All car owners hope that their beloved cars can last long and reduce maintenance costs. To achieve this, one must learn to scientifically maintain the car. However, in the process of car maintenance, there are often situations where people think they are maintaining the car but actually end up damaging it, sometimes even damaging the paint protection layer, leading to peeling and rusting. After reading the following incorrect maintenance methods, car owners can check if they have such improper behaviors.
Misconceptions:
1. Washing the car under the scorching sun damages the paint.
Many car owners like to wash their cars under the sun, thinking that the water on the body will dry quickly after washing. Actually, this is not true. When washing a car under the sun, the convex lens effect formed by water droplets will cause local high temperature on the topmost layer of the car paint. Over time, the car paint will lose its luster. If waxing is done at this time, it can also cause uneven color on the body. Therefore, washing and waxing the car should be done in a shaded area. If this cannot be guaranteed, then it's best to choose a cloudy day or the morning/evening of a sunny day.
2. Washing the car like taking a bath damages the air conditioner.
When the weather gets hotter, dust increases, and the car body gets dirty easily. The frequency of car washing also starts to increase. Many car owners want to wash their cars thoroughly, just like giving themselves a bath. But here we need to note that the exterior of the car air conditioner must remain dry. If the car air conditioner gets wet accidentally, it will affect its lifespan.
3. Acid rain damages the car paint; correct car washing prevents harm.
The sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and suspended particles in the polluted urban air mix with rainwater to form acid rain with a pH value between 4-5.0, which greatly harms the car body coating. After the car gets caught in acid rain, a layer of acidic attachment covered with dust and dirt forms on the body. When combined with morning dew, it will again produce an acidic corrosion phenomenon. The car body paint continuously receives damage from acidic substances until the oil layer is completely corroded, causing the vehicle to lose all its luster. Car owners need to regularly wash their cars using the correct method to reduce the time that acidic substances stay on the body, thus providing the most complete protection for your beloved car.
4. Washing too frequently also damages the paint; be cautious about polishing and beautifying.
Under normal sunny conditions, if the car is not very dirty, it can be washed every 5-8 days. If washed every 1-2 days, the life span of the car paint will only be 50%. Wash the car promptly after rain or snow to prevent corrosion. Polishing itself damages the paint. Choose a reputable place for car beauty treatments; going to small shops for car beauty treatments is equivalent to disfiguring the car.
5. Over-tightening bolts causes permanent deformation.
There are many fasteners connected by bolts and nuts on cars. For car maintenance, there should be enough pre-tightening force, but they should not be over-tightened. If over-tightened, on one hand, it will cause the connecting parts to deform permanently under external force; on the other hand, it will cause the bolt to undergo tensile permanent deformation, and may even cause slippage or breakage.
6. Too tight fan belts increase bearing load.
When the temperature is too high, some drivers think that increasing the tightness of the fan belt can improve the engine cooling effect, so they keep tightening the fan belt. However, doing so is harmful. The fan belt should be kept at an appropriate tightness because being too tight will increase the bearing load, consume more power, and also bend the water pump shaft, stretch and deform the belt, shortening its life.
7. Imported tires are not suitable.
Some people especially emphasize "imported" when buying tires. New foreign tires are not very suitable for domestic users. There are significant differences between European roads and domestic ones, and tires suitable for European roads do not perform well domestically, just like wearing Italian brand-name shoes on gravel roads - side blisters are inevitable. Some foreign-brand tires produced jointly in China add a layer of fabric to the tire side according to domestic road conditions, greatly enhancing the side impact resistance. Tires produced through joint ventures perform as well as imported ones in terms of performance.
8. Circular waxing has poor results.
Many people habitually use a circular motion when waxing their cars, which is an incorrect method. The correct way to wax is in straight lines, alternating horizontal and vertical lines, and finally applying in the direction of rain flow. This can reduce the formation of concentric circular halos on the car paint surface.
9. Using laundry detergent to wash cars is the most harmful to car paint.
Seeing staff washing diligently, with bubbles flying everywhere, many car owners think that any dirty car sent to the car wash will be fine. After washing, it looks clean from the outside. If you want to know what the car wash uses to wash your car, you can pinch and smell those bubbles with your fingers, and you'll find out it's laundry detergent! Laundry detergent is an alkaline cleaning agent that severely damages car paint. If laundry detergent is used for a long time to wash the car, the car surface will gradually lose its luster. By the time the owner realizes that their car has been damaged, it's too late to regret.
10. Correct car washing makes your beloved car more beautiful.
Car washing might seem like the simplest step in daily car maintenance for us, but this seemingly ordinary process, if operated improperly, can lead to serious consequences, and over time, it can damage your beloved car.
11. The choice of car cleaning agents is very important.
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