The monsoons are here. And with it all the muck, floods and incessant traffic jams that we have become so used to. The monsoon is also the worst season of the year for your car as it starts to accumulate mud, dirt and of course water in all the smaller crevices and gaps which can result in rust. So here are a few tips to keep your car spic and span in the rains and also some tips and tricks to help you drive safer and to keep your car protected from all the harm that it can go through.
Protecting your car’s exterior:
The Simplest way to protect your car’s exterior is to make sure dirt and muck don’t settle on it. If you do get the time to do so, always try and wipe down or wash off all the gunk from your car’s body post driving in the rain. This will ensure that the dirt and muck gets washed off and cant stick around and in turn damage paint. Every morning too, wipe your car down to get rid of all the leaves and twigs from your car’s paint.
(Never use a car cover in the monsoon if parking in the open)
Never use a car cover on your car if you intend to park it out in the open. While it might protect from random leaves and twigs falling on the car and while most of the water falling on the car might flow away, the cover tends to stick to the car’s body due to the moisture. When the sun is out and the car dries, the cover can stick to the car’s clear coat and can actually peel it off when the cover is removed causing irreversible damage to the paint.
(Always clean the under bonnet and boot areas to clear the water drains)
Remember to always clean under the bootlid and the bonnet of your car. Frequently, leaves tend to get stuck under them which ends up clogging the water drainage gutters. The leaves can also get stuck inside door jams causing water to accumulate in crevices and causing rust which will then lead to water leaking into the interior cabin.
The underbody of the car can be protected by spraying a mixture of diesel and used engine oil. This mixture keeps moisture and dirt/grime away and can be integral to protect mechanical moving parts and the underfloor of the car from rust. The combination can also be used on the likes of the front suspension. Avoid spraying it on the engine/exhaust components due to fire hazards and on the brake discs as it can form a film that can cause loss of braking.
Applying a paint protection film is the best way to protect your paint from the effects of rain and moisture. However, these are very very expensive so as an alternative measure, you can apply a ceramic paint protection to make sure water tends to flow away. You also also use simple car wax or polish your car’s paint to make sure the water doesn’t stay on the surface and tends to flow away.
Protecting your car’s Interior:
The interior of your car takes one of the worst brunt in the monsoon. Wet and muddy shoes, wet clothes and very high level of moisture can cause the insides of your car to smell. The best way to keep the water and muck off the carpets is to use old newspapers. Newspaper absorbs water instantly and is cheap to buy too which makes it a great alternate to using cloth to clean the carpets and mats.
(Use newspapers to soak up the water inside your car)
If you are going to get wet when you enter the car, the easiest way to protect your seats is to drape them with a large towel. In particular, drape the backrest and the headrest as that is what tends to get the wettest when you enter the car after getting caught out in the rain.
[Source”indianexpress”]
