5 Reasons Not to Park Under a Tree

The advantages of shade can be outweighed by potential vehicle damage, including ruined paint.

Andy Stonehouse | 

Oct 11, 2024 | 3 min read

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While a tree's shade factor might help reduce your car's temperature on a hot day, parking your shiny vehicle under the branches of a tree can also open it up to a wide range of potential damage. Those risks may increase if you leave the vehicle parked for an extended period, such as under a tree in a backyard.

Tree Limbs Can Mean Serious Vehicle Damage

A falling tree limb can cause serious body or glass damage to your vehicle. It can even total a vehicle if the branch is heavy enough or the entire tree falls over. While loose or dead limbs are less likely to fall on your car in good weather, a storm of any strength can tear off tree limbs and send them tumbling onto your car. Keeping your vehicle clear of trees, especially in stormy weather, is a way to help avoid what can be an insurance nightmare.

Tree Sap May Ruin a Paint Job

Depending on your climate and the time of year, the trees around you may go through seasonal pollination periods where they'll dump seemingly endless natural residue, which could land on the shiny paint of your automobile.

From the sticky buds related to cottonwood trees to gluey sap from maple, walnut, or birch trees, gooey refuse is likely to show up on a car parked underneath such trees' branches — and it will likely prove tough to wash off. Leave your car in the sun too long afterward and the sap can permanently damage your car's paint and clear-coat as it bonds to the surface.

Aaron Miller | Capital One

Bird Droppings Can Destroy Your Paint

Birds are also attracted to the shade factor of a tree, which can mean a mess if your car gets hit by droppings. The acidic content of bird droppings can eat into automobile paint and the clear-coat if it's left too long, which can require a full paint replacement. If you soak droppings in soapy water early enough, you can usually prevent permanent damage.

Tree Debris Can Clog Vehicle Drains

If you've seen an uncovered car left in a backyard over multiple seasons, you may have noted that crevices such as windshield wiper cowls, rear rain gutters, and sunroof gutters quickly become a repository for twigs, leaves, pine needles, seeds, cones, bark, and every other possible combination of tree material.

Those clods of wet material can lead to body rust. Over time, smaller material can gum up the hidden drain holes built into your car's surface and may lead to water leakage, which can produce moldy carpets and upholstery, as well as electrical damage.

Beware of Falling Fruit and Other Tree Products

Some trees bear fruit that can be large enough to cause damage, while palm trees in the Sun Belt are notorious for dropping heavy fronds and other residue onto vehicles. You might even risk damage from coconut trees, which can grow in some parts of Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana.

Andy Stonehouse

Andy Stonehouse literally fell into the world of auto writing while working as a ski-town journalist, and has not looked back since. A childhood spent dealing with the eccentricities of a 1976 MG Midget has made any subsequent auto experience a more safe and reliable drive. He has been blessed with nearby mountain trails and snowy roads in Colorado to do TV-adventure-styled test drives on a weekly basis.