Will the Sun Damage Your BMW’s Paint?

There’s nothing quite like rays of summer sunlight glinting off your car’s freshly waxed paint job, but that sunlight isn’t just good for pictures — it could be damaging your BMW’s paint job. How can you keep that stylish paint job in good shape without relegating your car to night driving?

Wash, Dry and Wax

The best thing you can do to protect your car’s paint job is to treat it well. First, wash your car with a soft cloth and a paint-friendly soap. Don’t use dish soap or any other suds-generating product you might have lying around the garage. These products are perfect for cleaning your dishes, but they contain abrasive qualities that can damage your paint’s clear coat and expose the paint to harsh UV rays.

Once you’re done washing and rinsing, dry your vehicle off with a chamois or microfiber cloth. Chances are, you’re not washing your car with filtered water, so leaving your car to air dry could also be leaving deposits of minerals or other contaminants to dry on your car.

Finally, put a good coat of wax on your car — in the shade or preferably in your garage. Putting wax on your car is akin to putting sunscreen on your skin. It protects your paint from the UV rays that can cause it to fade, weaken and peel. Just like sunscreen, you need to reapply it frequently to get the best protection possible.

Over time, sun exposure will damage your BMW’s paint. Treat your paint job like your skin and protect it as best you can from UV exposure.

Park in the Garage

We all love to show off our cars by parking them in the driveway or on the street, but parking them in the sun increases the exposure to UV rays. The solution to this is to park your car in the shade, but if that shade comes from a tree, you might find yourself washing your car more often than you’d like, due to pollen and sap falling from the branches.

Carports can be a good alternative, too, but keep in mind that carports won’t fully protect your vehicle from sun exposure. The best option is to park your car in a garage — but we get it. If you’re like most of us, your garage is full of clutter that has no other place in your house, and you just haven’t gotten around to sorting through it.

Need a good reason to clean out your garage and move your car inside? Here are a few. Not only does parking in the garage minimize sun damage to your vehicle, your garage also protects your car from would-be thieves or vandals. Keeping your car out of your driveway even helps improve the curb appeal of your home.

If you don’t have a garage, adding one to your home to protect your BMW and any other cars can be a worthwhile investment. Surveys have found an attached two-car garage can add upwards of $30,000 worth of value to your home, while a one-car attached garage or even a detached one can add between $15,000 and $20,000 in home value.

Keeping your BMW out of the sun all the time isn’t going to be an option — and we wouldn’t want it to be. Enjoy driving your car in the sunlight. Just make sure you take the time to protect your investment from the UV rays. A good wash and wax can do just that, but parking in the garage when you’re not driving is easily the best step you can take.