How Ceramic Coating Can Protect Your Vehicle in the Fall

The fall season in Fairfax and other parts of Northern Virginia brings cooler temperatures, Friday Night Lights, and hikes to see the beautiful fall foliage. These same beautifully hued leaves, left unattended, can leave ugly damage to your car.

At Automotive Protection Services, we help you protect your vehicles by providing a wide range of ceramic coating, paint protection film, and other protective services to clients in Fairfax and the DMV.

Headaches Associated with Fall’s Seasonal Changes

Trees. Wind. Water. On their own, they are relatively harmless.  Combined they can cause disasters large and small (think hurricanes…think lawns covered with freshly dropped leaves).

When mixed with water from rain, snow, and morning dew, leaves can cause lasting damage to the exterior of your car.

Here’s what happens…

During warmer months water, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and sugar get created in the leaves of the trees when they absorb sunlight. In the fall the vessels that channel water and sugars shut down and the leaves drop.

The fallen leaves secrete a wax-like acidic substance. Water helps the fallen leaves stick to your vehicle’s paint…leaving an impression of the leaf behind. The longer the leaves stay on your vehicle the more damage the acids do. Ultimately your car’s exterior will experience pitting, corrosion, and rusting.

Protecting Your Vehicle from Fall’s Seasonal Changes

Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to protect your vehicle from the effects of fallen leaves. Here are a few of the most effective:

Remove leaves quickly: The organic compounds in the fallen leaves will start to eat away at your clear coat quickly. Use a blower or hose to remove the leaves as quickly as you can. If the leaves leave behind residual etching lines, grab a bucket and wash them out.

Wash your car: A weekly wash to remove tree sap, resin, pollen, and other organic compounds is a must.  A full car detailing is an even better option as it will not only remove the dirt and grime but will also remove any micro-scratches and etching lines left by the leaves.

Professional car detailing of the interior will remove the ground-up leaves and dirt from the carpets prior to a deep shampooing (of all fabric), and thoroughly clean the hard surfaces and hard-to-reach areas.

Protect your car’s paint: The best defense is a strong offense. If you are unable to avoid parking near or under trees, then you need to protect your vehicle from inevitable damage. Adding a paint protection like ceramic coating provides a strong protective surface that blocks contaminants. Ceramic coating can also protect your vehicle from harmful, fading UV rays which lead to oxidation.  A ceramic coating will create an invisible barrier on your paint that repels water, dirt, and debris, making it much easier to keep your car clean.

Schedule your car detailing and paint protection with the Mid-Atlantic region’s leader, Automative Protection Services. We’ve been protecting our client’s vehicles for more than 40 years. We look forward to protecting yours too.