Will Fall Leaves be the Downfall of Your Car?

If you’ve lived in Northeast Ohio for any amount of time, you know and have seen the damage that winters can do to your vehicles. The heavy snow and ice require salt to be put on the roads which gets on the bottom of your car and causes it to rust. Northeast Ohio’s winters can be brutal to your car. But what about the leaves of fall? Can leaves damage your car?

Unfortunately, fall’s falling leaves can also damage your vehicle.

Besides presenting danger on the roadways (stopping on slippery leaves can cause your car to slide), leaves can damage your paint and some internal parts of your vehicle.

Unfortunately, falling leaves can land on your car if it is parked outside. If these leaves remain on your car for an extended amount of time, they can actually damage your paint. Materials contained on leaves (like pollen, sap, and especially acid) are harmful to your paint and can cause permanent damage to your car’s exterior. The longer you leave the leaves on your car, the harder they are to get off and the more damage they cause.

Leaves can do more than just damage your paint – they can also do some damage to the internal parts of your car. When leaves are left on your car, they can get into the air filter and cause damage. They can also clog drains on your vehicle. So, to prevent damage to you vehicle, it’s incredibly important to make sure that you keep the leaves off of your car.

Here are our car maintenance tips for keeping your vehicle free of damage from lingering leaves:

• Park your car under cover. If you have access to a garage spot, use it. It may seem like a garage spot is only important during the winter because you won’t have to brush off your car as often. If your spot in the garage is filled with other things, take some time to clean it out so that your car can fit in the garage. If you don’t have access to a garage at all, consider other structures that can protect your car.
• Keep your car away from trees. Try to avoid parking your car under and near trees while the leaves are falling. By keeping your car away from trees, you’re giving it a better chance at not getting covered by leaves.
• Remove leaves daily. Make taking leaves off of your car a habit. If you remove the leaves daily, you’ll be reducing the amount of exposure your car has to them. You do not want to leave leaves on for an extended period of time.
• Wash your car frequently and give it a wax. Washing your car will remove some of the residue that leaves leave on your car. So, if your car is being frequently exposed to leaves, then you’ll want to make sure you wash your car regularly. As fall winds down and winter is on the way, you’ll want to give your car a wax. This can remove any hidden leaf residue and help protect your vehicle from what winter will throw at it.

Fall leaves don’t need to be the downfall of your car! Follow our car maintenance tips to help protect your car against the damage that leaves can cause. If you need repairs from damage that leaves caused or any other type of damage, Rad Air is the place to come.