How to prevent rust and corrosion on your vehicle

Do you know the types of rust and corrosion and how to avoid and fix them?  Let us guide you!

 

RUST

Rust is iron oxide, which happens when any type of iron mixes with oxygen. A lot of frames on cars are made of steel, which is a mix of iron, carbon and sometimes other less expensive, lighter metals. Although iron is the only type of metal to rust, other types of metal corrode, which is very similar. Pure iron does not rust as fast, the alloy (mixture of metals) metals break it down faster. But they are lighter, which is better for your car being stronger, better on gas and more flexible.

CORROSION

Corrosion is for other metals, such as copper, tin, bronze, gold etc. This happens, also, when these metals mix with oxygen. These metals are mainly used in wiring and springs in vehicles.

Most of these metals will corrode or rust eventually. This can lead to weakening of the metals and alter their structure and performance. But, you can use cleaners to rid some of the rusting. However, that does not make the metals stronger or restore them to their original quality.

Rust can happen in a number of ways.

SURFACE RUST

The first being "surface rust": This is on the car paint that may have been scratched or cracked. When the sun, salt and/or water get to these chips, they speed up the rusting process. To avoid this from happening, try to keep the paint touched up and buffed. Adding an anti-rust sealer can only help. But if it does happen, use a small wire brush to rid the area of the rust, add some touch up paint, clear coat and a buff. It should be good as new.

SCALE RUST

 "Scale rust": This is usually brought onto exposed iron that comes in contact with salt and water. It's basically just an environmental factor. People that live in colder climates, generally with snow and rock salt, will have cars that rust faster. As well as people who live near the ocean. This is also a more serious type of rust. It is generally larger, has bubbles, flakes or pits (dents). The visible rust needs to be scraped away or wire brushed to prevent any further damage. Then it must be sanded down, primed, painted, clear coated and buffed.

 

 

 

 

 

PENETRATING FRAME RUST

"Penetrating rust": This rust has been oxidizing for quite a while. It will become very weak and have holes in the rusted part. This is generally in areas you would not see often, like the frame or parts under the car. There is no quick fix to this problem. You can either replace the entire part or cut out the affected parts and weld new pieces in. If you are unsure of what you're doing, take it to a professional body shop. They will be able to fix it safely for you, without compromising the integrity of the previously rusted area.

Luckily, nowadays most cars are manufactured better than they used to. Older cars rusted much faster and easier. But just because they are newer, doesn't mean there couldn't be an issue. Toyota recently had a frame rusting recall on fairly newer models. But, the manufacturers are trying to avoid and prevent rust more actively. They have been introducing other, less likely to corrode, metals to the process; such as magnesium. However, they are pricey and used sparsely. There are other ways to ward off rust though. Anti-rust dips are being done to car parts before paint, thicker walled sheet metal and extra anti-rust coatings under the car and frame. These definitely delay rusting, but it is always a good idea to check out your car and keep an eye on any spots that look troublesome. Another way to prevent rust at home is to make sure the vehicle is clean, especially after being in a salty area. And any drain holes that are visible should be cleaned out every so often with pipe cleaners or tiny wire brushes.

When buying an older car, check the whole car top and bottom for rust. If there is visibly rust to the frame or shocks that you are thinking about buying, it might be best not to. As it can pose a serious safety issue and costly. Parts of the frame can break and might cause more damage in an accident. Also, if there is rust present on or near the break and gas lines, they can be very expensive to replace and are very dangerous.