Will the sun damage the paint on my car?

As we know, the sun can be harmful to human skin, so we use sunscreen or wear a hat to protect ourselves. The sun’s rays can also be harmful to your vehicle’s paint. Over time, the paint will fade or oxidize from the sun beating on it. Since we protect our skin, we should also protect our vehicle’s paint. 

If it is possible, an easy and simple way to protect your vehicle from sun damage is to park it in the garage. If you do not have a garage, you can try to park your vehicle in an area that is mostly shade on your driveway. Other ways you can protect your vehicle’s paint is by washing it regularly and using wax. By washing your vehicle often you are cleaning off any harmful contaminants like bird poop, salt, and grime. Having a dirty vehicle accelerates sun damage. Applying wax on your vehicle helps stop pollutants from adhering to your paint, thus aiding in sun protection. 

We here at Jerry Noonan’s Auto Center hope this information helps as you protect your vehicle this Summer!

What do I do if my car is hydroplaning?

Have you ever felt like you skidded while driving on a wet surface? If so, you most likely experienced hydroplaning.

Hydroplaning is uncontrollable sliding on a wet surface. Basically your tires have lost their grip on the road and encountered more water than they can scatter. 

Hydroplaning occurs from a combination of standing water on the road, car speed and under inflated or worn tires. It can cause some very undesirable, and sometimes dangerous situations. You could lose control of your vehicle and your steering ability causing your vehicle to turn sideways, veer off into other lanes, or off the road completely. The first 10 minutes of a light rain can be the most dangerous time for hydroplaning. The light rain mixes with oil residue on the road surface and creates slippery conditions that can cause vehicles to hydroplane. Especially vehicles traveling over 35 miles per hour. 

How to handle your vehicle when hydroplaning:

1. Remain calm and slow down. Avoid the natural urge to slam on your brakes.
2. Use a light pumping action on the pedal if you need to brake. If you have anti-lock brakes, you can brake normally.
3. Once you've regained control of your car, take a minute or two to calm yourself down.

The following are important tips to avoid hydroplaning:

• Keep your tires properly inflated
• Rotate and replace tires when necessary
• Slow down when roads are wet: the faster you drive, the harder it is for your tires to scatter the water
• Stay away from puddles and standing water
• Avoid driving in outer lanes where water tends to accumulate
• Try to drive in the tire tracks left by the cars in front of you
• Turn off cruise control
• Drive in a lower gear
• Avoid hard braking
• Try not to make sharp or quick turns

The best defense against hydroplaning is to make sure you have good tires and to maintain them properly. Have your tire’s tread depth and air pressure checked on a regular basis as well as rotating them during each oil change.

Am I safe in my car during a lightning storm?

Yesterday New Jersey experienced a very wicked storm. It was actually a cluster of thunderstorms called a derecho. These types of storms are very rare and can produce a lot of damage. The storm had buckets of rain, thunder, lightning, and crazy wind. If you happened to be driving during the storm, you might have been worried if you were safe in your vehicle. As a kid I was told that you were safe in your vehicle during lighting because of the rubber tires. Well that is not exactly the reason. 

If lightning strikes and you are in your vehicle, you are not protected because of your tires, they act more of a conductor than an insulator. You are safe because the lightning will travel around your vehicle and then strike the ground. In this instance your vehicle is acting like a Faraday Cage. This was a discovery found by Michael Faraday. He found out that items inside a metal cage that was struck by a strong electrical current, were unharmed. So your vehicle, being mostly made from metal, will act as a conductor; the lightning will be safely discharged to the ground. 

If you would like to read more about lightning safety, please check out the article here. 

Tip Thursday: Checking AC Temperature

The first day of Summer is just next month, time flies when you are in quarantine. Well since the warmer weather is just around the corner, we are going to start to be using our AC again. Air Conditioning is something we really do rely on to keep us cool when driving. There is nothing like that crisp air blowing on your face on a 90 degree day. You would not want that AC blowing hot, would you? I hope your answer is no, because I certainly would not want that. Checking to make sure that your AC is blowing the correct temperature is actually really easy. 

All you need to do is turn your vehicle on and let the AC run. Then you are going to want to take a thermometer and put it in the center air duct on your dashboard. Once the thermometer is in there, you would need to read it. As long as the temperature is between 40-45 degrees, your Ac is working perfectly fine. If your temperature reads above that range, you might want to get a recharge on your AC. 

We here at Jerry Noonan’s Auto Center are wishing you a happy and safe Summer season!

What can happen to my car battery as it sits?

A lot of us are home these days, which is not a norm for some. Usually we have the freedom to go about to the store, movies, restaurants, and even work.

Being that we are home, our cars are sitting at home too.  This could potentially be a problem for your car battery.  The battery in your car can still be drained even when the car is off and just sitting.  There are electrical components that are always running whether your car is on or off, like the security system.  There are also a few other factors that could affect your battery's health:

Weather/ Climate

Depending on where you live and the season, the weather can affect your battery. Right now our climate is pretty mild, it has been pretty cool so far this Spring, but it is going to start to heat up. Extreme weather conditions could shorten your battery’s life, whether it is the heat or the cold.

Type of Vehicle

If you drive a higher end vehicle like a BMW or Mercedes, you tend to have a lot of bells and whistles.  There are multiple onboard computers and energy guzzling accessories that are constantly on in the background, whether the car is on or not. These components can drain your battery’s life quickly when the car is sitting.

Battery Life

Typically, the average lifespan of a battery is 4-5 years. If you have had your battery for a while, say 4 years and it sits, there is a higher chance that it will die because it is near the end of its life.

It is a good idea to start your vehicle every so often to get everything circulated and even drive it around the block so that the battery can charge back up. The key is trying to not let your vehicle sit too long.

 Everyone here at Jerry Noonan’s Auto Center hopes that you are staying safe during these times, and if you do have any battery issues, we are here to help.

How is pollen harmful to my vehicle?

Pollen comes around each year in the spring and usually drives our allergies crazy. It also covers everything we have outside including our vehicles. Pollen could actually be harmful to our vehicles' paint due to its high acidity level. Pollen can cause early oxidation of your paint. When it rains, the pollen’s acidity is activated and begins to wear down your vehicle’s paint. It is very important to try to wash your vehicle when you do see pollen on it.

An easy way to remove the pollen off your vehicle is to spray the top of the vehicle with a hose. You want to work your way from top to bottom making sure you get all the areas. Once the pollen is all removed you can put some detailing spray on your vehicle. Wipe the detailing spray off with a microfiber cloth. Using the detailing spray will make your vehicle have a gloss on it and deter the pollen from sticking.

Here at Jerry Noonan’s Auto Center, we would like to extend our well wishes and thoughts with all of you during this time. We hope you are continuing to stay home and safe!

How do I clean bird poop off my car?

Warmer weather is finally here and that means the birds are back! Birds are beautiful little critters, but they unfortunately poop on our vehicles. Bird droppings can be difficult to clean off and could potentially damage your car. The acidity in the poop could affect your paint. It is important to make sure that if you notice any bird droppings on your vehicle that you remove it as soon as you can. 

If you do notice any droppings on your vehicle check to see if they are still wet. Removing them when wet is much simpler. If they have dried a good tip is to moisten it with a damp cloth. Once it is wet, gently wipe the droppings off, being sure to not scrape when wiping. Repeat this process until needed and this should take care of the droppings! Make sure you thoroughly wash your hands after doing this.

On a nice day like today, being that a lot of us are at home, take a stroll out to your driveway and check your vehicles for any possible bird droppings. The sooner you clean them off the better your vehicle will be. We here at Jerry Noonan’s Auto Center all hope that you are continuing to stay well!