November 10, 2024
Just like your skin can burn from too much sun, so can the paint on your vehicle. It can turn dull, oxidize and fade the more ultraviolet rays beat down on it. One solution is to park in a shady spot, or you can buy a cover for your vehicle and put it on when you know it's going to be sitting in the sun for awhile. Yes, it takes a couple of minutes to put on, but in the end, keeping the gloss on your paint will help it retain its beauty… and its value.
And it's not just the sun that can damage your vehicle's paint. Grit, bird droppings, sap, dust and dead bugs can all ruin the paint. So, keep your vehicle clean. Wash it with a soap made especially for vehicles. Dry it with special towels that won't scratch your paint. Remember: DON'T WASH YOUR VEHICLE IN THE SUN. Once your vehicle is washed, protect the paint even further with a coat of wax. DON'T WAX YOUR VEHICLE IN THE SUN, EITHER.
Don't forget the vehicle's interior. Plastic components inside can literally disintegrate when sunshine heats them up. That's what causes that oily film on the inside of the windows. So, pick up some of those reflective panels that unfold, placing them in the windshield and back window when you know the sun and heat are going to be intense. They'll keep out the ultraviolet light and help the interior stay cooler as well. That will help prevent upholstery from fading and plastic from cracking.
While you're at it, keep your interior's interior clean, too. That dust and dirt can literally bake into the dashboard, the seats, console and carpeting. There are cleaning products designed to clean your vehicle's interior that won't stain it or dry it out.
You invested a lot of money into that vehicle. The sun and dirt are just waiting to destroy it. Defend your valuable vehicle against the elements. Hey, it may not wind up on display in a museum, but it'll look great and last longer with just a little TLC.
November 17, 2024
A driver called in to the shop the other day saying his European sports sedan had an odd problem. He was driving when his car started to slow down. Applying more throttle didn't help. He pulled over to the side of the road, shut the engine off and waited a few minutes before starting it up aga... More
November 3, 2024
There's nothing quite like getting in your vehicle on a hot day, switching on the air conditioning and having warm air blow out of the vents. You may have had no problem for months and then, one day, you are driving around in a sauna. You're hot stuff, but not in a good way! So what goes wrong w... More
October 27, 2024
Ever wonder what one of the best things is to ever happen to your vehicle's engine? It's the little thing that usually looks like a can, the oil filter. Just like your kitchen sink strainer filters out errant particles of food from clogging your drain, the oil filter cleans out small particles t... More