Why You Should Clean Pollen Off Your Car

The spring detail of a car dirty from pollen. The hand is cleaning it with a wet rag.

Because you love your car, you have the oil changed, tires rotated, and fluids filled regularly. In addition, you frequently take it to the car wash, so it always looks great. Despite all that care, did you know pollen can damage your vehicle? As for scheduled maintenance, always turn to a trusted source like Barbour-Hendrick Honda Greenville in Greenville, North Carolina.

Exterior Damage

Millions of people struggle with allergies every spring. However, not only is pollen bad for them, but it’s also bad for cars. Especially if you live in a part of the country with high pollen counts, you know firsthand that it leads to sniffling and runny eyes. At the same time, it can damage the surface of your car.

That’s because pollen consists of microscopic hooks that can cling onto most anything. In addition, pollen is acidic. That means if it gets on your car and you don’t clean it immediately, it can cause ugly stains. Moreover, if activated by water, pollen can strip off both paint and clear coat. As you can imagine, that would cost a pretty penny to fix.

Interior Damage

Along with damaging your car’s exterior, pollen can wreak havoc inside the cabin. Whether you drive with the windows down or the air conditioning on, the tiny spores find their way into the interior. It’ll stick to things inside just as it does on the outside. Even worse, it seeps into every nook and crevice.

Before you know it, pollen will cover your dashboard, windows, seats, armrests; you name it. With it inside your car, you’ll likely notice even worse allergy symptoms.

Viable Solutions

As you can see, you don’t want pollen on or in your vehicle. While you cannot do much to prevent that from happening, you can remove it without much effort.

For the exterior, you have several options. For example, you can buy a quality cleaner and hand wash your car. Expect to use some elbow grease to remove it. After washing, rinse your vehicle. To avoid making your allergies worse, use a hand mitt. That way, if you accidentally touch your face, you won’t notice. After washing and rinsing, wipe your car down using a microfiber cloth.

After removing the pollen residue, add a second clear coat. Even with that, you’ll need to apply quality wax. For one thing, the wax will protect your car from future pollen. For another, it’ll restore it to how it looked before the problem.

Regarding your vehicle’s interior, the best thing you can do is install a new cabin air filter. You should have this done once a year as part of maintenance. However, when pollen strikes, there’s no reason to wait.

In addition, you can either clean the inside of your car, including air vents and other small spaces or have it detailed. Also, make sure all the windows close properly. Any gap will let pollen seep back inside.

Turn to the Pros for Car Maintenance

For all your car’s maintenance, including changing the cabin air filter, contact Barbour-Hendrick Honda Greenville in Greenville, North Carolina. It has an excellent service center with work performed by certified technicians.

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