What Are the 5 Main Causes of Fading Auto Paint?

River North Collision Repair • August 4, 2022

As a body shop in Chicago specializing in paint jobs and exterior repairs, we know a lot about what can cause auto paint to lose its luster. We’ve compiled a list of the main causes of fading auto paint so that you can be proactive in protecting your vehicle’s exterior.

Sunlight

Without a doubt, one of the main causes of fading auto paint is the thing we see and encounter every day, the sun. The sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays can inflict damage on a vehicle’s exterior over time, as they cause the paint to oxidize and fade.

Always park in a garage or an area with a shaded cover if you can. If you don’t have a garage, consider investing in a car cover—they’re affordable and do the job of keeping your vehicle out of the sun.

Salt

Salt and paint don’t mix well, so ideally, you’d keep it off your vehicle as much as possible. Ocean salt can be challenging if you live near the beach. How do you protect your car from the air?

You can’t eliminate the salt from the air, but you can provide a tougher shield for your vehicle with a coat of carnauba wax or paint protection film. A protective coating is essential to prevent salt from the air—or the road if you live in a colder area—from sticking to and eroding your car’s paint.

Scratchy Brushes

You want to get the dirt, dust, and salt off your vehicle’s exterior, but you’ll want to avoid those quick, drive-through carwashes. The coarse bristles of an automated carwash are great for scraping off dirt, but they can also strip away your vehicle’s protective coating.

Pro-Tip: Handwash your vehicle and dry it off with a microfiber cloth or chamois to preserve its paint job.

Abrasive Cleaners

One of the most common mistakes in caring for a vehicle is washing the exterior with dish soap. It can clean pots and pans, so it’s suitable for your car, right? Wrong.

Dish soap contains harmful chemicals that can strip away the protective coating on your vehicle and fade the paint. Always use a cleaning detergent designed for cars. You can find them at practically any auto store.

Air Pollution

Salt isn’t the only thing in the air that can harm your vehicle’s exterior. Air pollution is another common cause of fading paint. The exhaust from vehicles and other fossil-burning machines puts carbon in the air, which can cause scarring and oxidation within a vehicle’s exterior.

If you live in a densely populated city with lots of traffic, you might want to consider a ceramic coating or paint protection film to keep the pollution off your car’s paint.

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Why Ignoring Small Dents Can Lead to Bigger Problems

January 30, 2026

It is an awful feeling when you walk out to your car after a long day and see a small dent on your passenger door. While it may appear to be just a cosmetic issue, you should still get it fixed, because ignoring small dents can lead to bigger problems for your vehicle. Don’t let small dents on your car go untreated; let's talk about why you need to tackle these issues ASAP. Rust Loves Chicago Winters We all know the drill here in the Windy City. We have beautiful summers, sure, but we also pay the price with brutal winters. And what comes with winter? Salt. Tons of it. Your car’s paint job acts as a suit of armor protecting the metal body underneath. Even a minor dent often comes with microscopic cracks in the paint—sometimes too small to see with the naked eye. Once that seal is broken, moisture and road salt sneak in. They settle against the bare metal and start a chemical party you definitely don’t want to host. Oxidation begins immediately. By the time you notice bubbling paint or that tell-tale orange stain a few months later, the rust has already been eating away at your door panel from the inside out. Resale Value Takes a Nosedive For many people, maintaining their car is a valuable part of purchasing a new vehicle. When that day comes, curb appeal is everything. Used car buyers (and dealership appraisers) will judge your car by its exterior appearance. If they see a vehicle riddled with door dings, bumper scrapes, and ignored scratches, they see a car that wasn't cared for. They assume that if you didn't care enough to fix the outside, you probably didn't care about the rest of it either. It lowers the perceived value instantly. Maintaining your car’s body and its paint is an investment in your future trade-in value. Paint Damage Spreads Like a Virus When a dent or scrape compromises the integrity of the paint, the surrounding paint loses its grip. High-pressure car washes, wind, and temperature fluctuations cause the paint to flake away from the initial injury site. A scratch the size of a quarter can grow into a patch the size of a softball over a couple of seasons. It’s Easier (and Cheaper) Than You Think Here is the good news: fixing these things early is surprisingly affordable. Modern body shop technology is amazing. For many small dings where the paint isn't cracked, we can use techniques that massage the metal back into place without spraying a drop of paint. River North Collision Repair offers paintless dent repair in Chicago to fix minor dents. Regardless of what nicked your door, we can help remove the dents and maintain a seamless look for your vehicle. Don’t Wait for Problems Don't let minor dents turn into a big nightmare. Save your future self the headache (and the cash). Swing by River North Collision Repair for your quick and easy repairs. Because driving a car you’re proud of? That’s a feeling you can’t put a price on.