Guest Blog: Damage Sun Can Cause Your Car

Not everyone has the option to park their car inside a garage or even under a carport and so protecting a vehicle from the damage the sun can do to your car becomes quite important for anyone who is interested in retaining the shine and newness of their vehicle's exterior. A car left out in the sun for a few years where the owner doesn't take specific steps to keep that vehicle protected will often look faded and old far too soon. Additionally, significant time spent out in the sun can create cracks in the paint and allow the surface to peel away and disintegrate over time, which can start to cause other issues such the growth of rust and even cracks emanating from the weaker points of the car's exterior.

The Damage the Sun Can Do to Your Car

One of the least attractive types of sun damage on a vehicle is an area of the car that is starkly different in color due to an intense level of sun damage. Often a car that has been sitting in the sun for years will have a huge faded spot on the roof or hood and this is generally something that can make the car look exceptionally old and tired. Sometimes these faded patches can be repaired if the sun damage hasn't been going on for too long, but often the only way to repair such damage is through an entirely new coat of paint. Sun damage can also create problems with the protective clear coat that is applied to the surface of the car and the resulting bubbling or cracking of the clear coat can represent a huge hassle for a vehicle owner.

How to Protect Your Vehicle

Methods that are available to protect a car from the sun where a garage or covered enclosure isn’t otherwise available include the use of a cloth cover or the use of a high quality wax on the surface of the vehicle to provide a barrier between the car's paint and the rays of the sun. Many waxes will have something called a "UV stabilizer" within the mixture to reduce sun damage. It's also recommended that a car that is kept in a sunny area is washed on a regular basis to prevent interaction of the sun and any dirt buildup upon the vehicle's surface which might accelerate the appearance of aging. For vehicle owners who are particularly intent on keeping their car safe from the sun, there are also specific types of paint that can be applied to the vehicle that are more resistant to sun damage.