25th August 2021
You may think dust on your car won’t damage it much. You can just rub it away, right?
Incorrect, realistically you shouldn’t even let it land on your car! These tiny dust particles are abrasive and under the microscope you would see their sharp edges. Once they are swept across your paintwork they will leave small scratch marks over the car. At first, these will most likely be unnoticeable to the naked eye, but as years pass you will slowly see the paintwork looking dull and swirled due to layer upon layer of scratches caused over time.
Dust and dirt have many adverse consequences on the paint of your car. One major oversight is to neglect to wash your car frequently and this results in sustained damage due to the amount of dust that can build up on the paintwork. In addition to making the vehicle look old, kids writing words in the dust may seem like a funny joke at the time but it can actually cause the vehicle lasting harm.
In some circumstances dirt that mixes with rainwater can make an acidic compound that starts to eat into the lacquer and degrade trims and seals. This is especially true if your parking position is close to railway lines or industrial complexes. Keeping the outside of the vehicle clean will improve resale values when it is time to trade up or replace the car.
Is it really that bad and what else can be affected?
Sand, dirt and dust are all enemies of cars and bikes alike. Over a relatively short period of time they will degrade or destroy many parts of your machine and should be avoided if at all possible. Even though your car may be clean on the outside, the job is incomplete until you have cleaned the interior areas thoroughly and paid attention to alloy wheels and brakes.
Different parts of your car will be affected by dust and dirt in different ways and it is worth doing thorough checks ups to prevent long term damage. The main areas that people forget are in door & tailgate shuts where movement will aggravate damage to paint and tread plates, under bonnet areas where harm to valve covers, cylinder heads and control components are common, as well as in fuel filler flaps and EV charge points. In the worst cases if the car engine gets overwhelmed by dirt and dust this causes the airflow intake to become restricted. This could result in performance quality problems and down the line could even lead to engine failure. By checking your air filter and oil regularly you will ensure your engine gets the clean air it needs to breath.
Car interiors will suffer if fine dust is allowed to remain for long periods. Leather interiors will be abraded as will carpets, mats and steering wheels. A thorough clean removes the damaging dust and will also ensure that microscopic bacteria and infectious bugs are whisked away. Car ownership provides you with the safest environment for transporting your family and friends which is so important while we are still in a global pandemic. It is therefore imperative that your car is clean and sanitised before you turn on the air conditioning and blast those particles around the cabin.
How do I clean my car if dust does take over?
We recommend to clean the car on a day when the sunshine, heat and UV isn’t too high as the heat can actually cause the dust particles to sink deeper into the paint layer of the car and the interior.
Rinse your car thoroughly with a hose or jet wash prior to applying a sponge or cloth and under no circumstances use a dry cloth on dry paintwork. This will help with cleaning the dust particles without leaving any scratches. Thoroughly rinse the wheels and visible brake parts and then apply alloy wheel cleaner before washing the car. Badly soiled wheels will require scrubbing with an alloy wheel cleaning brush before rinsing.
Once the dust is removed from the car you can safely wash the car preferably with an auto shampoo and then thoroughly rinse before polishing.
CoverZone produce a microfiber car duster. This efficiently removes dust from car bodywork prior to fitting a cover or after garage storage. This duster is specially formulated to attract dust particles & remove them from paintwork so long as the car is not filthy dirty. This can reduce the number of times that you need to regularly clean the car. You can find the product details here; MICROFIBRE CAR DUSTER.
How can I protect my car long-term from this type damage with a cover?
Here at CoverZone we have a range of different covers that can help exclude dust and dirt damage from your car or bike.
Kalahari -
Kalahari covers are soft fleece fully tailored indoor dust covers and offer the best ‘in garage’ protection. The fabric is available in 12 different colours & you can choose fitted door mirror pockets & contrast piping along the roof line to finish your ultimate indoor storage cover. Prices from £122 incl vat. Find out more here. Kalahari.
Apollo -
Apollo outdoor covers feature a 3 layer fabric construction that includes a strong, robust outer and inner layer. Sandwiched in the middle is a special waterproof/breathable membrane that allows damp & moisture to escape from the covered vehicle whilst ensuring that rain and snow and dirt particles do not penetrate the cover. Find out more about these superb UK manufactured covers with an expected life of 5-7 years & prices from £174 incl vat. Apollo.
If you need additional help to choose the best cover for your car storage situation please call our customer service team on 01903 764689 or email info@cover-zone.com
We will be only too pleased to advise as there are 6 different fabrics to choose from to cater for all conditions and pockets.
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