Bird Bombs and Kids: 5 Tips to Maintain your Car’s Paintwork
This is a true story. An Auckland, Hibiscus Coast dad was washing his car one Sunday afternoon (pre-water restrictions) when his five-year-old daughter came out to ‘help’. The little girl immediately set to work on the other side of the car from where dad was working. He was understandably charmed by her enthusiasm.
About five minutes later dad decided to take a look to see how she was going. Walking around the side of the car, he at first thought he was imagining things but seconds later he discovered that no, it wasn’t his imagination – his five-year-old sweetie pie was indeed using a pot scourer.
Sweetie pie survived the experience – she’s now nineteen – but the car’s paintwork did not.
Keeping your car’s paintwork pristine is important. It means you’re likely to feel better about driving it and you’re also likely to keep the vehicle longer, which is good for the environment. But, apart from keeping sweetie pie and her pot scourer away from the vehicle, how else do you keep your paintwork looking mint?
HCPB’s Paintwork Tips
Tip 1
Don’t let bird droppings linger: Spring and summer mean more birds, singing, flapping and pooping on your car. Don’t leave it until your next car wash because bird droppings contain uric acid which is highly corrosive.
Clean as soon as possible using a soft cloth or sponge. Avoid scrubbing or rubbing, because bird droppings also contain sand and stone fragments. Instead try to lift the poop off the cars paint by dabbing at it.
Tip 2
Paintwork is allergic to pollen: If you live North of the Auckland Harbour Bridge, you may sometimes notice that your car’s paintwork seems to have a light green or yellow powder dusting… It’s called pollen and it is highly acidic. It can be a pain if it happens often, and it does, but that’s no reason to put off a quick clean.
Pollen can lead to early staining and oxidation of the paint. If anything, rain will make the problem worse because it activates the acidity in the pollen.
Tip 3
Summer bugs lose the shine: At least birds sing. Bugs, however, only splat – across your windscreen, your bumpers and your paintwork. Insects are also very acidic and the fact that their remains dry after exploding on your car makes bug splatter tough to clean.
Clean the bug remains as soon as possible, even if you only have time to spot clean. There are a number of products on the market designed precisely for spot cleaning dead insects and bird droppings.
Tip 4
Keep it out of the sun: The summer sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays will oxidise and fade your car’s paint. Park in the shade whenever possible and avoid leaving your car in the sun for extended periods of time.
Tip 5
Wash your car regularly, and wax: Washing your car regularly (and waxing as often as practical) is the best protection you can give your car.
Auckland’s water restrictions obviously make this difficult under the circumstances, but a couple of buckets of recycled bath or shower water, and a wet microfibre cloth, will help you stay on top of the problem.
Washing and waxing your vehicle regularly will help mitigate the damage from things like bird bombs, sunlight, pollen and insect splatter, as well as giving you that feel good factor that comes from having a car that just looks clean and tidy.
Making your car feel and look brand new can give you a whole new lease on life. For more information on how to revisit the pleasure of climbing into a car that both looks and feels good, get in touch with us to see how you can make it happen.