July 2022 - Carport Kingdom

Does Sun Damage Car Paint?

Most people don’t think much about their car’s paint after they drive it off the lot. Sure, you think about the color of the vehicle when shopping, but after you buy the car or truck, the paint quickly turns into an afterthought. That is until it starts to show signs of damage, and suddenly it’s something you’ll be paying attention to once again.

Does sun damage car paint? In this article, we’d like to talk about what the sun can do to your car’s paint as the years go by. To protect your vehicle today, you can start by exploring our free Build & Price tool at Carport Kingdom.

The Simple Truth

While it can be a dream to go for a long drive on a beautiful sunny day, the sun’s rays are powerful and can do damage over time. Knowing what kind of damage the sun can do and how you can limit it is important for any car owner.

Over time, the sun is going to do damage to the paint on your car. It’s just that simple. The UV rays that are directed toward the earth by the sun are going to take a toll on the paint, and it will not remain in like-new condition for very long. That doesn’t mean that the paint is instantly going to fade and start to peel on the first sunny day, but every minute spent out in the sun is going to continue the process of degradation.

So, how much time do you have to enjoy the sparkling, shiny new paint on your vehicle before the sun does its work? That will depend greatly on where you live and what the weather conditions are like day after day. Also, it depends on your habits and how you care for the vehicle. It might be just a few years before you start to see noticeable fading, especially if you live in a hot and sunny area. For those in cooler, cloudier climates, the paint might hold out for more than a decade before it starts to show much damage.

Taking Preventive Measures

No, you aren’t going to win the battle against the sun in the long run – the opponent is just too powerful. You can delay the sun’s victory, however, by taking some preventive measures to slow down the rate at which your paint is damaged. Here are some ideas –

Park Under Cover. Without a doubt, this is the most powerful thing you can do to protect your vehicle from the sun. When not on the road, park your vehicle under a roof of some kind to keep the sun from beating down on it hour after hour. If you have a garage, that would make for a great place to park, but a carport works just as well. Not only does parking under a roof help to protect your paint, but it will also offer some comfort advantages, like allowing you to get into your vehicle without it being scorching hot on a summer day.
Regular washing. If you get into the habit of keeping your vehicle clean through consistent washing, you may be able to hold off paint damage for a while. When your car is dirty, small little scratches can develop that will help the sun’s rays get through the clear coat and all the way down to the paint itself. It’s best to wash the car by hand, if you can, instead of going through a commercial car wash that uses harsh techniques and might do more harm than good.
Add some wax. You can think of waxing your vehicle as adding a layer of defense between the paint and the sun. Yes, this adds some time to your car care routine, but it will pay off in the long run in terms of your vehicle’s appearance. You might start this routine as a way to guard against the sun, but you’ll soon find that you also enjoy it because of how great your vehicle looks after fresh wax is applied.

Get Covered at Carport Kingdom

To summarize, yes – the sun can damage car paint. Does that mean you need to keep your vehicle out of the sun at all times? Of course not, as doing so would be impractical, but you can take steps like parking your vehicle undercover to help the paint remain in good condition for as long as possible. Remember to explore our free Build & Price tool, and turn to Carport Kingdom for a reliable metal carport and give your vehicle a perfect spot to call home.

Why Is My Car Paint Peeling?

/in Blog, CK /by clickgiant

Your car’s paint is the most prominent feature of the exterior of the vehicle. If your vehicle is going to look great, you need paint that looks great – and that won’t be the case if it is peeling off the sides. Why does car paint peel? And what can be done about it? Let’s dive into those questions below!

One way to protect the condition of your vehicle for the long run is to park it under a carport day after day. To add a durable metal carport to your property, explore our free Build & Price tool!

Understanding Car Paint

It’s no surprise that car paint faces significant threats once it leaves the dealership and heads out into the world. Tough conditions are a foregone conclusion for vehicle paint, from adverse weather to debris on the roads and more. So, with that in mind, car manufacturers take steps to protect the condition of the car’s paint for as long as possible.

This is largely accomplished through the use of a clear coat. A clear coat is a layer of protection over the top of the paint that keeps it safe – at least, for a while – from the harms that await when a vehicle is used day after day. Modern clear coats, when applied properly at the manufacturer or by an experienced automotive paint shop, offer impressive durability and excellent results. This is why so many cars on the roads today continue to look great as they rack up the miles.

Nothing Is Forever

The clear coat system to cover paint on vehicles works great, but it will gradually fade and lose effectiveness over time. There are a couple of specific reasons for this decline in performance –

Damage from the sun. The sun is extremely powerful – to state the obvious – and the rays that beat down on your car will eat away at the clear coat eventually. This is a slow process and it happens more in some climates than others. If you live in a hot, dry place, you’ll likely see sun damage to your clear coat far quicker than someone who lives in a cooler, cloudier northern climate. Of course, keeping your vehicle out of the sun as much as possible will go a long way toward slowing down these effects. So, parking it under a carport or in a garage is a great way to get a longer life span out of your clear coat and the paint it protects.
Damage from objects. Another way to experience a decline in your clear coat protection is to have some form of damage impact the vehicle. For instance, if a small rock hits the car and chips away the clear coat, there will be a hole in the coating and that hole can be used by the elements to start chipping away at the coat and peeling the paint. If left alone for very long, this spot will likely expand and get worse as time goes by.

Improve Your Odds

While it is true that nothing lasts forever, there are steps you can take to prevent your paint from peeling, or at least to slow down that process. We already mentioned the fact that parking in a covered area is a good idea, so make that a priority if at all possible. In addition to keeping your car out of the sun while parked, consider these other tips –

Use wax. Periodically waxing your vehicle is a great way to add another layer of protection and keep damaging elements like the sun from getting to your paint and wreaking havoc. With a little bit of practice, waxing your vehicle becomes a relatively easy task that you may even come to enjoy.
Don’t go to commercial car washes. The aggressive techniques used in a commercial car wash will likely mean trouble for the outside of your vehicle. Instead, do your best to keep up with regular washings at home, where you can do the job by hand and treat the vehicle with care.
Repair any damage. If your vehicle is hit with something that chipped away the clear coat, look into having that damage repaired right away so it doesn’t become an issue moving forward.

Protect Your Vehicle at Carport Kingdom

Dealing with peeling car paint is a frustrating issue, but it can be tackled. Once you address the repair work that is needed to make your car look great again, think about adding a carport to help avoid this issue from popping up in the future. Explore our free Build & Price tool today to get started!

How to Live in an RV Full-Time

/in Blog, CK /by clickgiant

RVs rose to their current place of prominence in America primarily as vacation machines, but with the rising cost of living across the United States, full-time RVers are becoming increasingly popular! If you’re exploring this new lifestyle, read on to learn more about how to live in an RV full-time.

Embracing a somewhat nomadic lifestyle while significantly downsizing your physical possessions has so many benefits. If you decide that full-time RVing is right for you, remember to protect your most valued asset an RV carport. Start your journey with our free Build & Price tool to customize the perfect homebase for your RV.

Have the Right Mindset

Having the right mindset before transitioning to full-time RV life is essential. It’s important to understand that living in an RV doesn’t mean that you are permanently on vacation. Your life will still have the ups and downs that it already has, and there will be tough times along the way. If you go into the RV life expecting nothing but fun and excitement, you are sure to be disappointed.

That doesn’t mean that this can’t be a wonderfully rewarding way to live. But it isn’t always going to be easy and it’s important to understand that from the start. If you are focused on the big picture of what this can mean for your life, while knowing that struggles are inevitable, you’re already off to a good start.

Finding the Right RV

A big part of your success with this venture is simply finding the right rig to live in. If you go too small, you’ll likely feel uncomfortable and stressed when you can’t find space for things you need. On the other hand, an extra-large RV is more expensive and might stop you from accessing some cool places that have size limitations.

There is no one right answer here, so take some time to think about the space you need and what you can afford. When in doubt, consider starting smaller with the possibility that you will move into a larger RV later on—much like purchasing a starter home.

Secure the Right Job

There are costs with living out on the road just like there are costs associated with living in a traditional home, so you’ll need money available to pay for what you require. Unless you are retired and have an income stream available through something like a pension, you must have a way to work and earn money while living in an RV. At this point, there are a few options:

Stay put. No rule says you have to be constantly traveling while living in an RV. You could choose to live in your rig while mostly staying in one geographic area and working a standard job.
Remote work. More and more jobs can be performed remotely, as long as you have an internet connection. If that’s possible in your field, talk to your employer about making this change a reality.
Save up. You might also choose to work hard for a while to save up as much money as possible for a date in the future when you can step back from employment and enjoy your life out on the road.

Other Important Factors

Some of the other key points you need to think about include how you will handle kids and pets if you have them. It’s certainly possible to live the RV lifestyle if you have kids and/or pets, but there are more variables to keep in mind and sort out before you get started.

You really can’t do too much planning when considering this kind of major life change, so write as many things down as possible and list out all of the matters you need to settle before hitting the road—for example, schooling.

Find Your Homebase with Carport Kingdom

We hope this guide on how to live in an RV full-time was helpful! After all, it could be just the type of life-changing move you need.

If you decide to settle on a home state for RV living, remember to protect your most valuable asset with the help of an RV carport. Explore our free Build & Price tool at Carport Kingdom to get started!