Vital tips for Auto Body Maintenance

Wash the Car Regularly

Washing the car at least once a month removes dirt, salt, dust, bird droppings and bugs that leave permanent stains and cause rust and corrosion over time.  Dirt holds moisture which causes damage to the paint job.  When a car is clean moisture dries quickly.  Pressure washing your car removes the dirt from difficult to reach areas like behind moldings, under the bumper and inside the wheel wells.  Take care not to hold the pressure wash jet too close or too long in one area.

Pressure washing the under-body is particularly helpful during and after the winter season to remove salt build-up which is very corrosive to your vehicle.  Pay extra attention to the windshield to remove debris caught by the wiper blades which can scratch the glass when wipers are operating.

Wax the Car

Waxing your car regularly maintains a shiny look and helps to shield the paint from the hot sun and harsh environment.  A good quality car wax will protect the car for three to four months.  Don’t be fooled by products that claim to last longer; a car should be waxed 3 to 4 times a year to protect and maintain the quality of the paint.

Undercoating and Rust Proofing

If you live in an area where the climate is very humid or where salt is used on the roads in the wintertime, undercoating and rust-proofing helps prevent rust and corrosion.  This is not only important maintenance for the paint, but for other areas like the brake system and steering parts that we can take for granted.  Excessive rust can cause deterioration of brake parts causing brake lines to burst.  Undercoating and rust-proofing prolongs the life of all the different steering parts as well including tie-rods, ball joints, control arm bushings, etc…

Repairing Stone Chips, Small Dents and Scratches

Stone chips and scratches can cause corrosion if they are not repaired quickly.  You can order touch-up paint from the dealership to fill in small scratches and stone chips.

Some abrasions will require ultra-fine, waterproof sandpaper, polishing compound containing a mild abrasive and a good car wax.  Being careful to avoid damage to the clear coat, gently sand the marks with wet sandpaper until they are gone.  Use the polishing compound to restore the shine then buff the area with car wax.

Minor scratches can be removed the same way.  First, use the polishing compound; be sure to choose the one with the finest abrasive.  Using a circular motion, buff the area until the scratch disappears.  Now, apply a think coat of liquid wax onto the area; allow it to haze, then buff with a soft towel.

Professional Auto-Paint Restoration

No matter how hard you work at it, you may not be completely satisfied with the results you get when you attempt to repair scratches or abrasion on your vehicle, but whatever you do will be better than neglecting the damage and allowing it to get worse.  Eventually, you will want to have a professional paint restoration job done at the body shop…or will you?

A Better Option

What if you could have the body shop come to you and fix your car right in your driveway or in the parking lot of your work place?  How convenient would that be?  New trends in the auto body collision repair business include a mobile auto body shop that completes these repairs in just a few hours.  Gone are the days of having to leave your car at the body shop for a few days just for minor repairs.

Mark Orchard, owner of Collision on Wheels in Central Florida, provides a convenient alternative to traditional body shops.  CW provides professional minor collision repair, scratch and dent repair and auto painting with computer color matching to restore your vehicle to like new condition.  Most repairs are completed in a day or less, saving you time and money.  Visit http://www.collisiononwheelsorlando.com to learn more.