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12 Surprising Things Which May Damage Your Car

Sadly, it is not just dings, scratches, and vandalism which can damage the exterior of your car! This article contains a list of 12 everyday things you may come into contact with, but your car should avoid at all costs!

1. Fizzy Drinks and Coffee

Fizzy drinks and Coffee have high acidity levels. Basically, meaning that spilling these on your car will result in your shiny paint work becoming corroded away, also the sugar in these drinks will leave behind a sticky residue. Not ideal!

2. Bug Guts

Dead or alive it turns out bugs can be an annoyance. Turns out that bug guts are acidic, not great and then the bug remains start to harden its going to be even hard to scrub them off!

3. Shaving Cream

The chances of you spilling shaving cream on or around your car is pretty slim BUT you never know. If you have an unfortunate shaving cream accident it might be useful for you to know that Shaving cream can permanently discolour your paint and its best to get it off your car ASAP

4. Bird S**T

Birds seem to have this special talent of always find the cleanest, shiniest cars to poop on. We think that clean cars act like a beacon to naughty birds, but similar to the above substances, bird poop is also acidic and can damage the paintwork on your car if not removed. And let’s face it, no one likes cleaning up poo, so book in with us and we will sort it for you!

5. Salt

We’re not talking about table salt. We’re talking about the kind of salt used in the winter to de-ice roads and sidewalks. This stuff can be corrosive especially if left on your car for weeks on end.

6. Fingerprints

Who doesn’t enjoy writing a cheeky clean me message on a car or a van? But this innocent (yet funny) act can also cause damage to your car. Dragging your fingers across the paint acts like sandpaper, grinding the dirt and debris into the paint and leaving wiry markings that will last long after the dirt is gone.

7. Spilled fuel

Who else gives the pump a little shake when they have finished filling it up with fuel? We know its not just us… If you happen to spill any of your precious fuel, you should be warned that it can seep into the topcoat of the paint causing it to lose its shine and leave a stain.

8. Tree Sap

FUN FACT tree sap used to be used as glue? It’s super sticky and as you might have guessed, sticks to everything, including cars…

9. Egg

Throwing eggs at cars may be considered to be a harmless yolk. However…. The shell can cause scratches in the clear coat and the yolk itself is acidic, meaning it can eat through the clear coat and stain or damage the base coat of your car.

10. Ash

So, we're no scientists but even we know that if ash settles on the outside of your vehicle and is then exposed to moisture (like rain) it can cause a chemical reaction. Resulting in a dark grey stain on your car. On a side note we would suggest that it is good practice not to set fire in or around your car.

11. Shoe polish

Firstly, we would be interested to know how you got shoe polish on your car and secondly, we would strongly advise against it. Shoe polish can stain your car and may be difficult, if not impossible to remove. If this happens It is important not to let it sit or dry on the paint and to get it sorted ASAP.

12. Tar

This is more of an issue during the summer months or when it has been freshly laid. The substance tends to stick to the car’s paint and, if allowed to dry, it can be tough to get off.

We hope this article keeps you educated and your car safe from harm! If you do, however, need help removing one or all of these things you can contact us on 0333 444 9447 or use our booking form. If you need an urgent appointment and can’t see timeslot which you want give us a call and we will see what we can do!