How can rain damage my car?

Rain can do some serious damage to your vehicle. No, we aren’t talking about flood damage or when it leaks into your vehicle as these are different problems entirely, we are talking about how it alone can affect your vehicle. 

When the rainy season approaches chances are you will want to wash your car much less compared to other seasons in the Philippines. The common notion here is that rainwater should be enough to clean your car. However, doing this isn’t the best for your vehicle as it can damage the exterior of your car in more ways than one. With that said, here are some reasons how rain can damage your vehicle’s exterior. 

As many of you will be familiar with, water evaporates into the air. It then condenses into water vapor clusters up to form droplets. Once the droplets form it then begins its journey back to the ground when it rains. Along the way, it collects the pollutants that once came from the ground and brings them back down. This in turn creates acid rain that can cause damage to your car’s paint once it’s dried up. This acid rain can eat through the protective clear coat layer of your car’s paint further exposing the vehicle to the harsh elements. If left alone and untreated it can completely remove the clear coat exposing the base coat to the elements. Once this happens your car won’t be as shiny as it once was. In extreme cases, it can even lead to rust if left alone for too long.

What’s damaging about rainwater is what it can leave behind. As mentioned earlier, rain can collect pollutants from the atmosphere and bring them back onto your vehicle. It in turn can leave layers of these pollutants on your vehicle. This is why it is highly recommended that you wash your car immediately after it rains to get rid of these pollutants. A light rinse will not be enough to remove the effects of acid rain or remove the contaminants brought by it onto your vehicle. You will need high pressure to completely remove it along with other car care products to help protect your paint. 

While some owners think that when it rains it’s a free carwash, this notion is wrong. If left alone after the rain, this practice will just make your car dirtier as more dirt and grime will further accumulate onto your vehicle. If these particles aren’t cleaned off properly they can even lead to more damage happening to your car’s paint. So, the best thing to do after it rains is to give your car a proper car wash and add a few paint protection products to the process as well. In this manner, your car can remain shiny and clean for a longer period while keeping it protected against the elements at the same time.