Can Falling Leaves Damage Your Car’s Paint?

If you need to clear leaves from your car, do it carefully, picking them out by hand or using a leaf blower at low air pressure. (Too much pressure can cause leaves to become lodged in hard-to-reach places.) To unclog sunroof drains, you might be tempted to use a wire hanger to remove debris, but it can tear the sunroof lining. Instead, use a vacuum to draw out the leaves. Pop the hood to clear leaves near the base of the windshield, where the car’s heater intake system is located. Then give your car a good rinse. 

For tree sap, dab spots with rubbing alcohol on a cloth or try a bug and tree sap remover from a major car care brand. “To be safe, test any store-bought cleaner on a small spot of paint first,” Ibbotson says. 

Waxing your car once a season also helps protect the paint. If you can’t avoid parking under trees, consider investing in a car cover. Better ones tend to cost at least $100 and are made of multilayered material. (Cheaper, single-layer covers risk trapping moisture and scratching your car.) And don’t forget that wet leaves can be just as slippery as ice, so increase your following distance when driving on leaf-strewn roads.

See the best leaf blowers from Consumer Reports’ tests.