Show your car a little love this February
February is the month of romance and about showing love to those you love, such as your car
POLOKWANE – The Automobile Association (AA) in South Africa gives tips on how to take care of your car.
It is always a good idea to clean your car yourself every now and again. In this way, you will notice any scratches, bumps or irregularities on the bodywork that you may miss if someone else is cleaning it.
A good place to start is washing the exterior. Don’t ever wash your vehicle with dishwashing liquid or other household detergents. They are designed to strip grease and grime off surfaces such as glass and plastic and may damage your car’s bodywork. Use specially formulated products instead, even though these may cost a little extra.
Gerrit Pieterse from NMS Auto Body Shop also shares tips on how to take care for your car’s paintwork when cleaning it.
Pieterse says some of the worse things vehicle owners don’t realise when washing their car is the use of household detergents such as dishwashing liquid.
Commercial power pressure water hoses, says Pieterse, should also be avoided as they can lift parts of a vehicle’s paint work.
NMS Auto Body Shop makes use of PPG paint coat technology. PPG, Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, is a globally recognised company.
Errol Ferreira, regional sales manager from PPG Coatings South Africa, offers advice to motorists whose cars have been refinished with PPG technology paint coats:
• Wash your vehicle regularly using only water for the first 30 days. After 30 days, a mild car soap with water can be used. Avoid harsh detergents.
• Wash your vehicle by hand only, not at a commercial car wash.
• Rinse with clean water. Dry with a chamois or soft cloth.
• It is unlikely that a new PPG finish will ever require waxing. Avoid the use of wax for at least three months.
• Avoid spilling gasoline on the paint finish and in the event of a spill, allow the fuel to evaporate for one hour. Then wash it with a mild detergent and water. Rinse well.
• Drive with care on gravel roads so that lose stones cannot damage the paint finish.
• Do not park under trees or near industrial facilities with heavy fallout or smoke.
• If windshield washer fluid or antifreeze spills occur, wipe it up immediately.
