Car care through the Kerala monsoon

Before the rains

The time to protect the paint is late May, before the first heavy rain. Rainwater carries dust and soot, and when it dries on bare paint it leaves spots that can etch in the next sunny spell. A ceramic sealant or a full coating makes the surface slick, so water beads and runs off and takes most of the dirt with it.

Change the wiper blades at the same time. Rubber hardens over a Kerala summer, and old blades tend to give up on the first night of heavy rain, usually far from home. Fill the screen wash bottle too. Plain water will do, but a proper screen wash cuts through road film far better.

Clear the drains

Below the windscreen, under the plastic grille at the base of the bonnet, a channel carries rainwater away. It fills with leaves, especially if you park under trees, and when it blocks, the water finds its way into the cabin, usually into one of the front footwells. Cars with a sunroof have small drain tubes at the corners that block in the same way.

Pull the leaves out by hand before the season and after any storm. It takes five minutes. A soaked carpet can take a week to dry in July, and it smells for longer.

Keep the cabin dry

Damp builds up inside a closed car faster than most people expect. A dripping umbrella and a family’s wet shoes are enough to fog the glass and leave a musty smell within a few days. Keep umbrellas in a bag or in the boot, and put rubber mats over the carpet for the season.

Many people lay newspaper under the mats to soak up the water. It does soak it up, and then it stays wet against the carpet for days. Taking the mats out to dry on a bright afternoon works better.

If the glass keeps fogging, run the air conditioning on fresh air instead of recirculation, because it dries the air as it cools it. When there is a dry spell, leave the doors open for ten minutes. In a basement, where the air is often damper than outside, this matters more.

Mould on seats and trim

In a humid month, leather and fabric can grow a fine white or grey bloom along the seams and on the underside of the headrests. A damp cloth only spreads it. It needs an interior cleaner and a soft brush, then thorough drying, and leather should be conditioned afterwards. Our note on interior cleaning goes into this in more detail.

Standing water

Avoid driving through standing water if there is another way round. You cannot see how deep it is or what is under it, and water drawn into the engine’s air intake can ruin the engine outright. If you have to go through, go slowly and keep moving. Afterwards, brake gently a few times to dry the pads.

If water came in over the sills, have the carpets lifted and checked. Wet underlay smells long before it shows. And look at the tyres. Tread that seemed fine in April is far less forgiving on a wet road in July.

Visits in the rain

If your car is parked under cover, rain does not stop a visit. If it lives in the open and rain is forecast for your slot, we will let you know and offer another time. Washing a car in the rain would waste your money, and we would rather not take it.