What Gulf Coast Sun, Sprinklers and Love Bugs Do to Your Car

Jonesy Auto Detailing's own line about the exterior detail is blunt: Florida is subject to some harsh weather, and that is why the service exists. Anyone who has parked outside in Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch or Sarasota for a summer knows what that means. The same car in a garage in another state would age at a different pace.

Here is the short list of what Gulf Coast conditions do to a car, in plain terms, and where protection makes a difference. This is general detailing knowledge, not a promise about any one product.

The sun

Paint has a clear coat on top, and the clear coat takes the sun. Years of strong sunlight dry it out and dull it, and on older cars you will see the finish go cloudy or chalky on the roof, hood and trunk lid, the panels that face straight up.

The inside takes a beating too. The dashboard, door tops and leather seats sit behind glass and get hot. Dry plastic fades and can crack, and leather loses its oils, gets stiff and starts to show creases. Sunlight also fades fabric over time. A coating on the paint and a conditioner or protectant on the interior surfaces slow all of this down. That is why Jonesy's interior detail includes leather cleaning and conditioning along with fabric and leather protection, and the exterior detail ends with a sealant on every exterior surface.

Sprinkler water spots

If your car parks near the lawn or the neighbor's lawn, you may know this one well. Sprinkler water carries minerals. When the water dries in the sun, the water leaves and the minerals stay behind as white rings on the paint and glass. Left alone, mineral spots can etch into the clear coat and become impossible to wipe off.

One Google reviewer, Dearl Duncan, wrote that his wife's car was deeply water spotted and that it looked new again after Brandon worked on it. Heavy spotting is where decontamination does its job, using clay and chemistry to remove what a wash can't. Prevention is easier: park out of the sprinkler's reach, or ask whoever manages your landscaping to adjust the heads so they stay off the driveway. If you can't avoid it, drying the car soon after it gets wet helps.

Love bugs and other bugs

When love bugs are flying, the front of every car in the county looks the same. Bug remains are acidic, and if they bake onto the bumper, hood and mirrors, they can mark the clear coat. The longer they sit in the heat, the harder they are to remove.

The practical advice is to rinse or wipe them off soon, using a soft microfiber and plenty of water so you aren't scrubbing dry bug against paint. A protected surface helps because the remains don't grip as hard. Jonesy's exterior detail has a bug detail line of its own for the ones that have already baked on.

Salt air and humidity

Close to the Gulf, the air carries salt, and salt speeds up corrosion on bare metal, exposed hardware and brake components. It settles on the paint, wheels and under the car, and humidity keeps it active. The wheels and wheel wells are the first places to show it. Regular rinsing helps, and a thorough wheel, wheel well and tire detail clears out what builds up where you can't see it.

Humidity is a problem inside the car as well. Damp carpet and fabric after a wet day, a spill or a beach trip can develop a musty smell. Drying things out quickly, and having fabric treated and protected, keeps it from becoming a project.

What protection actually does

A sealant or protective coating is a sacrificial layer. It takes the sun, the water spots and the bug acid instead of the clear coat taking them. It also makes washing easier, because contamination doesn't bond as tightly to a sealed surface. Jonesy's exterior detail uses a long-term ceramic wax sealant, and the company says protection can last for months, even years, depending on the product. The range is wide because it depends on the product and on how the car is cared for afterward.

No coating makes a car immune. It buys you time and makes the regular upkeep easier. You still need to wash the car and deal with bugs and spots when they happen.

A simple routine for Gulf Coast owners

• Park in shade or a garage when you can, and use a windshield shade in summer.
• Rinse off love bugs soon after a drive instead of letting them cook.
• Keep the car out of sprinkler range, and dry it if it does get hit.
• Rinse the wheels and lower body regularly if you live near the water.
• Wipe the dashboard and condition leather instead of letting it dry out.
• Air out the car and dry any damp spots quickly.

Getting ahead of it

If your paint feels rough, the finish has gone dull, or the inside has started to look tired, a detail resets the car and puts protection back on. Exterior Car Detailing starts at $175 and Interior Car Detailing at $180, with the full price sheet on the Pricing page. Complete Car Detailing, which bundles both, starts at $210.

Brandon Jones will come to your driveway across Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch and Sarasota. Call (941) 713-2088 if you want to talk through what your car needs.