We recently had a customer with massive blotches on his hood. He explained he had no idea what had happened to his paint. As experienced professionals- we knew EXACTLY what happened. Thus giving us a great topic to discuss in this months blog.

The following are ways to keep your paint in mint condition.

#1 Bird Droppings

The customer with the massive blotches on his hood were cased by bird poop. Droppings contain uric acid, and is strong enough to eat past your wax coating. If you don't have a layer of wax, the damage will go straight to corroding your paint.

#2 Bugs

Given their small size, bugs may not be high on your radar when it comes to your car, however, like bird poop, they also contain uric acid and will cause your paint to corrode.

#3 Sap

You might be tempted to seek shade on a nice warm day this summer, but sap is terrible for your car and difficult to get off your paint. If you can opt for a building as opposed to a tree- do your car a favor and save yourself some time.

#4 Water Spots

Sprinklers and acid rain may not be a threat in your daily life, but when water spots make their way onto your car, it becomes a problem. Water contains minerals and chemicals that not only damage your paint, but also damage your windows and plastic coverings.

#5 Avoid Spills 

Many fluids such as antifreeze, oil, transmission fluid, gas and windshield washer fluid may seem car friendly products, after all they are made for your car, but the chemicals they contain aren't paint friendly and can easily affect your paint if left unattended for a long period of time.


All the above are tough on your paint, make sure not to use your finger nails to remove any debris found on your vehicle and only use products specifically for cars, nice cold water and clean microfiber towels to dry off your car. If you ever need a new paint job, please consider visiting us here at EC Professional Auto Body, we would be happy to help.

Like most people, choosing the best for your vehicle is fundamental for its longevity. However, understanding your engine and your investment, will better facilitate you in knowing how to keep your vehicle running longer meanwhile making sound investments.

Understanding Your Vehicle Better

Diesel or Octane Fuel?
If your vehicle requires Diesel, it should not come to any surprise to you, as it is regularly stated in the process of purchasing your diesel fueled vehicle. Unlike unleaded fuel, it does not require spark. If you utilize unleaded fuel in a diesel fueled vehicle (or vice versa), your car will stop working and will require a list of repairs. This includes but is not limited to draining of the fuel, cleaning, refueling and repairs to the engine.

Is Your Car a High Performance Vehicle?
Each vehicle functions differently. If your car is considered a high performance vehicle, the higher grade of octane it  will require. To find out if your car is a high performance vehicle, check your owners manual, or  the gas cap next time your car is due for more fuel. If the grade is Premium- it is considered a high performance vehicle, and should only use 91-93 octane rating fuel.

Why Octane Rating Matters
The level of octane indicates your vehicles compression ratio; the higher the octane, the higher the compression ratio. And you've probably guessed it- the lower the octane, the lower the compression ratio. When your vehicle is functioning, a mixture or air and octane works together with your spark plugs to ignite.If the fuel ignites without the assistance of your spark plugs, pinging or knocking may occur. This misfire causes sever damage to your engine. 

Don't Have a Diesel or High Performance Vehicle?
The likelihood of your car functioning any different with higher grade octane vs. lower grade octane might not make a big difference on how your vehicle handles. You will however spend more money on fuel that your engine doesn't necessarily need. If you feel comfortable using higher grade, as opposed to lower grade octane fuel, rest assured the vehicle is structured to handle the variance in octane. As long as you don't reach for the green pump while at the gas station, your vehicle should have no problem starting up just fine.

Many of our customers have asked us to write about ways they can be more environmentally conscious despite not having a green car.

The following are a few methods to help you lead consciously while still driving your vehicle.

1. Washing Your Car

The amount of water used when washing your car from home is estimates to be about 160 liters of water (per wash). If you need a visual on how much water that is- imagine a standard bathtub completely filled with water, for just one wash. Professional car washes have been proven to use far less water, and take up less of your time.

If that isn't enough, according to a recent study conducted by the University of Texas, washing your car from home can leave scratches as deep as 1/10th of the paints actual thickness. Depending on how frequently you wash your car, this can amount to significant amount of damage to your paint.


2. Regular Check Ups

You might be tempted to do your own oil change after every 5,000 miles, but this no longer stands true for all vehicles. Read your owners manual to confirm you are changing your oil adequately, in addition to this there are many components that require attention such as your radiator fluid, air filter, tire pressure, and much more.

Regular check ups results in less pollutants exposed to the environment that can otherwise be properly disposed of and allow your vehicle its longest potential longevity. Failing to tend to your vehicle accordingly will allow room for leaks, excess exhaust matter to be released and will force your car to work harder due to build up; lets not forget that it will consume more fuel, and prologue the possibilities of discovering matters that require your attention, or that of a professionals.


3. Don't Ride Your Clutch

It is very common to make great use of your clutch if you are idling on a steep hill while driving through places like the city of San Francisco. Its important to limit, or abolish this action completely. This alone will allow you to accelerate quicker when conquering the steep hills, decrease the amount of emissions when avoiding balancing the clutch and gas, and will save you money on keeping your original clutch that create less landfill and not to mention gas!

4. Cool Your Vehicle Efficiently

It might make a lot of sense to roll your windows down to cool your car during hot days. A recent study found that this only holds true when driving through streets. When driving with the windows down on freeways, the excess air coming in creates additional pressure causing your vehicle to drag additional weight. Save yourself the hassle, and utilize the AC on the re-circulation feature while driving on freeways, this will recycle the cool air inside your car, save your car the additional energy and release less emissions into the atmosphere. But remember, rolling your windows down when cruising through the streets is a-okay.

5. When Idle, Set Your Vehicle on Neutral

Shifting your car into neutral when sitting idle will reduce the amount of heat carried by the cooling system,  this will increase your gas mileage and decrease your visits to the pump. Just be sure to safely maintain your foot on the break.

6. Lose The Extra Weight

It can be easy to store away personal belongings that you don't want in sight into the trunk of your car, however this extra weight will cause your car to work harder and consume more gas. Take a moment to go through the important items such as your first aid kid, spare tire and necessary tools. While you're at it, make sure to check your spares' PSI and only keep the essentials.

7.  Drive Safely

When working on our clients cars, we often find their seats propped up high. Though this may be necessary to see passed the dashboard, the height creates an illusion that your vehicle is driving slower than its actual speed. Adjusting your seat in a low position will allow you to have a better understanding of how fast you're going. This alone can help avoid accidents especially for bigger vehicles like SUVs' or trucks that tend to flip during sharp turns (when driven too fast), these forms of accidents leave debris such as metals, plastic and liquids that manage their way into large bodies of water.

Did you know that driving with your head lights on during the day decreases the likelihood of accidents by 11% per a Canadian study from 1994.

8. Ask Your Body Shop About Their Products

When taking your vehicle to a body shop for repairs, ask your collision repair shop what products they use. EC Professional Auto Body uses environmentally friendly products such as PPG Envirobase water based paint. Give us a call to get an estimate on any of your vehicles, we would be delighted to work with you to get you back on the road. 

Tire rotation is one of the easiest auto maintenance tasks to accomplish, but is often overlooked.  The tires mounted at the front of the vehicle generally wear faster since they perform extra duty by applying power to the pavement and doing most of the work in turns. Because of this, it is important to regularly rotate your tires a couple times a year so they can wear out evenly and last longer.

With gas prices getting higher and higher, it may be tempting to fill up your engine with cheaper off-brand alternatives; however, how much damage is this really doing to your car? To find out the answer, AAA did an experiment and found significant differences in how quality of gasoline impacts your vehicle.