When Fall season arrives, so does the fallout. Leaves, branches and tree dust are covering cars right now, especially if you’re in Land Park, East Sac or Downtown Sacramento! You wash your car one day and several hours later you couldn’t even tell.

Many people take this as a sign to avoid washing their vehicle since it will be dirty again in no time, but any professional will tell you that protection is key, and even critical during these times! Without proper protection, broken down leaves and tree dust can imbed themselves into the micro-pores of the clear coat and if left for long periods of time, this can cause oxidation and clear coat failure. And no one wants that!

At the very least, a traditional wax protection, be it carnauba or synthetic, will do the trick in protecting your paint, but it likely won’t last all winter long. For added durability and longer lasting protection, sealants and ceramics are the way to go. Without getting into the science, sealants and ceramics bond together to create an impenetrable shell around the painted surfaces that is super hydrophobic. This makes washing the car so much easier, and when fallout does land on the vehicle, sometimes you can just blow it off with a leaf blower or other pressurized air.

Rain is also another factor that can drop fallout onto your paint. Rain itself is hard water, but on it’s way down, it grabs fallout and drops it onto your vehicle. This process also leaves micro-particulates on your paint that can stay in the pores of the clear coat. Furthermore, rain can also be the cause of protection not lasting as long as it should. The more your vehicle is exposed to the elements, the shorter time the protection will last.

All in all, having proper protection on your vehicle can go a long way in terms of making your car look better, longer. Not to mention, making it easier to maintain with steady washes.  In the auto detailing industry we use a term called “winterizing your vehicle”. This means getting your vehicle decontaminated by means of clay bar and polishing the paint, then applying a durable protection to the paint, wheels and windows. Paint sealants are the best bang for your buck when it comes to protecting your paint. It can offer quality protection that can get your vehicle through the winter months without breaking the bank.

All of this is even more important if you live in a place like Sacramento, which is dubbed the City of Trees for a reason. From October to February, our vehicles are exposed to constant fallout of some sort. It’s not hard to spot the folks that don’t protect their vehicle’s paint. If you see a car with oxidation on the hood, roof or trunk, this is likely caused by years of neglect and lack or protection. When we get a rainy day, you can spot the vehicles with quality protection when the water buildup beads up like the photo above.