Fall car care in Atlanta: leaves, sap and the mess you don't notice until spring
Wet leaves, tree sap and cooler mornings all change how a car gets dirty in the fall. Here is what to watch for and when to deal with it.
Fall feels like an easy season for a car. Pollen is gone, the heat has backed off and the vehicle does not look as dirty as it did in April. But the fall mess tends to be quieter, and a lot of it ends up in places you do not look at every day.
Leaves do more than sit on the hood
Dry leaves blow off. Wet leaves stick, and the longer they sit on paint, the more likely they are to leave marks behind as they break down. The bigger issue is where they collect: the cowl below the windshield, door jambs, the edges of the hood and trunk, and around the sunroof.
Those areas have drains. When leaves and debris pack into them, water has a harder time getting out. Clearing that material out early is a lot easier than dealing with it after a winter of rain.
Sap and tree residue are worth handling sooner
Parking under trees is part of living in the Atlanta area. Sap and other residue are much easier to remove while they are fresh than after they have baked on through a few warm afternoons.
Avoid scraping at it with a fingernail or rubbing it with a dry towel. A proper wash, and the right product when needed, removes it without adding scratches.
The interior takes the hit too
Cooler, wetter weather means damp shoes, wet leaves and dirt tracked onto carpets and mats. Moisture that stays trapped in floor mats is where musty smells start. Pulling the mats out to dry and getting the carpet vacuumed before the mess settles in keeps it from becoming a bigger job.
A good time to reset before winter
Late fall is a smart point to get the car fully caught up: debris cleared from the jambs and drains, the interior cleaned out and the paint protected heading into colder months. From there, a maintenance schedule keeps it from sliding back.