Cars face numerous threats and challenges through their years of service, from impacts that can bend the frame to cosmetic damage from scratches and dents. However, you should also look out for more mundane everyday factors that can harm both the interior and the exterior of your car, including ordinary rainfall.
As a concerned car owner, you can take the right steps to protect your car against rain's potential effects once you understand the various issues to watch out for and how to get them addressed by car wash and auto detailing professionals. Start by considering the following three important points.
1. Rainwater Can Hurt Your Paint Job If you've put off some much-needed automotive hygiene for a while, you might welcome a predicted rainstorm as a kind of free car wash. A car glistening with water can appear much cleaner than it did before the rain fell, while a particularly strong storm may also knock bird feces and other obvious debris away.
Unfortunately, rainwater can do even more harm than good to your car's paint job. Moisture in the air can carry environmental contaminants such as industrial chemicals and pollutants that turn it highly acidic. When the moisture falls as acid rain, it can eat its way through a car's paint layers and damage underlying surfaces.
The longer you leave acidic contaminants on your car's body, the more damage it can do. Schedule an immediate professional car wash to remove those substances as safely and completely as possible. Invest in a high-quality wax or other protective coating that can help the paint job resist future acid rain attacks.
2. Moisture From Rain Can Rust Your Undercarriage Rain typically lingers on the ground after a shower in the form of water or mud puddles. Every time you run your tires over these wet patches, water or mud may splash up into the undercarriage of the vehicle. If a recent ice or snow event caused authorities to apply road salts, these substances also contact the undercarriage.
You may not pay much attention to your undercarriage from a cosmetic standpoint, but this area of your car contains such critical structures as suspension components, brake lines, the muffler, and transmission parts. Exposure to rainwater and/or mud can cause the metal in these parts to rust, potentially requiring expensive repairs.
You can have an auto body shop add undercoating to your car's undercarriage to minimize the risks of moisture damage. Even with this extra protection, you should have the undercarriage thoroughly cleaned during your periodic professional car washes.
3. Rain Can Lead to Interior Mold Growth Rain doesn't just threaten your car's exterior; it can also harm your interior cabin components. The most obvious scenario involves rain pouring down into your car because you left the windows down. However, a weatherstripping leak or other body imperfection can also permit rainwater to enter.
Rainwater that sits in your car for any length of time may foster mold growth. Some forms of mold, such as black mold, can have serious toxic effects on occupants, while others just damage fabrics and fill the vehicle with unpleasant odors and trigger allergic reactions or respiratory symptoms.
If you've developed mold inside your car, you may have to scrub away at it with a variety of cleansing materials, from borax and white vinegar to commercial solutions. Bear in mind, however, that you'll expose yourself to the mold in the process. If you worry about your reactions to mold, let the professionals do this job.
If you haven't yet developed a mold problem, take the proper steps now to prevent one. Clean and disinfect the interior regularly, avoid eating or drinking in your car, and address any weatherstripping, windshield, or window problems that might let moisture in.
Rain may not look like much of a threat to your car, but you can't afford to ignore its damaging effects. Take your beloved vehicle to Grand Prix Car Wash San Pablo for any interior or exterior cleaning and detailing it may need. Contact us with any questions.
