Tips to Restore Faded Paint On Your Car
Faded paint is one of the largest issues car owners face, but one that is often neglected. You don’t need to be an expert in car painting to get that car shining again. A quick trip to a Vancouver auto body shop, combined with these tips, and you’ll be ready to tackle faded paint yourself.
Vehicles manufactured after the 1980’s will have received a “two-stage” car painting, where manufacturers put a base coat of paint on, and then a clear coat on top. This car painting system is more durable than older methods, but will still fade over time. When you get your car new, chances are the paint will look great for a couple of years. What you may not be aware of is that the sun’s UV radiation is already doing damage. Other threats to the exterior paint are dirt, dust, and insects that buildup during use. As faded paint worsens over time, oxidation occurs and your car’s paint can start to get white blotches on it.
They say the best offense is a good defense, and its true with protecting against faded paint. Consider using a cover for your car, or parking indoors, while also washing regularly to stop buildup of contaminants.
Restoring Faded Paint
If your vehicle already has faded paint, here are some tips on getting that shine back.
Regular Car Washing
Keeping the car clean will go a long way in restoring faded paint. Grab a bottle of car shampoo and a micro fiber cloth from a Vancouver auto body shop to give it a thorough cleaning.
Removing Contaminants
After the first wash the car will probably appear to be clean, but you will need to look closer to see the surface contaminates still there. These contaminates could include tar, splattered insects, or airborne pollutants and may be hard to see. A good trick is to run your hand over the body of the vehicle using a plastic bag to increase your sensitivity to imperfections. Make sure to pick up a detailing clay and clay lubricant from an auto body shop. Following the instructions, apply to the areas where the contaminants are.
Paint Repair
Now look over the exterior carefully for any scratches in the cars paint. For any scratches in the clear coat you find, you should apply rubbing compound. For all other surface scratches and swirl marks you’ll see on the finish, you can get those out by applying some car polish. You should also consider using a rotary or dual-action polisher as these yield better results than polishing by hand. All of these products can be purchased from a Vancouver auto body shop.
Paint Sealant
After polishing, the paint should have a nice shine to it again. To keep it this way, you will want to apply a sealant that will keep the vehicle protected for months. Paint sealants are available at all Spotlite Collision auto body shops in Vancouver. For more information be sure to visit us in-store, or contact Spotlite Collision today!