There are two types of people in the world:
In this world there are only two types of people out there, car enthusiasts and the remainder of the population. Differentiating between these two people is incredibly easy and finding a tru car enthusiast has never been easier. The first differentiating factor is that car fanatics always look back at their car when they drive away but the general population will walk away without a single thought in their mind, this is completely normal for someone who views their car as just a mode of transportation.
To us car fanatics any damage whether it is small or large can largely impact us, it still won’t be as big of a hit as if something were to happen to someone in our family but it will definitely get us thrown off our groove. I can recall when my 2008 Civic SI was hit when I was just in high school, this had me distracted from my work, school and more. I was finding ways to fight my insurance company 24/7 just to get my car back to normal. Now I practice all the safe processes listed in this guide to prevent any damage form taking place in the future and you can too.
Park Your Car In Safe Areas
You can come across car enthusiasts and we can almost guarantee that they will all have one common thing that they hate, it doesn’t take a lot of work to imagine that car enthusiast hate parking lots, especially full parking lots.
Why do car enthusiasts hate parking lots? They do  because they have no control over what the owner of the beat up van is going to do to your car, many times when someone has a parking lot vehicle incident you don’t know whether or not they will also choose to leave behind their contact information.
For small damages such as door dings which can significantly take away from the aesthetic of your car it doesn’t make sense to chase after the individual as well since the probability of you claiming a small ding isn’t really worth your time. You can rack up a crazy amount of door dings on your car in a short amount of time. especially if you drive a rather large vehicle that barely fits in-between the painted lines like the one in this image.
Tight fit, wouldn’t you say?
Learn From Experience When Parking Your Car
Not too long ago I attended a local Calgary Car meet, you’d think at these events everyone would be extra careful when parking their car but you can’t guarantee anything.
Finding a parking space here didn’t worry me too much as I was surrounded by fellow car enthusiasts so I generally parked very close to the show in a crowded area (which I usually never do),
Fast forward, after checking out come amazing Calgary Ferraris, Lamborghinis and McLaren’s I make my way back to my car and notice that there has been a door ding…
I wasn’t too angry but this lead me to understand one thing and that was no matter where you are that you should always park in an area where you have the lowest possible chance of getting any damage on your car.
Our general rules when it comes to parking your car in public is to first find a spot in which you’re parking in the end stall, this reduces the chance of any door dings because no one is parking right beside you. Parking in the end stall will also allow you to park very close to the side where no car can be which maximizes the distance between you and the other vehicle as well, further reducing your chance of any damages.
The other tip and trick which may not be favoured by your passengers is parking far in the parking lot away from any cars. When doing this we also highly recommend parking in a corner and as far away from the nearest stall, this is because we can almost guarantee when you come out someone will be parked next to you.
We aren’t sure why but for some odd reason people want to park next to cars, so while parking far away reduces your risk because there aren’t many cars we can guarantee someone will park near you and that’s why corner stalls are the best.
Equip Your Car With Magnetic Door Guards
Sometimes you can take all these steps but your still not able to prevent the majority of door dings that come your way, many times these damages are due to other cars bur occasionally overly excited passengers can open your cars door roughly and cause a ding.
Some of the best ways to prevent this would be using door guards which can act as the first line of protection when your door is in danger of receiving a door ding. You can get options that are barely noticeable or some options which are definitely more protective but much more noticeable as well.
If you are someone who hates door dings these are probably your best bet to prevent any damages onto your car.
Have You Heard Of Parking Pads?
Parking in your garage can be challenging especially since you might be used to tucking right next to the garage when you don’t have passengers. When you do have passengers you may find yourself dinging your car against a wall or the tool box you have in your garage, or perhaps you change your vehicle and you may have a challenging time parking due to the larger size of your new car.
Luckily for you we have you covered with smart mats which act similar to the cement blocks you find in parking stalls, these smart pads will help you realize where the best location is to park your car every single time. The only thing you have to do is purchase them and place them in the right location for the first time you can purchase some of your own matts by clicking here
Should You Invest In A Car Cover
Your car even when parked can be attacked by many contaminants and you may not notice until the damage has already taken place on your car. Purchasing a car cover and using it every time you park may not be ideal but it can definitely help if you leave your car sitting for long because these covers can help prevent damage form UV rays, contaminants and prevent peering eyes from breaking into your car.
A common mistake we find is that our customers will prep their cars for storage over the winter but forget to get a dust repelling car cover to place over their car, we highly recommend this even when your parking indoors. Be careful before simply placing a car cover on your car as you should complete a thorough car detail and remove contaminants from its exterior to prevent friction from causing more damage to the exterior.
Deciding whether or not these covers are worth it for you is definitely a huge benefit if it fits well with your usage of your car. If you see that a car cover fits well with your car usage be sure to purchase the right one, you can get specific indoor dust repelling car covers or weather resistant ones if you are parking outdoors, we recommend car covers direct for your car cover needs.
Heres a famous you tubers review on car covers and if you should get one, we always like to provide our blog readers with another perspective so check it out.
You May Love The Sun But It Definitely Doesn’t Love You…
Take a trip down memory lane and try to remember your last trip to Mexico, the Bahamas or even a hot dry summer in Calgary. You’re probably reminiscing about all the good memories you set but you probably forgot about the vicious sunburn you were inflicted with from the harsh sun and its UV rays. Being a human is awesome because our bodies in most cases will heal from these damages by themselves but we still take many preventive steps such as sun screen, hats and other forms of protection.
If we protect our bodies why shouldn’t we protect our cars as well, our cars receive a much harder beating from the sun than we do as they are left exposed to the elements much longer than we are. Many car owners believe their cars are immune to the beating of the sun or this never crosses their mind until they start noticing their oxidized paint or degrading interior.
The sun can damage both the exterior of your car along with the interior, UV rays are only getting stronger and the small preventative guards such as the the tint on your windows cannot protect your car for so long so what can you do to prevent the breakdown and aging of your beautiful exterior or interior. When we talk preventive steps, we are talking about methods to prolong the life of your exterior by 5 years.
Here is how Drip Auto Pros would prolong the life of your car from sun damage for 5 years!
- Apply a wax on the exterior of your car every few months as most products will not last longer than this. Opting in for a Calgary ceramic pro treatment is a solution to protect for several years or the life of your car but if you choose to get a regular wax you should re-apply every few months.
- Choosing the right protectors and sealants for the interior of your car and applying them once a month can protect your interior from degrading.
- Clothe interior and upholstery should be shampooed then have UV blocker applied onto them once per year.
- If it is legal in your area, investing into some window tint for your car can reduce the amount of UV rays that can damage your car.
- Buy a sun shield to help protect your car and keep your interior cool in hot weather.
- When you park your car for prolonged periods of time you should buy the right car cover and detail your car before applying the car cover onto it.
Following these steps will help keep your car in tip top shape with minimal breakdown, discussing any further steps with your local car detailer can help put you ahead as well. Ignoring these preventive steps will lead to a much faster wear and tear in your cars exterior.
Maintain Your Vehicles Engine
Detailers often overlook the need for a thorough engine cleaning. You should get a thorough engine cleaning about every 50,000km, this will not only keep your engine looking great but will help prevent the sludge, grime and dirt from accumulating in your cars engine. The best method us Calgary car detailers will use is implementing a motor flush to clean your engine out, getting your regular change does little to remove the contaminants that a complete motor flush will breakdown and make easier to remove when you drain the oil in the oil change.
Asides form the mechanical aspect keeping your beautiful engine clean can really benefit you by reducing and removing the amount of grime and grease that will accumulate in your engine. Removing these contaminants is extremely beneficial as it prevents the contamination of your engine and its other essential components.
We don’t generally cover the ins and outs of engine bay detailing in our complete car detailing guides but you can expect some content to be coming out soon.
So What Did We Cover In This Car Detailing Blog
As you’ve probably come to realize, maintaining your car is much more challenging than it initially seems. The unforeseen damages can be in many cases impossible to stop but you can minimize your risk by following the steps listed in this blog.
Also check out detailing page to see the magic we can do for your car!
