There are many questions to think about when it comes to the exterior of your car. If you’re driving and your windshield gets cracked, you have to make an important decision: Do you have it repaired, or do you go ahead and get a new windshield altogether? In many cases, it’s worth having your windshield replaced right away, but not always. The condition of a vehicle’s paint will also be a major factor that contributes to its appearance as well as its resale value. This makes following these steps for protecting this part of the vehicle an important task for anyone that owns a vehicle. In this guide, you’ll learn when it makes sense to repair your windshield and when you should just go ahead and buy a new one as well as how to take care of the rest of your car’s exterior.
Take Care of Your Windshield
Assess the visibility— cracked windshield can result in decreased visibility, which can be incredibly dangerous if you’re driving at night or in poor weather conditions. If you see any cracks when you look out your front window, it’s a good idea to get them fixed right away. A small crack can easily be repaired while a large and spider-like crack may mean it’s time to consider a new windshield. Think about safety. A windshield is designed to protect you, which means it should always be in perfect condition. Cracks can allow moisture into your car, which can seep through electrical connections and cause costly repairs or fires. If you’re finding chips or cracks in your windshield, it might be time to call a pro for repairs before an accident occurs. If repairing the windshield still compromises the safety of your car, it’s best to invest in professional windshield replacement.
Consider the dimensions as well. Understanding your windshield’s dimensions will help you determine whether to repair or replace it. When asking for an estimate on repairing or replacing your windshield, knowing the dimensions of the windshield and the extent of the damage will help you better understand the cost of each service. Based on these numbers, your estimate will reflect the cost of glass needed and the expenses for labor. With this information in mind, determine whether it’s more cost-effective to repair or replace the windshield. If you’re worried about liability or safety, it’s often cheaper to replace your windshield than repair it. Should someone get hurt because of a crack or chip in your windshield, you could be held liable for their medical bills and pain and suffering. Even if it’s not a safety hazard yet, replacing your windshield altogether is the best way to avoid a potential legal situation.
Take Care of Your Paint Job
Appreciate the ways that tree sap can damage your car’s paint. Parking in the shade of a large tree can shield your car from the intense sunlight. While this may keep your car cooler, it will put its exterior paint at a far greater risk of being damaged. Tree sap can fall from the branches onto the vehicle. Once this sap lands on the paint, it will dry fairly rapidly, which will make it very difficult to remove. Eventually, this sap can change the color of the paint under it or the paint may peel off. Staying away from trees when you are parking and removing tree sap as soon as you notice it on the vehicle are all necessary steps for reducing this damage.
Have your car detailed once every year. Regularly cleaning the vehicle will help to remove light soil from the exterior, but there are many times when vehicles will develop stubborn stains or issues that will not be easily addressed without specialized automatic car wash cleaning tools. A professional detailing will allow these particular issues to be addressed so that the vehicle’s exterior will look as good as new. Remove road salt that gets on the vehicle’s exterior. Salting the roads can be necessary for keeping traffic moving during the winter months, but the salt can be highly damaging to a vehicle’s exterior. This is particularly true for individuals that go for long stretches of time without washing their car during the winter. While you may not want to thoroughly clean your vehicle when it is extremely cold, you should rinse off any salt accumulations that you notice.
Avoid leaving minor exterior damage to go unrepaired for an extended period of time. Minor exterior damage, such as scratches and dents, should be repaired as soon as you possibly can. You might think that these are not major issues to encounter, but they can pave the way for substantial complications for the paint. Once damage starts to occur to the paint, it will need to be repaired to stop it from worsening. Until the paint is repaired, you should avoid washing the vehicle as the process of scrubbing the car and the chemicals used during this process can both cause scratches to grow.
Your car’s exterior and your windshield are an essential part of your car and necessary to protect you and everyone else on the road, so it can definitely impact your driving experience if it’s damaged. You should also keep appearance and resale value in mind if you aren’t planning on driving your car for more than a few years. Use this guide to determine whether it’s time to replace or repair your windshield and how to take care of your car’s exterior.
