How to prevent your car's paint from fading (2024)

Paint fade is a common occurrence due to Australia's brutal summer conditions. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, we have one of the world's highest levels of UV exposure.

This makes it incredibly difficult to moderate your car's exposure to UV, causing your vehicle to likely look more worn than usual.

It's not just the sun damaging your paint and wearing it out faster; things like bird poo, road grime and even the rain will cause your paint to look dull.

Having a nice and shiny paint job is not only imperative to making a car look its best, but it can also help with your car's resale value down the track.

The last thing you want is to spend upwards of $10,000 to get a full respray for significantly damaged paint, so we have compiled a list of things you can do at home to ensure your paint doesn't fade.

You can consider several options to ensure that your paint doesn't fade. Some options are cheap and easy to do at home, while others are best left up to the professionals.

Perhaps the easiest way to prevent paint fade is to consistently park your car undercover. UV exposure is one of the most common ways to dull your paint job.

UV rays break down the chemical bonds in paint, causing it to lose its vibrancy over time. Darker colours tend to absorb the radiation much more than lighter colours, although lighter colours such as red and orange tend to look more obviously faded.

If you can, park your car under a carport or in the garage when it is not in use. If you don't have access to either, investing in a car cover is an excellent idea. Not only will this save the car from the sun, but it will also protect the paint from other contaminants.

Just ensure you don't use trees as shade for your car as they tend to drop contaminants onto your paint, which will bake in when you leave it out in the sun.

Washing your car frequently will protect the paint, keeping it looking fresh and clean. We aren't talking about a full detail; just a simple soap and water wash is often enough to maintain healthy paint.

The ideal car wash frequency heavily depends on your climate and where you park your vehicle. In the Australian summer, you'll need to wash the car less than when the weather is adverse.

James Mate from Jimmy M Autocare says, "To get the most protection, depending on how dirty your car gets, [the best wash frequency] can range from once every three to five weeks if it doesn't get too dirty, to once a fortnight if your car is exposed to more dirt".

Most car wash soaps contain a wax and wash combo, which will add a layer of protection against UV radiation for a short period of time. It will also give you the opportunity to wash off any other contaminants, such as road grime and bird or bat poo.

Josh Bunter, the owner of Enthusiast Detailing, says that the acidity in bird poo with cause the chemical compounds in your paint to break down, leaving you with faded or damaged spots, especially if you allow it to be baked into the paint.

"Anything that has a pH above or under seven, so anything acidic or alkaline, like bug guts, bird poo or acid rain, should be removed ASAP to avoid chemical etching," he says.

"Even drinking water lies within the range 6.5–8.5, so normal tap water has the potential to damage your paint if it's not protected, so it's important to know the pH of your contaminant to assess the time frame in which you should remove it to avoid chemical etching."

It's best to use a high-quality wash mitt and a good brand of car wash with UV protection. Most major brands, such as Armor All, Turtle Wax and Meguiar's offer protection against sunlight with their wash and wax soap products.

It's imperative to ensure that you use clean water and a clean wash mitt. Otherwise, you may get micro scratches from dirt and rocks picked up on a dirty washcloth.

There are a plethora of paint protection products on the market. Some are easier to apply than others, but all give you much more protection from paint fade than simply washing your car.

"For maximum paint protection, employing UV protection [using products such as wax and ceramic coating] is actually more important over regular washing, provided there are no harsh chemical contaminants on the paint such as bird poo or acid rain (which is common if you're near a steelworks or factory)," Mr Bunter from Enthusiast Detailing explains.

Both wax and ceramic coatings offer an additional protective layer from contaminants and UV damage, but their working methods differ slightly.

Wax is a product that you add after washing your car. It does exactly what you think: It repels water and liquid and adds a film layer on top of your paint to help absorb some of the UV radiation.

The beauty of wax is that it's an easy product to apply at home. You don't need any special tools or a buffer, just a clean cloth and some spare time with your car.

According to AutoBarn, an automotive specialist store, "Some manufacturers will suggest that your car should be waxed every six weeks, while others are creating more long-lasting solutions that can protect the vehicle for up to six months".

Meanwhile, a ceramic coating will offer much more protection and shine for a much longer lifespan than wax coating. Ceramic coating doesn't just create an extra layer on top of your paint like wax does, it chemically bonds to the paint.

Because it bonds, it allows for more protection over a longer period. You should expect to have to reapply a ceramic coating every few years, with some products lasting up to five.

While it sounds like you'd pick ceramic coating over wax every time, the problem is that it is much harder to apply. The car also must be protected from the elements for 24–48 hours after application.

"While car wax can be applied at home by anyone, ceramic coating requires a lot more skill and time, which is often best left to trained technicians," offers AutoBarn.

Additionally, while ceramic coating products are quite low-cost, it is a labour-intensive process that can be quite costly if carried out by a professional. Some independent quotes we have received range from $500 to $2500 depending on the detailer you choose and the size of your car.

While both are good options, if you want some added protection for cheap, you should opt for the wax. If you have a more expensive car, it's certainly worth paying a detailer for a ceramic coat so you can set and forget.

Wrapping your car is one of the most expensive yet effective ways to protect it from UV radiation, scratches, and contaminants.

Paint Protection Films (PPF) are best compared to putting a screen protector on your phone. A PPF is essentially a big clear sticker that adds an extra layer of protection over your paint without dulling it.

The cost depends heavily on the size and shape of your car. Andrew Laker from Urban Prints says that you will usually start at around the $5000 mark.

"A mid-sized car can run you between $4500–$5000 for a complete colour change," Mr Laker says.

"The costs heavily rely on the style of the car, i.e. sharp edges, physical size and how many hours need to be spent stripping parts off the car. You'd be looking at a three business day turnaround from dropping off your car until completion."

In the United States, Tesla offers owners the ability to purchase Tesla-branded clear or coloured paint-protecting film via its app for $US5000, but this service is not yet offered in Australia.

This should be a considered option for those with high-end cars, saving you money down the line and fetching you more on the resale market with a spotless paint job.

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