Drivers are being urged to remove fallen leaves from their vehicles immediately this winter or risk incurring serious expense or even render a car illegal to drive. Car care experts say that fallen leaves could lead to expensive repair costs.
They can ruin bodywork, clog air filters and even cause electric fires. According to LiquidTech, such issues could cost thousands of pounds to repair.
One of the most common issues is paintwork rot caused by leaving leaves on your vehicle for too long. Leaves can leach acidic tree sap that can damage paintwork leading to expensive repairs.
Meanwhile, debris can clog windscreen washer nozzles. This makes driving your vehicle illegal until the debris is removed.
A build-up of leaves under the bonnet can also be costly. They can clog the air filter will can cause irreparable damage.
According to a spokesman from LiquidTech, leaf removal must be done carefully and with regularity to reduce the risk of costly damage to your vehicle. He said: “October is the month when most leaves are dropped so we recommend starting routine leaf clearance from your vehicle immediately.
“It’s important to regularly clear leaves from the base of the windscreen and check under the bonnet to remove any debris that could pose a fire risk. Wet leaves can be a big problem as they stick to bodywork, damaging your car’s paint leading to expensive repairs, such as a full respray.
“Avoid parking under trees if at all possible, especially if the vehicle will be left for a long time as leaves can accumulate quickly. Removing leaves from a vehicle must be done carefully to avoid further damage to the vehicle by either picking them out by hand or using a leaf blower.
However the spokesman advises motorists to be careful when choosing cleaning products to remove any tree sap and other residue on a vehicle. He added: “To be safe, always choose the right cleaners and protectants for the job at hand, with a ph neutral decontaminant ideal for removing acidic residue from exterior surfaces.
“To further protect paintwork it is worth considering a ceramic detailer which can also reduce the number of times you need to wash your vehicle. To further protect a car’s paint through winter, waxing before the bad weather sets in is highly recommended.”