From blind spot and rear cross traffic alert, lane keep assist and autonomous emergency braking to crash zones and of course a whole raft of airbags, the suite of vehicle aids available and ANCAP stars that keep you and your family safe are huge and continually expanding - but what’s on offer to protect your vehicle from you? Jake Smit from Dura-Seal gives us his expert advice.
Let’s face it whether it’s outside the vehicle with its loading scrapes or scratches or inside the cabin with mishaps and spills, accidents do happen and not always in the areas you expect, but Smit points out there are still many ways to keep your treasured family ride safe from, well, your family.
There are a number of high-use, often-forgotten target areas on the exterior of a car. A prime example would be the horizontal surface of the rear bumper. Loading or unloading, this area can be scraped or scratched with any number of items.
Smit says: “Some bumpers are more or less level with the boot, so prone to abuse and although some are lower than the lip and therefore have slightly less chance of abrasion, the rate that kids and pets climb on everything, they’re still not immune.’
There are also the obvious door edge areas, whether through lack of spatial awareness or a strong gust of wind, doors can bump into other cars, fences or walls. Plus the front of the bonnet attracts stone chips and maybe there are people in the family that like to lean there.
Often forgotten is the area behind or under the door handle where scratching is the norm. Smit says: “You can’t avoid it. Nails, rings, even keys in your hand create small unsightly scratches to the paintwork.”
Thankfully the solution to all the above is relatively cost effective. You can have a paint protection film to cover all those areas and maybe even a few more. The “softer” plastic will prevent your paint from chipping and may even stop scratches on other cars or surfaces as well.
With the inevitable beach trip sunscreen deposits on the paintwork, the sooner you get to those the easier it will be to remove, often just lukewarm water will suffice.
Of course the drama continues on the inside too with everything from muddy boots to falling ice creams out to soil your vehicle. Apparently the solution lies between protection and cure, with protection products giving you more time for the reactive cleaning.
Smit says: “Nothing will stop things from happening and gravity will ensure it gets to those hard to reach places, but at least protection products will help to make sure that they don’t permanently stain and are easier to remove.”
He says that although much of it is common sense there is a “sooner” and “later” approach to think about.
There’s no need to cry about spilt milk-based products, car sickness or pet slobber/ mishaps but beware that when wet the bacteria grows and smells. So a light (diluted) disinfectant will help here. In fact anything that’s wet will start to smell so get your wet togs, socks or gumboots out of the boot quickly. Also note that deodorisers may take the smell away but not the bacteria.
Windows don’t get stained but still need sticky finger marks removed, and the longer you let it sit the more work it takes to get rid of it. Same with door handles, armrests, dashboards and door trims, and sunscreen will eventually stain the vinyl, so sooner is better. Conversely, if you get mud or sand on the carpet or material, wait for it to dry before vacuuming it up.
If sand gets on your leather seats it should be removed quickly otherwise it will grind into the colour coat, just a damp rag would be the best, and while on the subject of seats If you do have a light coloured fabric or leather interior, beware of “colour run” clothing because you tend to sweat more in a car and the dye can seep into the seats.
Get to crayons and pens quickly (and stay away from permanent markers), Smit suggests starting with window cleaner.
It’s good to bear in mind that not all cleaners or protection products are the same, some products may be good water repellents however they may not be that great at blocking stains or attracting dirt. And, if you do need to use a cleaning product, spray on to a cloth and apply the cloth on the stain, otherwise the area will stand out.
The takeaway from it all is: “If you’ve been to the beach with your kids and pets, check the car afterwards and tidy up. Five minutes then will save lots of time and money later.”