Protect your Car from Fall

Summer is almost over, and that means shortly the leaves will start to change.  However, those beautiful orange and red leaves falling in the sky can be damaging to your car.  These beautiful leaves can cause mini scratches in your paint.  Make sure to protect your car from leaves and paint with these few tips.

Fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year in the United States as trees prepare for winter by shedding their leaves. Many people love the process of changing foliage, as leaves change vibrant colors and eventually fall gracefully to the ground. Although beautiful, these leaves can be a huge nuisance. After the spectacular process of color change, the leaves carpet the ground and become a huge mess for home and car owners to clean. They can clog gutters, make roads slippery, and leave behind sappy residue. In fact, if the leaves build up on your car, they can leave behind permanent leaf-shaped stains that will damage the exterior. Leaves are loaded with sap, pollen, and other acidic coatings that transfer on to the car when left for long periods of time. There are a few things you can do to prevent your car from being damaged by heaps of falling leaves.

First, you should prevent the leaves from landing on your car to begin with. One solution to this problem is to not park under trees, which may not be an option for most people. If leaves are on your car each morning, you can simply clean your car daily. Although, taking leaves off every day can be a bothersome, especially for those who don't have easy access to their car or the extra time. However, it is especially important to remove leaves before you drive. This can cause micro abrasions in the exterior and paint of your car. Also if you allow leaves fly off at high speed or you use your wipers to swish them away, this can be an incredibly dangerous hazard to you and other drivers once you start driving. Imagine a storm of orange and yellow leaves unexpectedly hitting the driver behind you.
If cleaning leaves off every morning is too much of a hassle, the best thing you can do to ensure protection is to cover it with a car cover. Not only will you be protecting your car from stains, but it'll be protected from scratches from the leaves as well. Car covers are a low-cost way to make sure your car stays clean and damage free from falling leaves. It will also give you the peace of mind that your car is safe and undamaged. Covering your car will protect it against factors such as rain, dust, wind, snow, ice, sun, and other environmental issues. With the rapid weather changes that occur during the Fall, and early morning frost being a factor, protecting your car this fall can increase the life of your paint and bodywork.

If you do find yourself with paint damage from falling leaves, there are a few things you can do to try to remove it. First, clean the area with hot water and soap, drying the area when done. Then, polish the area with a product appropriate for your car. Lastly, wax it with hot or cold wax to protect the finish of your paint. This process might not work, however, and leaf damage can be very costly if you have to bring it into a body shop to get it removed. A more preventative approach will help you in the long run.

For more information see Leaf Damage.