How Dust Storms Can Damage Your Car: A Guide for Desert Drivers

October 27, 2022

If you live in the desert or have just driven through, you’ve probably experienced a dust storm. Dust storms can put a lot of dirt on your car, and you might just feel like leaving it there. After all, some dusty dirt can’t hurt your car, right?

Think again… 

Dirt can hurt your car’s paint significantly. All of that dust slamming into the car can chip away at the paint and then leave a nasty layer of dirt on the outside when the storm is over. When dirt is left on car paint, anything touching it can scratch the paint underneath. This is because if the dust is moved, it scrapes on the surface of the paint, which can cause small scratches and damage the clear coat.

Once that clear coat is worn away, your car will look much duller, and your paint will be exposed to take even more damage. This vicious cycle will continue the longer you let damage go on until you’re down to the bare metal. When the metal takes damage, your car’s body itself will then start to get worn down, reducing the car’s overall lifespan.

Additionally, dirt isn’t necessarily the only thing carried in a dust storm; dust storms can carry other manners of debris as well, such as bugs, that are sticky and can get stuck to car paint, causing even more damage.

So, next time wash your car after a dust storm! 

At Super Star Car Wash, we even offer additional paint protection in some of our washes, such as wax and ceramic coating. Wax provides a protective layer over the top of the paint, while a ceramic coating will bond to the paint itself, providing better protection and lasting even longer than wax.

So don’t let a dust storm ruin your car’s perfectly good paint. Visit your nearest Super Star location after a dust storm to get it looking good as new!