3 Ways To Protect Your Car From Rust
Posted on: 12 June 2018
Rust is a serious concern for your vehicle, as not only will it ruin the appearance of the exterior of your car, but will also cause structural damage to the chassis and metal underbody. This means that rust that is allowed to progress over a significant portion of your car can cause other mechanical damage, and can be quite difficult and expensive to repair as a result. Fortunately, there are a number of things that you can do to proactively reduce the risk of rust setting into and damaging your vehicle.
1. Maintain the Paint
The most important thing that you can do to reduce the risk of rust starting to corrode the body of your car is to ensure that there is no break in your car's paint job. Even minor scratching and flaking can expose the metal underneath, allowing it to oxidize due to water and environmental exposure. This means that you should always patch up any damage that you notice on your vehicle, no matter how small and no matter where it is located since rust can spread underneath the rest of your paint as long as it has a single entranceway.
2. Car Washing
While this especially holds true if you live in a coastal area or an environment that sees heavy snowfall, and thus a great deal of salt use in the winter, you should always make an effort to wash your vehicle. A car wash will remove stuck on dirt, salt, and other debris which can allow for rust to quickly set into any exposed metal on your car's body. In particular, make sure that you opt for a car wash package or cleaning routine that includes washing out the underside of your car, as this is the most common area where debris will become stuck (and also the hardest area to actually notice rust setting in, since it's out of sight normally).
3. Rust Removal
Finally, one of the most important things that you should do to reduce the spread of rust over your vehicle is to keep an eye out for any sort of corrosion. Catching rust early means that you can treat and remove it immediately before it is able to spread and present a serious issue to your vehicle. While it is possible to sand down rust yourself and paint it over, or to treat it with a number of common products available at most auto parts stores, for the best results and the cleanest paint job, you should head to a reputable mechanic or body shop to have the rust removed.
For more information, contact your local auto maintenance service.
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