Though it is built to endure decades of punishment, a vehicle’s paintwork is surprisingly fragile and if not cared for could eventually cause potentially dangerous damage to your vehicle. If you don’t properly care for a cars paintwork it can be the most costly and timely part of your car to repair. This is especially true if your car goes beyond dirty and starts to rust; this is potentially dangerous and again will cost a small fortune to fix. Caring for your cars paintwork is a small price to pay if you intend to sell your vehicle for as much as possible in the future.
Keep it clean
Keeping your car clean is a must if you want the paintwork to last. Dirt and grime will over time get into the paintwork and begin to deteriorate it. We appreciate that most people don’t have the time or want to spend a day detailing their car so at the very least try and keep the dirt off it by washing it regularly.
For those of us who do take a bit more pride, be careful of what you use to wash your car. If you want to keep the paint in top notch condition use a proper car shampoo and a jet wash if possible. Make sure that between getting the car wet, shampooing it and rinsing it that you do not use the same dirty water as you will just put the dirt straight back on.
Make sure you also dry your car properly. If you don’t the tiny mineral deposits left by the water spots will again, over time, help to degrade your paintwork. Make sure when drying you use a lint free cloth to avoid scratching the paintwork.
Protect it
If you really want your car to make it through all seasons then make sure you wax it, or better still put a paint sealant on it. This will stop the dirt sticking to it and actually make your car easier to wash. You don’t need to wax it every time you wash it, but 3 or 4 times a year should be enough to keep it in relatively good condition.
Stone chips
Lastly are the dreaded stone chips. They are an unfortunate fact of life and almost impossible to avoid. If you do get stone chips then keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t turn into rust, if they do get them professionally filled, often known as ‘SMART’ repairs. If you really don’t want any stone chips you can apply invisible vinyl wraps to your car, but these come at a hefty price and can affect the textured look and feel of your car.
The Figaro Shop are Nissan Figaro specialists. As well as refurbishments, they also supply Nissan Figaro Parts.
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