3.0 Dolphin

At work I can either park my car under trees and away from the sun or park it away from trees in the sun. Which option would be better for the paintjob?

tree option---sap and possible dings/scratches from things falling onto the car, squirrles, wind, et al.

sun---heard it causes fading of the paint and could "burn" contaminants onto the paintjob.

Car is dolphin gray, so I suppose it's in the middle of the spectrum in terms of heat absorbtion...thanks for any help

eh-4Q1.8

your faithfully washing and waxing I don't think that you should have a problem with contaminates (sun or shade) etching your paint.

My preference, when possible, is to park in the shade. You probably know this allready, but Bird droppings should cleaned up ASAP. Be carful as they very abraisive. I guess thats an arguement for not parking under trees.

RKA

so I leave it in the sun.

RickM

As long as you're taking good care of the paint, I don't think fading is a serious concern. On the A4 forum I've read of people debadging their cars after 3 or 4 years and not seeing any fading at all (i.e., no difference between paint that was beneath the badges and paint that had been exposed to the elements for 3 or more years). Whether this is because clearcoat finishes don't fade like finishes did in the past, or whether it's because regular care (waxing, etc.) inhibits it, I'm not really sure. But fading appears to be a small risk. And that's really the only risk with parking in the sun. I haven't heard of sun "burning" contaminants into the paint. But here again, if you're washing and waxing regularly, I don't see that as a concern either. On the other hand, parking under trees risks sap; falling branches; bird droppings; squirrels; and whatever else might come along. So I'd pick the sun. Depending on which way the car with be facing throughout the day, maybe get one of those sunshades to keep the interior temps down and protect the dash from UV rays, etc.

3.0 Dolphin

Thanks for the good feedback!

HDClown

I used to part not directly under trees but in a spot a few feets from the closest tree overhang.

Reguardless of where as I was in that lat, the car was covered in **** that had fallen from the trees. Dusted in pollen and tree bits. I wasn't damaging the paint, but it was making me REALLY pissed off, especially after spending hard time detailing the car on the weekend to have it destroyed in 1 day of having the car parked.

So now I park in the lot behind my office, no trees in sight, but it bakes in the sun from roughly 10-11am until I leave. I use a sunshade, and keep my leather protected. I'm not worried.

BrianE

I would pick shade due to interior leather, dash etc.

Ted K

away from trees and other falling objects. Wax and conditioner will protect your car from UV rays, which are damaging to your car. But bird dropings, etc., will burn through your paint way faster than the sun will.

Vince Krey

My friends call me **** (for which I'm proud), but I park at a nearby church under a nice shade tree and walk a block or so down the street to my office. Yeah, you want to pick a tree that doesn't weep sap. And yes, there are periodic splats to wipe off. One trip to a local junkyard will tell you this: If you plan on keeping your car a long time, keep it out of the elements as much as possible. And that includes the sun.