Hello pro’s! I want to thank you all for responding to my recent post. I am new to the site and learning its functionality. So bare with me if I delayed in responding to your questions, as I havent figured out yet how to reply to all comments at once.
So I received 4 sets of Vozzen aluminum wheels for my 2012 Toyota Camry SE to enhance its appearance. These wheels are costly, and thanks to family members - they were the ones who purchased the dream wheels for me as a gift. I am not a rich guy, and I don’t have the fund to make massive and unnecessary repairs on my car, so it is imperative that I take good care of what I own.
The Snow and Salt in NewYork.
Every December I would remove the flashy Vozzen wheels before the snow and salt take action and put back the stock wheels on the car. However, this is becoming tiresome, and I would like to know if there are any effective products, such as a wax, that protect the wheels during winter. Do you know of a brand/kind? What do you recommend in this case?
Also. my headlamps beginning to change color. They look white-ish now. How do I fix this without replacing the whole headlamps with new ones? Unfortunately, I dont have a garbage to park my car into, so my car sits outside all the time facing the sun and its UV.
TREE STAINS.
I am forced to park my car under trees at where I live, and this purple liquid off the tree often fall on the car paint. Bird poop also is a problem. Now, my Pearl White Paint has dark spots all over it from the purple liquid and possible bird poop. Are there any effective solutions for this problem except to repaint the whole car?
I wax my car twice yearly. Early Spring and right before winter.
Thank you for reading and helping. Much appreciated.
HID lights will change color just before they go out if that’s what you have. I’ve never in my life waxed my wheels but just use OEM. Guess it couldn’t hurt but wheels are pretty tough. Wash regularly.
Start by trying a clay bar. If that doesn’t help, I’d try a polishing compound next, but you probably want to have that professionally done if you’re not experienced with doing that safely.
If I were forced to park like this, I’d try to keep multiple layers of wax on the horizontal surfaces and of course I’d be washing the car very frequently.
Every fall just before it gets cold, get a bright flashlight and inspect the entire body. You’re looking for chips in the paint, and when you find them, put a couple of coats of touchup paint on them. Cars rust because the paint gets penetrated and then salt and moisture get down to the metal. Keep the metal covered in paint and you’ll ward off the rust, for a few more years anyway. But eventually the rust will win because the salt water will squeeze in underneath the panel and rust it from the inside out.
As far as your wheels go, you’re actually lucky. You have two sets of wheels. Put snow tires on the cheap ones. Now you have winter wheels that can get messed up, and that will give you better traction and reduce the chances of you mangling your car.
Tree sap: If you can’t get it off by normal means, pour some gasoline into a glass dish, and dip a shop rag into it and use that to clean the stains off. Make sure you wash the car thoroughly after you do this, because the gas isn’t good for the paint if it stays on there.
If your car is properly waxed then that stuff shouldn’t stick unless you leave it on there for a long time - to take care of sap that gets on your car between washes, use a quick detailing spray and a microfiber cloth to clean it off as soon as you see it.
And, make sure it’s properly waxed. For your situation I’d be using a high quality carnauba paste wax. My personal preference is Meguiars Gold Class. If the tree is really bad, you might need to think about doing a wax halfway through the summer too. Wipe the wax on, give it a few minutes to cure, then buff it off. Try to go in straight lines as much as possible - the Mr. Miyagi “Wax On/Wax Off” thing will put swirl lines in your paint.
As far as the stains go, I use the clay bar twice a year before waxing but I doubt it will remove stains. You’ll need to try machine buffing with polishing compound or rubbing compound. If you’ve had a good coat of wax, the stains might come off. Otherwise, not much else you can do if the stains are into the paint.
I’ve done a number of sets of headlights with excellent results using automotive polishing compound (from the paint department), a round sponge from a cosmetics department mounted on a drill arbor, a variable speed drill, and a small bucket of water. Put some polishing compound on the lights, dip the sponge in the water, spin the excess off, and polish the lamp surfaces at a modest drill speed as required. Once they’re clear, wash them well and wax them.