Maintaining your car bodywork

Over the months and years that you own your car, there are bound to be times when the bodywork gets dirty, scratched or rusts. This quick guide will help you fix and keep your car’s bodywork in top condition.

car side

Washing your car

Dirt on your car can be down to anything from pollution to bird poo. Leaving the car dirty not only looks bad but it can also harm your paintwork. It’s a good rule to clean your car and wax it whenever it gets dirty, or once a month. This can either be done professionally at a car wash garage, supermarket or cheaper still, doing it yourself. Make sure you choose superior car cleaning products rather than cheap alternatives to ensure your car’s paintwork is protected. Wax is very important in protecting dirt and muck from scratching or harming the paintwork and many quality waxes don’t leave a white wax residue anymore. Also, it’s a lot easier to remove acidic bird poo stains with a waxed car.

Removing light scratches on your car

It’s inevitable that your car is going to get some light scratches during it’s lifetime, whether it comes from scraping past hedges, mis-handling keys or objects flying up from the road. Not only do they look unsightly, but if not cared for they can get worse. Many car shops sell special scratch remover products to hide the scratches and protect the bodywork. Of course, we’d recommend quality products over the cheaper counterparts as having to respray your car after using a cheap product isn’t going to make you happy. Instructions vary on each product so read them carefully and soon your car’s paintwork will look scratch-free!

When your car has rust

It’s feared by most owners but like it or not, over time rust can occur on the most well looked after cars. This can either be down to bad design on the manufacturers part (many will notice wheel arches are prone to rust), scratches picked-up when parking, or chips from the road which remove the paintwork. Make sure you check your car for signs of rust at least once a month. If you do spot some, don’t ignore it as the problem will only get worse since dirt and water can get into the bodywork. If the rust is very small in size – smaller than a penny piece – and you’re confident with what you’re doing, then you can buy some touch-up products from a car shop and repair the rust spot yourself. If the rust is large or in an awkward place for you to repair easily, it’s better to take your car to a garage like ourselves who can check it over and provide the best remedy. Like we said before, repairing rust spots early will save you money down the line.

If you need further advice on your car’s bodywork, MCM Garage are happy to help. Just give us a call today on 01761 415 501 or contact us via our online form and we can set-up a quick appointment.