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How to Maintain your Car's Paint Job

In this economy, people are trading in their SUVs for smaller, more fuel efficient cars, and keeping their paid-for cars longer. Even fresh paint jobs are becoming less common – people simply aren't willing to spend the money. How then do we deal with those annoying scratches that inevitably appear? Savvy car owners who want to save money use a three-fold plan of protection, prevention, and patching.

Here's how:

Protection:
When it comes to your car, cleanliness may not be next to Godliness, but it does help minimize damage to the paint job. Regular visits to the car wash, or hand washing it yourself if the weather is good, removes bird droppings and dead bugs as well as every-day dirt, all of which can cause scratches in the paint. If you opt for washing your own car, be sure to use soap designed for automobiles, as dish detergent and the like can strip the wax, and use a chamois to prevent scratches from harsh fibers.

A good coat of wax will help make your just-washed car gleam like new, as well as adding a layer of protection from more scratches.

Prevention:
Did you know garages were meant for more than storing boxes? Keeping your car parked inside your garage protects your vehicle from damage caused by sun, salt, tar, mud, dust and gravel, all of which can cause visible wear and tear, which down the line may lead to higher car insurance quotes. If a garage isn't available to you, consider parking your car in the shade, rather than in the sun, or buying a tonneau cover for it.

Patching:
Even with protection and prevention, your car will still get the occasional scratch or chip in its paint job, but the good news is that you can patch most such damage yourself, without spending a fortune, and you have three different ways to do it:

• Old School Paint: If you know the paint code for your car, you can obtain traditional paint from a quality supplier. You'll still have to go through the process of prepping, sanding, applying base coat, and waiting for the paint to dry before actually painting however.

• Detailing Clay: Rubbing this on your car's surface will fill in scratches. Colors are not always exact, but are usually close enough.

• Paint Pens: A company called AutoVisuals makes paint pens that are still matched to the paint code for your car, but are much easier to handle than regular old-style paint, and designed for scratch repair as opposed to painting large areas. Unlike clay, the color match will be exact. Paint pens are also less expensive than old-school paint, as well as being far less messy.

You and your car are going to be together at least until the loan is paid off, and possibly longer. By protecting your car from the elements, preventing scratches by keeping it clean, and patching any scratches with paint pens or something else as soon as you see them, it will continue to look new for years.