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Car Care

How to Keep Your BMW From Getting Scratches

A new BMW is sleek, sexy and has a presence that can’t be imitated or duplicated by any other car brand in the world. We do everything we can to keep our BMWs in good shape — washing the exterior, detailing the interior and performing regular maintenance to keep the engine running smoothly. 

While we can’t always avoid scratches, there are plenty of things we can do to prevent the ones that can lead to costly repairs.

Park It Indoors

Even if you’re in an area that isn’t prone to things like hailstorms, parking outside could still be detrimental to the health of your paint. Sticks and sand can get picked up by the wind and can scratch up your clearcoat. 

Bird droppings are one of the worst culprits. Animal droppings are corrosive and can cause more damage the longer they are allowed to sit.

You can’t always avoid bird droppings, especially when driving. However, if you notice that a passing feathered friend has left you a nice gift on your car, wash it off as soon as possible. 

Inspect Car Washes First

While washing your car by hand is the best choice, we don’t always have the time to do that, so we’re left with automatic car washes. While these businesses aren’t inherently evil when it comes to scratches, you need to be careful when choosing your car wash. Brushes can pick up sand and dirt from other cars, turning into sandpaper, which can leave fine scratches all over your BMW. 

Make sure the carwash you choose is well maintained and kept clean. Skipping this step could cost you a lot of money in the long run as you’re stuck repairing the paint. 

Be Mindful of What Is in Your Garage

Even if you have room to store your car in your garage, these rooms tend to become a catch-all for lots of things. Be mindful of what you’re storing in your garage if you want to prevent scratches on your BMW. Hazardous chemicals could burst as temperatures rise or fall, causing untold damage to the exterior of your favorite Bimmer. 

Also, be careful of anything that could potentially fall on your BMW. Anything from Christmas decorations to gardening tools can damage your paint. 

Take or Stow Your Valuables

Even if you lock your car, leaving valuables like phones, purses, wallets or laptops in plain sight is just asking for someone to bust your window. Thieves aren’t going to be careful to avoid scratching your paint when they’re making off with your goodies. 

If possible, remove all your valuables from your car when you arrive at your destination. If you can’t take them with you, stash them out of sight. Don’t make your vehicle a target for thieves, and you won’t have to worry about them scratching your paint while they’re stealing all your toys. 

Always Be Careful

It’s not always possible to make your BMW scratchproof, but you can take steps to reduce the risk and help protect your investment.

Car Care

How to Keep Your BMW From Getting Scratched

Purchasing a BMW is an investment, whether you’re buying one new off the lot or getting one secondhand. The last thing you want on your new, or new-to-you, BMW are scratches on that beautiful paint job. How can you keep your BMW from getting scratched, even if you drive it every day?

Don’t Skimp on the Car Wash Supplies

It might be tempting to wash your new BMW with whatever you have on hand — even if that’s just dish soap and an old washcloth.

Stop right there — especially if your car is a darker color.

For one thing, dish soap is designed to be a degreaser. It’s good for getting baked-on food off your favorite pans, but not so good for your car’s finish. It will strip away anything that’s protecting your paint job.

Invest in some good car wash soap, and use high-quality microfiber cloths to wash your car. If you’ve got two buckets handy, set one up for your dirty rinse water and one for your clean soapy water. That keeps any dirt or debris you wash off the car from sticking to your washcloth or sponge and scratching the paint.

Dark cars are the worst for this sort of thing — it doesn’t take much to get myriad cobweb-like scratches on your car’s surface. Be careful, and don’t be cheap with your supplies.

Be Sure to Apply Wax

A good car wax is a must to keep your paint protected. Think of it as sunscreen for your car. You wouldn’t go to the beach without protecting your skin, so you shouldn’t take your car out without protecting it as well.

Pick a good-quality wax you like and make sure you reapply it a few times a year. If you’ve got a black or darker-colored car, look for a wax that’s designed for darker paint. Not only does it protect better, but it’s also formulated to make your car look downright stunning.

Be Smart When You Park

Be prepared to walk — your parking skills might be great, but you can’t vouch for anyone else in any given parking lot. Instead of putting your paint job at risk by parking close to the store, park further away, where there are fewer cars. Sure, you’ll have to walk a bit more, but it’s worth it to keep some random person from knocking into your bumper or dinging your car door when they open theirs too hard.

This is especially important when it comes to long-term parking, such as at the airport. If you’re going to park for a while, make sure you pick a reputable parking lot, and put a good layer of wax on your car before you take it in. It might not be able to stop a determined vandal, but a good layer of wax can shrug off an accidental door ding or other minor contact damage.

Empty Your Car

This should be something you do no matter where you park. If your car is somewhere that is frequented by people, make sure you take all your valuables and belongings out of it before you park. Thieves aren’t trying to protect your paint job when they’re breaking into your car to steal your phone, tablet or laptop because you left it in plain sight.

Take everything with you — even chargers. If you absolutely must leave your valuables in your car, place them in your trunk or somewhere else completely out of sight. You can also opt for a car safe that you can use to lock up your belongings while you’re away.

Sometimes, taking care of your paint with a good wash and wax is all you need to do to keep your BMW from picking up a few stray scratches. It won’t prevent humans from intentionally damaging your car, but it does wonders to protect against accidental damage and regular wear and tear so you can drive your favorite BMW anywhere and everywhere.