“Wear and Tear” is a broad term that means different things depending on where you live and what kind of elements are regularly impacting your vehicle.
East Texas mechanics like Stewart’s Donnybrook Automotive in Tyler, Texas know that wear and tear on a car, truck, or SUV in East Texas can mean a range of things but focusing on knowing when it’s time to go in to your local mechanic for repairs or maintenance can save you money and keep your car in top condition cosmetically and mechanically.
Cosmetic wear and tear is inevitable if you own a vehicle for a prolonged period of time. This is especially true if you live in a place with a lot of sun exposure such as East Texas. Sun is hard on your vehicle’s exterior. Prolonged exposure to UV rays can cause your vehicle’s paint to fade and even cause fading on the upholstery and other interior parts of your car as well. Certain parts of your vehicle are more exposed and take the brunt of sun exposure such as the roof, hood, and the lid of your trunk.
If you don’t have access to indoor parking and your vehicle is five years old or older, you might be noticing paint fading. If you have a garage or other covering, parking your car in a covered space can make a big difference when it comes to wear and tear from the sun.
Read more about the do’s and don’ts of washing your car.
Be careful if you park your car beneath a tree or trees for access to shade. Trees do help protect from UV exposure, but they can cause serious damage in other ways such as if there’s a storm and the tree or branches fall onto or scratch your vehicle.
Trees can also damage your car’s paint in multiple ways:
We’ve all had it happen: the “door ding.” Chances are you’ve been on both sides of that situation because these minor dents and scratches provided they aren’t bigger than an inch or two are considered expected normal wear and tear on cars and trucks.
East Texas has large storms and sometimes damaging hail. It’s not unusual for an East Texas mechanic to see hail damage on vehicles. The same guidelines apply: as long as it’s not bigger than two inches and hasn’t created any major paint damage, chances are you won’t get “dinged” for those dents if you choose to sell your vehicle.
If you do notice a scratch or dent, it’s good to take it in to a local auto mechanic shop so they can advise you on whether it needs to be fixed immediately or not. Scratches left over time can deteriorate further, causing more damage to the vehicle’s paint.
If you spend a lot of time in your vehicle, chances are it’s experiencing some normal interior wear and tear. Especially if you have kids.
If you’re a frequent commuter, your seats might have slight indentations from the weight of your body, or the seats may be starting to show wear from regular sitting in other ways.
This and other small incidents to the upholstery, leather, or fabric of the seats and interior are expected. However, major stains, tears, pulls, or other noticeable physical or aesthetic damage to the interior won’t be considered normal wear and tear.
In addition to the interior, using your vehicle often also causes wear on your car or truck’s engine, the floors, and the interior handles, knobs, and buttons that are used every day.
The good news is that you can mitigate the damage by being aware and keeping up with regular vehicle maintenance.
If you’ve been driving a vehicle for a while but want to minimize normal wear and tear as much as possible to help maintain the car or truck’s value, it’s necessary to bring it to your auto mechanic for regular maintenance.
When a vehicle is used and even when it isn’t, deterioration occurs and over time you will need to change filters, get oil changes, switch windshield wipers, fix the air conditioner, replace a belt, etc. It’s not keeping up with the regular maintenance and fixing the issues that pop up that causes vehicle damage to move beyond the framework of “normal wear and tear” and into real damage that could cause the car’s value to decrease.
While minor repairs, routine maintenance, and regular oil changes cost money at the outset, they save you money in the long run.
Not sure whether a fix is worth it? Read how to decide if a repair is worth it on an older car.
If you’re wanting to keep your vehicle in top working condition, looking its’ best, contact your local East Texas auto shop today.
