Good paint, bad paint

Q: I see a lot of cars on the highway with bad paint. How long should paint last on a new car? — Carol H., e-mail from Wisconsin

A: According to the major manufacturers, paint should look like new for five to seven years if taken care of properly. Most, but not all, of the bad paint you see is due to poor care or none at all.

Paint oxidation and the ultraviolet radiation from the sun aren’t as problematic as they were 10 years ago. During the past five years, new paint technology has provided even more resistance to ultraviolet fading, allowing new-car clearcoat paints to hold up perhaps 10 years and even longer if garaged and kept clean.

By the way, when selecting a wax for these new car finishes, you might want to look for a wax that contains carnauba, which will help protect the baked-on clearcoat finishes a little better.

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Q: Greg, I read your article on tire rotation. I have a full-size spare and want to include it when I have my tires rotated so I don’t have to replace all my tires so soon. How do I do this? — J.C., via e-mail

A: The proper procedure is to use the appropriate rotation pattern for four-tire rotation, but insert the spare in the right rear position. Place the tire that would have gone to the right rear in the trunk as the new spare. Never include a temporary spare tire in the rotation. Note: Directional tread patterns must be rotated front-to-rear only, so the direction of revolution does not change.