How to Care for Your Car After Being in Smoky Weather

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How to Care for Your Car After Being in Smoky Weather
By: Luke Shaff ~ 9/24/2020


As the year 2020 winds down and keeps hitting us with one thing after another, many of us have been affected by the wildfires, through the smoke and the damage. It has made many families evacuate their homes and has destroyed and taken away people’s homes and memories. Our hearts go out to those who have been directly affected by these fires.  We also want to take a moment to thank all the Firefighters and EMT's and everyone who has been helping to fight these wildfires.

With, everyone’s car going through the smoke, and in some cases our cars have collected ash and soot.  You do not want to take your car to the car wash right away after the smoke leaves. This can damage your car, you will want to do the following BEFORE taking it to the car wash.

  • Dust your car off with a soft bristle brush (just like if there was snow on your car!) Even if you are not seeing ash or soot, there could still be particles of it, and this is what will damage your paint if just taking it to the car wash right away
    • Only dust your car off with a brush if it is completely dry. If it has been raining or there is dew on your car, you will want to just move to the next step as wiping it down while wet with ash and soot could scratch away the paint
  • Next, you will want to rinse your car off with WARM water, this helps break down those particles (make sure you get your BLOGPOST_SmokeyCity.jpgwindshield wipers, as the minute you turn those on without rinsing, you could potentially scratch your windshield)
  • Use a microfiber rag to wipe down your entire car with the warm water (again, make sure to get all your windshield wipers)
  • After all of this is down, you will be ready to take it to a car wash, and let it do its thing!

While you are out, if you have been driving your car while it has been very smoky or you live in a smoky area, ensure you are replacing and checking your air filters as these will get much more dirty, much more quickly.

A quick tip during the year is to wax and polish your car every few months, this helps with protecting your cars paint job when situations like this happen!

Call Luke’s Automotive today to have your air filters checked and replaced if necessary! We are open Monday through Friday!