The Frustration Of Parking In A Metro Area (And How To Fix Scratches)
Car Doors, Grocery Carts, Keys & Brushes: How Do They Relate to One Another?….Paint Scratches
No matter where you go in the metro area – Washington, D.C. – Arlington – Alexandria – Bethesda – there’s not doubt that space is limited. That means smaller parking spaces, tighter spots, and, unfortunately, little to no buffer space. Even if you park between the lines, the car beside you may not (as the picture above shows). Sooner or later, someone will open their door too far and ding your ride. It’s inevitable.
One of our recent customers told us his story: “I’ve been driving for 13 years with no accidents and have avoided any dings, until I moved to the DC area. I’m always careful to park in a far away space to try to keep empty spots around my car, but in this area, it’s virtually impossible. Since I moved to this area 2 years ago, I now have a small ding in the door as well as scratches from where other people have rubbed up against my car to get to their car.”
Maybe this story rings true for you, or maybe they left their shopping cart out and it rolls into your door. Perhaps you are trying to unlock your car but miss the keyhole. We can recommend some nearby experts to handle the dents, and we will take care of the scratches. Some of the worst damage and scratches we’ve seen, however, come from drive-thru and automatic car washes, and not even the most extreme cases like this:
Losing your car door is bad enough, but what many don’t realize is the damage that those brushes are doing to your paint.
What’s Wrong With The Brushes Of An Automatic Car Wash?
First off, the brushes used to scrub your vehicle are not cleaned. If the car that went in before you just got back from a sandy beach vacation, or has salt left from an icy road, there will be some sand or salt left in the brushes that can scratch your paint. In addition, the workers at the end usually use the same towel as the car before to dry your car by hand which can leave a residue. Automatic car washes focus on efficiency over quality; meaning, how fast can they get your car out so that the next one can get through.
Here’s an example of what an automatic car wash with brushes is capable of:
So what can be done? Is the paint on this car beyond saving?
Enter Paint Correction
Luckily, there are auto-detailers (such as yours truly) who can fix these marks. A process called paint correction (more details HERE) meticulously removes scratches and swirl marks from your vehicle’s clear coat, letting the paint shine through:
The majority of the time, the scratches are on the top layer (clear coat) and therefore haven’t actually damaged your paint yet. Over time, however, the clear coat scratches will continue to wear down until it reaches your paint base coat, which is where touch-up paint comes in handy. The trick is fixing the scratches before this happens. As can be seen in the above pictures, fixing these scratches and swirls can make a huge difference in the appearance and gloss of your vehicle.
After living in the DC metro area, is your car’s paint in need of some paint correction?
After Capitol Shine’s trained professionals fixed the defects, the car was ready to receive a protective coating. The owner chose Ceramic Pro 9H, which is the hardest paint protection available.
If you are unsure whether or not your vehicle requires paint correction services, that’s no problem! We can give you a FREE estimate in just 30 minutes. To schedule this estimate, a protective coating like Ceramic Pro, or any of our other services, please head over to our scheduling page and make an appointment! Please schedule at least 24 hours in advance to ensure time and date.