How Spring Can Damage your Car’s Paint

After a cold winter, many Pittsburgh residents are looking forward to the warmer temperatures and beautiful blooms that come with the spring season. Unfortunately, spring also brings with it several factors that can damage your car’s paint. At Three Rivers Auto Glass, we believe the only way to prevent paint damage is to know what to watch out for. Here is a list of five common enemies of the paint job on your car:

Car Paint Peeling OffBug Splatters

With the warmer weather, bugs are out swarming around, meaning flying bugs will be splattered on the front of your vehicle. The bug juices that leak onto your paint contain acid, which can quickly erode the paint. This damage can progress even faster when the bug splatters are baked on by the sun.

It is recommended that you clean ff the bug guts as soon as possible using a mixture of soap and water then rinsing it off. Once they start to stain, you may need to take your car to a professional to have them removed.

Bird Droppings

In addition to bugs, birds also become more active in the spring and will be bombarding your vehicle with their droppings. Bird droppings contain berry and seed residues that can easily discolor the paint on your car. The uric acid in the droppings can also eat through your clear coat finish. On top of that, the sun can bake the bird droppings into your car’s finish.

If bird droppings are left on the surface of the paint, it will leave unsightly stains that are difficult to remove. If you get bird droppings on your car, use a damp cloth to remove them as soon as possible.

Pavement Debris

In Pittsburgh, we tend to receive a decent amount of snow, causing the road plows and salt trucks to leave behind a variety of loose debris on the pavement come springtime. This debris gets picked by car tires and is thrown into your hood and bumper, causing chips in the paint. These chips can lead to paint flaking and even corrosion.

To prevent flaking paint or corrosion, be sure to promptly touch up any rock chips that appear with the matching paint from your dealership. Before touching up the paint, make sure you thoroughly clean the old wax and dirt from the surface, so the paint sticks to the metal. If you have several chips to repair, but the end result looks tacky, you can take your vehicle to a professional auto body shop for a “flatting and polishing” for a smoother finish.

Pollen

Spring is time for pollen and allergies. Not only does pollen aggravate people’s allergies, but it can also scratch your car’s paint. Pollen particles are abrasive and are also tiny enough to get into the small pores on your paint’s finish, releasing acid.

If you get enough pollen in your finish releasing acid, it can cause irreversible staining, oxidation, and fading to the paint. If your car is covered in pollen, be sure to wash the car thoroughly to prevent the acid from activating.

Tree Sap

When spring arrives, trees start to awaken and will leak sap. This sticky substance can get baked onto your car’s paint by the sun’s rays. This causes the sap to crystalize on the paint’s surface, leaving ugly rough patches behind. Due to its chemical makeup, tree sap can’t be easily removed by just washing the area. If you get sap on your car, spray rubbing alcohol on the sap, and then wipe it off using a soft cloth.

Paint Protection to Prevent Spring Season Damage

If you are looking for a great way to protect your paint from all these damaging factors, you should consider paint protection. Paint protection is a method that uses a sealant to seal the paint on your car and protect the paint from chips and scratches with a plastic seal. The paint protection film does not affect the finish of your vehicle, providing an invisible layer of defense.
Applying paint protection to your vehicle requires the right equipment and knowledge to ensure it is done right. For the most effective protection, be sure to go to a professional for this service.

Three Rivers Auto Glass is your best choice for paint protection in Pittsburgh. Contact us today to get your car ready for spring!

Denny Toth
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