Where Rust Comes From
Car rust protection has always been a concern for car
owners, especially for those in places with long, harsh winters and roads that
utilize salt to melt snow. Rust greatly decreases the value of your car, and
for good reasons. Not only is rust unsightly; once rust begins to form, it continues
to spread and is hard to remove and repair.
Rust is a combination of natural elements such as salt,
water, and heat. Salt absorbs water and carries it into small cracks and
abrasions on the car's surface, and into the metal. With the combination of heat,
oxidation occurs where the water reacts with the metal in order to produce
rust.
Most modern automobiles already have built in car rust
protection, especially when painted with a clear coat finish. However, over
time weathering usually occurs, which makes the car more and more vulnerable to
rust attacks.
How Car Rust Can Be Prevented
Cars usually have a rust protection warranty of around six years.
Unfortunately, that is about the time when rust first begins to be apparent in
cars. And because of its corrosive nature, once rust develops, then the
original metal is lost forever. You can hide it with filler and give your car a
new coat of paint, but that will only lower your car's value.
The best option is to keep rust from forming on your car.
The only solution is a watchful and vigilant eye, and of course, regular
maintenance. This is true especially during the winter months. Never let salt
residue stay on your car for more than a week. Otherwise, rust may begin to
grow.
Most drive-in car washes now also provide a certain degree
of rust proofing in their options. However, this isn't enough to protect hard
to reach places on your car, especially the undercarriage.
Recently, a better understanding of rust formation has led
to the development of new car rust protection techniques and ways to keep our
cars from rusting. Now, the only problem is to choose the right one for your
car.
Is It Necessary to Get New Car Rust Protection?
Dealer or aftermarket car rust protection is an additional layer that acts as a
barrier between the elements and the metal that makes up the body panels and
frame of your car.
Modern cars are superior compared to their counterparts of
15 to 20 years ago, which virtually required aftermarket rust protection. Car
manufacturers have realized the importance of creating vehicles that are more
rust resistant. Manufacturers back up their products with rust and corrosion
warranties to reflect the confidence they have in the process. Most major car
manufacturers offer six year rust and corrosion protection.
Unless you live in a place where excessive salt is used on
the roads, or you frequently drive on loose dirt or gravel that can damage your
undercarriage, purchasing additional rust protection for your car is not
necessary. Washing your car and the undercarriage on a regular basis will
prevent dirt and other debris from building up and keep it rust free.
How Electronic Car Rust Protection Systems Work
The most popular method of applying car rust protection,
used by most manufactures, is electronically applied primer, otherwise known as
e-coating. This is the preferred method because it helps to make a mechanical
bond between the metal and the paint. This type of primer system, coupled with
galvanized steel, helps modern cars resist rust much better than their
predecessors. Below is a simplified description of the entire process.
Pretreatment
Whether you are using e-coating or a manually sprayed application method, the
metal has to be prepared for painting. This is done to ensure a good adherence
of the paint. The most common way this is accomplished is by using a mild acid
to etch the metal. In the e-coating process, this is usually accomplished by
dipping the entire body. To accomplish this, the body must be fully submerged
the solution. Most e-coat systems are a multiple stage system where the entire
body is constantly sprayed, to remove contaminants, and dipped to achieve the
best results. Once the pretreatment sprays, acid dip and post dip sprays are
complete, it is time to apply the paint.
Paint Application
This is where the process is the most complicated. Once the acid dip stages
have been completed, the body moves into the paint stage. The paint is applied
by dipping the body in another bath. Some manufactures simply dip, while others
rotate the body while it is in the bath. The paint is applied by electro
magnetism. This is accomplished by charging the bath with one polarity and the
body the other; For instance the body could be positively charged while the
paint could be negativity charged. The difference in polarity causes the paint
to be drawn onto the body. Another advantage is the full coverage that comes
with a paint dip. This allows the paint to flow into all the crevasses and
hidden places that a manual spray cannot achieve.
Post-Treatment
After the paint has been applied, the body enters the post-treatment stages.
The painted body moves from the paint through another dip or spray, which helps
remove any contaminants, and ensures an even paint coverage. After all the
treatment stages are complete, the body moves into an oven where the paint is
cured. Using an oven to cure the paint helps speed up the dying time,
accommodating the fast pace of a modern automobile assembly line.
This is only brief overview of the process, since every
automaker has a different way of accomplishing this task. The actual number of
stages, paint makeup and oven specs are proprietary information and are kept
strictly confidential.
Related Questions and Answers
What are the Most Popular Rust Removal Products for Cars?
There are several popular rust removal products for
cars in the market at present. A few of the most popular products include:
Kroil Anti Rust Products. They are specially formulated for use with cars. The
site sells products for cars that have rust prevention and rust dissolving
properties in them. Take a look there for more information. Eastwood has one of
the best selections of anti-rust products on the market. You will get rust
dissolvers, clear anti rust and even aerosols for use on the underbelly of your
car. Rustoleum is pretty popular too. Texaco Rustproof Compound L seems to work
the best on underbellies of cars.
Where Can I Buy Anti Corrosion Paint for My Car?
Although all paints are used to protect cars from corrosion,
every paint brand cannot be called as anti corrosion paint. To protect,
you have to apply special anti-corrosion paints on your car. There are a few
sites where you can buy anti corrosion paints. Get in touch with specialty
websites that sell anti corrosion car paint. Most car paint makers will also
have anti corrosion paints that are used for touch ups. Check with your owners
manual to find out which anti corrosion paint was originally used and then
order the same. Use trade directories. There are several large trade
directories that have listings of anti corrosion paint retailers. Find one
located the closest to you and order the right variety.
What is Electronic Rustproofing and Can I do it for My
Car?
One method of rustproofing that has become popular is electronic
rustproofing. Rustproofing your car becomes essential when parts of your
car get exposed to water. Rust is an electrochemical reaction where the
overlying water causes exposed steel to oxidize. Based on the same reaction, an
electric current produced by Electronic rustproofing devices can form a layer
on the surface of your car. It can slow down the rate of rust formation by
cathodic corrosion protection. But even though the theory is sound, it's very
difficult to know whether devices like CounterAct will work on an entire car
and its underbelly.
What is the Best Method for Removing Surface Rust on a
Vehicle?
Removing surface rust from a car requires a little
knowledge. There are several methods that you can use and most methods work
well on big and small rusted areas too. For small rust spots, you can use rust
removing pens, paint on rust converters, sandpaper and steel wool, or rubber
abrasive sanding blocks made by Cratex. For slightly larger areas, you can try
sanding machines that will do the job faster and more accurately followed by
phosphoric acids. These also work very well to actually scrape off all the rust
and then etches the surface of the car till it appears shiny.
What Tools are Required to Remove Rust from a Car?
One might feel intimidated to remove rust from their
car with tools. Here are a few car rust removal tools you should have
before you start. Wet and dry sanding paper in different grits ranging from 200
to 500 and more. These will work well to scrape off the rust from the surface
of the car. You can combine them with electrical sanding machines to scrape off
the rust. Rubber sanding blocks from Cratex also work well instead of sanding
paper.Body Putty and filler for filling in dents and scratches, and body paint
to cover the denting and body putty.
Article Credit: www.carsdirect.com
