There are certain types of problems that car owners often have to deal with when they live or work in coastal, sunny areas. These problems often result in them needing to use the services of an auto repair specialist. Read on to learn more about these issues. 

1. Faults caused by the accelerated rusting of mechanical components

Some mechanical components of a car can rust if they are exposed to moisture. Over time, this rusting can change the shape and affect the functionality of these components. For example, if a brake rotor rusts to the point where its shape is significantly altered, it may not be able to connect with the brake pad and bring the car to a stop when the driver presses down on the brake pedal. If a car is normally driven in areas that are far away from the coast, this type of severe rusting can take a very long time to occur.

However, if a car owner uses their vehicle in a coastal area, and a component in their vehicle has already begun to rust, their choice of location could make this problem far worse and leave them in need of the services of a professional who carries out mechanical repairs. The reason for this is that the sea spray from the ocean that lands on a car parked or driven next to the water will accelerate the rusting process, as it will not only expose the already-rusted component to more moisture but will also expose it to salt, a substance which is known to result in an increase in the rate at which a metal object rusts.

In short, if a car owner's slightly-rusted component is exposed to salty sea spray, the component may then rust rapidly, to the point where the owner will have to either get it repaired or replaced by an auto garage that provides repair services.

2. Damaged car paint

In a sunny coastal area, a car's paintwork can end up being frequently routinely exposed to both UV rays and salty sea spray, both of which can damage it to the extent that the owner needs to take the vehicle to a business that offers auto body repair services. There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, when the sea spray that lands on the body of the car evaporates, some salt residue will remain on the car panels.

If the car owner does not notice this when they begin to wash their car and they use a sponge to wipe dirt off these salt-covered panels, the salt particles may abrade the paintwork, leaving behind noticeable scratches. Secondly, the UV rays from the sun will cause the paintwork to fade. This fading may occur more rapidly on panels which receive more sunlight exposure than others, and as such, the car's paintwork may end up looking extremely patchy.

Only an auto body repair expert can fix these scratches and restore the colour of the paintwork. However, a car owner can reduce the risk of this damage happening again by rinsing off their car with water before they use sponges to clean it and by parking it in areas where there is plenty of shade, to protect it from the sun's UV rays.