How to Protect Your Car’s Paint 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 sunny places since harsh sunlight beats down on vehicles’ paint and destroys it over time. Paint repairs, or entirely new paint jobs, are costly projects on a car. In fact, needing a new paint job on a car with a low enough value can technically result in a total loss due 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 not only keeps your car’s paint looking shiny but also provides a protective layer.

Benefits of Waxing

Wax on your paint not only keeps it looking glossier, but it also 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 Car Wash offers carnauba wax in their Super Protect and Super Shine.

Enhanced Protection with Ceramic Coating

Although wax provides protection against the sun, there is another step that can offer 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 adds more gloss to your car. However, it acts 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 Car Wash offers Simoniz Diamond Plate ceramic coating in our Express car washes and Full Service car washes. Now that you know how to protect your car, head to your nearest Super Star Car Wash 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.