5 Common Causes for Car Paintwork Damage & How To Avoid Them

Over time, scratches, scrapes, and scuffs are inevitable on our cars. No matter how careful we are, they start to appear seemingly out of nowhere. If you’ve just bought a new car in Malvern or have had yours resprayed and want to keep it scratch-free, here are five common causes of damage you can avoid.

Loading and unloading your boot

When you have your hands full of bags of shopping, it’s all too easy to bump the boot or just use your foot to close it behind you. We see cars all the time that have scratches and scraps from shopping trolleys, boxes, and bags dinging the paintwork.

When you’re unloading or loading the boot, set everything down on the ground before opening the boot – this will make a huge difference. And when you’re loading your weekly shopping, be mindful of the trolley rolling into your car.

Snow and ice

We don’t get snow all that often here in the UK, but ice is a regular sight in the winter months. When you’re scraping ice from your windscreen, try not to rush. It’s easier said than done when you’re freezing and want to get to work, but it’s very easy to crack your windshield or scuff the paint around it when you’re rushing.

A foam brush instead of a scraper is another way to avoid damage and can actually remove ice much more efficiently.

Using your roof to balance things

We’ve all done it. When our hands are full of Starbucks coffee and cake, we place them on the roof to dig out our keys. But no matter what you put on your roof, you’re risking paint damage.

This one is easy to avoid – stop putting things down on your roof. It’s something we do without thinking but once you’re aware of it, it’s an easy habit to break.

Road dirt

This one can cause some serious damage if you’re not careful. When you’re driving down a dirt road or if the gritters have been around, it’s easy for dirt and grit to flick up and scratch the paintwork on the sides of your car.

To avoid this, drive more slowly down dirt roads and hang back from the car in front. You can also apply a coat of wax before the winter which will help reduce damage from gritted roads.

Bumping your car door

When someone is parked a little too close, it’s easy to open your door a little too wide and ding it on the other person’s car. Or maybe you’ve parked too close to a bollard and hear the thud as you swing your door open.

You can never stop someone else from damaging your car, but you can minimise the risk by parking in quieter areas of a car park and being more mindful of bollards and other obstructions when you park your car.

Get car body repairs in Malvern

No matter how careful we are with our cars, scratches and bumps do happen. When they do, A1 Autos can help. We specialise in car body repairs in Malvern and can fix all types of scratches, scrapes, and bumps for a great price.  Call us today to get a free quote: 01684 566500