car was manufactured by GM, Chrysler or Ford in the early 1980s to mid-1990s, it may be a factory paint issue. The same is true if it was a DIY paint job. If either of these is the case, you will want to have the entire car repainted before the peeling gets significant.

If you have noticed peeling paint on your car, contact Elmer’s Auto Body today to schedule an appointment. You can do so by calling or filling out the easy form online.

When it comes to many common service industries on which we all reply, we tend to have blanket terms for handfuls of related types. “Construction” is a severe generalization, for example. The same can be said for “mechanic”, as people so very loosely use this to describe an independent mechanic shop or the team at their vehicle brand’s local dealership.

Well, they provide the same basic problem solving and services at the end of things. Your vehicle is repaired/inspected/maintained by trained professionals and specialized equipment. However, there are vast differences in the customer experience between these, and both have their strengths and weaknesses.

This results in an awkward scenario where there’s no one right answer. So, let’s take a look at both independent mechanics and dealerships. Some of these will be obvious, but others might just surprise you. At the end of this, hopefully, we’ll have guided you a bit in the direction of which choice works best for you.

Independent Mechanics

Independent mechanics are by their nature, smaller establishments. There are exceptions, as a couple of chains of large mechanic businesses exist in the United States, though their experience is a strange halfway between independent mechanics and dealerships.

Your typical legitimate independent mechanic will generally be calling the shots, having no company to answer to. This provides advantages in a lot of ways, which we’ll get to in a moment.
The biggest overall description of an independent mechanic is “down to earth”, or “personal”, compared to the consumer-optimized, commercial service dealerships offer. However, independent mechanics do have their disadvantages as well. So, let’s look at their strengths and weaknesses in a little more detail.

Pros

• Independent mechanics can have their better nature appealed to. This means it’s possible to haggle or find an honest mechanic who can actually give you a reasonable but still practical price.
• It’s a more personal interaction across the board. You talk directly to the people working on your vehicle, and you can ask questions, interject with important things about your car people wouldn’t necessarily know. You can be a little more involved, at least on the outset, with an independent mechanic.
• They will have very broad experience, working on many different vehicles, solving many different kinds of problems. This means that no matter what your vehicle is, within reason, they can probably work on it. This is contrary to dealerships, as we’ll see soon.

Cons

• They will often be busy with a lot of disparate problems, meaning it may take them a little bit longer than dealerships may be.
• They may have to order parts for your vehicle.
• They may not have equipment dealerships have access too.
• You can run into some hustlers if you’re not quick on your feet.

Dealerships

A dealership is a different beast altogether. Dealerships aren’t just about service and repairs – that’s actually a secondary function for them at best. They exist to sell vehicles, so most of their resources are dedicated to just that.

However, they do have a dedicated mechanic staff, which specializes in your brand of vehicle, which has its advantages. However, you’re unlikely to talk to the mechanics, an associate playing middle man. It’s very neatly packaged sterile consumer service.

Pros

• They almost certainly won’t have to order parts if your car is a common model in their brand.
• They tend to have the latest equipment, and the best expertise if your vehicle qualifies.
• They do provide a more comfortable space to conduct business and, if needed, wait. You’ll get a decent enough cup of coffee, a clean, well-lit place to wait with air conditioning.
• If you’ve got a lease and/or warranty, some repairs may not cost you anything.

Cons

• Prices are fixed at these places. They’re beholden to corporate.
• You can’t engage the mechanics.
• Associates are required to try to upsell you on something while you’re around.
• They specialize, and depending on your vehicle, that may just make them not an option.

To learn more, fill out our contact form today!