How to protect your car from oxidation

March 11, 2022

Oxidation is the worst enemy of your car’s paint. Also known as sun fading, oxidation occurs when the protective clear coat on your paint is weakened and eventually destroyed by the sun. This results in the clear coat taking on white rings or patches where it’s been damaged, bubbling, peeling or other signs of wear. Once the clear coat wears away, the paint underneath will appear dull as the sun damages it more and more.

This is a common problem in Arizona and California, as the harsh sunlight beats down on vehicles’ paint and destroys it more and more over time. Paint repairs, or entirely new paint jobs, are costly projects on a car. In fact, just needing a new paint job on a car that’s worth a low enough amount can technically result in a total loss when it comes to paint repair costs.

With all of this risk to your paint, you certainly have your work cut out for you to protect it and keep your car looking shiny. Short of buying a car with high-quality paint, there are steps you can take to prolong the paint job’s life. Waxing is a well-known detailing procedure that actually protects your car’s paint as well as keeping it looking shiny.

Wax on your paint not only keeps it looking glossier, but it adds a protective layer on top of the clear coat and paint. This means your car’s paint will be protected from the harsh UV rays of the sun. Super Star offers carnauba wax in Express car washes in Arizona and California, as well as Full Service car washes and automotive detailing in Arizona. 

Although wax provides protection against the sun, there is another step that can provide even further protection. Ceramic sealing is applied in place of or on top of wax, functioning as a more extreme layer of paint protection perfect for the West’s harsh UV rays in sunlight.

This ceramic coating functions as an extra layer on top of the wax and paint, forming a hard shell-like coating that you will only see as providing more gloss to your car. However, it functions as a great shield fighting off the sun’s damage to your paint.

Wax sits on top of the surface of the car’s paint, but ceramic coatings form a chemical bond that works better to resist sun damage. In addition to providing higher resistance to sun damage, a ceramic coating will last longer than wax thanks to that chemical bond.

Super Star offers Simoniz Diamond Plate ceramic coating in our Express car washes, Full Service car washes and automotive detailing services. Now that you know the benefits of ceramic sealant on your car, head to your nearest Super Star and give your car the sun protection it deserves. It could be the difference between a worn, sun-faded paint job and glossy, nice paint no matter your car’s age.