NAPA AUTOPRO

Five Tips to Prevent Rust

It has been said that the Europeans invented rust, but the Japanese perfected it, but our oxygen-rich atmosphere guarantees all cars and trucks rust over time. Add salt – Canada uses some five million tonnes every winter – for the perfect electrolyte solution to turn your commuter, hauler, or work truck into red-brown dust in the wind. Is it even possible to prevent rust?

New, your vehicle comes with some basic protection. Aside from aesthetics, paint blocks oxygen, preventing rust formation. Some automakers go so far as dipping the entire vehicle into a paint pool or applying undercoating to critical areas of the body and chassis. Still, any rust-bucket proves factory coatings may be insufficient. Here are five tips to prevent rust.

Five Stages of Rust Prevention

Deep Car Wash – With care, automotive paints can last decades. Abrasive pollen, brake dust, road salt, traction sand, and road grime can wear it down. Acidic brake dust, exhaust fumes, and bird droppings also burn through your paint. A regular car wash, with this Car Wash Kit, eliminates abrasives and acids before they ruin your paint. Remember these key areas: underbody, wheel wells, and chassis and frame members.

hands hold sponge for washing car at work of place

Polish and Wax – Next, “protect the protection,” that is, the paint already on your car. To keep the paint in good condition, polish and wax serve to remove embedded contaminants, smooth the surface, and leave a protective layer. Remember these key areas: grille, nose, and fenders.

Undercoat Treatments – Less launching your car into orbit, an undercoat treatment is one of the best investments. Methods vary, but the general idea is to apply an additional layer of protective coating on the most-exposed parts of your vehicle, sprayed outside and inside frame and body panels. Do this before the weather turns cold or in a heated garage. Remember these key areas: hollow frame members and hollow body panels.

Clean Those Drains – Movable windows can’t fully seal, allowing water to pass the seals. Drains allow water to escape, but these can become clogged with dust, leaves, even spiderwebs. Sitting water then accelerates corrosion of unprotected surfaces. In some cases, you can blow out drains with compressed air or clean them with an augur. Remember this key area: sunroofs with four drains may require removal of the headliner or interior panels to access.

Quick Paint Repairs – No matter what you do, though, chances are good a stone will chip your paint or paint will start bubbling. The time to act is now! Small chips, if they haven’t rusted yet, can be filled in with color-matched touch-up paint. Large chips, flaking paint, or paint bubbles will require more care. After removing loose chips, dissolve the rust, then sand, prime, and paint. Even if it’s not a professional-looking job, it’ll prevent rust from eating your car. Remember these key areas: wheel wells are notorious rust-out spots, because they rust out from behind. Rust-converter/primer will stop rust in its tracks.

How well you can prevent rust can be boiled down to how much protection you can provide. The more you care for your paint, the less rust will form, maintaining your vehicle’s appearance, safety, and resale value.

Check out all the seasonal services available at any of our 600 NAPA AUTOPRO locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information how to prevent rust, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local NAPA AUTOPRO Service Centre.