April Showers Bring More than Just Flowers

The rain has arrived, and with it the hope of turning barren branches into lush green foliage. Although we all love the arrival of spring flowers, we must first endure the pain of spring showers. Rain can do damage to roads and limit visibility, making it difficult to drive during storms. It can also cause damage to the exterior of your car and lead to rust.

A little paint chipping, or a dent exposes the metal to the elements unsightly patches of rust will soon eat away at the metal. Covering your car with a waterproof car cover is an easy and effective way to prevent rust damage, but there are a few other things you can do to protect your car during spring showers.

Make sure the exterior of your car is clean. Salt helps to expedite the spread of rust, so make sure you clean your car of any salt left from the winter. Other debris such as mud and sand can break down your car’s finish, so make sure anything that’s been picked up from the road while driving is cleaned off. Once all dirt, salt and debris is cleaned off, it’s a good idea to wax it to protect the paint. Wax helps rain from building up on your car and damaging the finish by essentially creating a water-resistant barrier.

The following are some additional steps you can take during every day use of your car:

• Avoid parking direct sunlight, but rather park in the shade or under a tree.
• Wash your car at least twice a month and leave the doors open to ensure proper draining.
• Check for holes, tarnishes, and scrapes that can become a target for rust.
• Use gentle, car specific, cleaners that will not harm your paint.
• Jet-wash your car once a month with a hose or sprinkler.
• When in humid or coastal areas, wash your car frequently.

Although it rains all year around, April can bring some of the most rain of the year. It’s a good idea to take the time now to prevent damaging instead of paying for your car to be refinished later. At empirecovers.com, we have a number of covers that protect against rain including a 100% waterproof cover. All of our covers are breathable and non-abrasive so you can be sure your car is being taken care of when using one.