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3 Easy Ways to Prevent Rust Damage

websitebuilder • May 06, 2019

Car Archenemy — Rust Damage in Raleigh, NC

If your vehicle were a superhero, rust would be its archenemy. Modern vehicles are made of many metal components. The metal frame and metal door panels that provide the structural support your vehicle needs can easily be eaten away by rust.

While it might be impossible to completely eliminate any rust from your vehicle, there are some simple things that you can do to help prevent minor rust problems from becoming full-blown structural issues that compromise the safety of your car.

1. Keep Your Car Clean

Regular visits to the car wash can do more than just improve the aesthetic of your vehicle. These cleanings can actually help to deter the formation of rust.

A clean exterior allows you to obtain visual access to the entire body of your vehicle. This access allows you to see any minor damage that might have been camouflaged by the dirt, mud, and debris covering your car's paint. This damage can be repaired by an experienced body shop to prevent the formation and spread of rust.

Another way routine cleaning can help you deter rust is by preventing the dirt and debris on your vehicle's exterior from causing damage to your car's paint. The paint is designed to be a protective layer that shields underlying metal panels against exposure to the moisture and oxygen in the air.

The metal used to make vehicles has a high iron content. When iron and oxygen interact, rust begins to form. Dirt particles can be quite abrasive and scratch your car's paint if not removed quickly. By washing your vehicle regularly, you can help prevent rust from compromising the integrity of your car in the future.

2. Add an Undercoat

Your vehicle's undercarriage is most susceptible to rust formation. This is because there is no paint to protect the metal components of the undercarriage. The underside of your vehicle is also exposed to the most dirt and debris while driving. The addition of an undercoating to your vehicle can be beneficial in preventing rust.

Ideally, the undercoating would be applied when the vehicle is new. However, used vehicles can still benefit from the protection of an undercoating because the coating can prevent future contamination of the undercarriage.

Undercoatings are essentially tar-based substances that are sprayed over the surface of a vehicle's undercarriage. The substance hardens as it dries. Undercoatings must be applied properly to work correctly. A reputable auto body shop should be able to help you prevent rust through the application of an undercoating.

3. Invest in Immediate Repairs

One of the most important things that you can do to prevent rust from taking over your vehicle is invest in repairs immediately when you notice body damage. Even the smallest scratch or ding in your car's paint could allow rust to take hold. Once rust begins to form, it can easily spread to all the metal components in your car.

Body shop professionals can color-match your vehicle's paint to seamlessly repair any damage. Restoring the protective barrier of your vehicle quickly will limit the amount of rust that can form.

If you are unable to get your vehicle to a body shop immediately, you can apply a layer of wax over the damaged parts of your vehicle's exterior. The wax will help prevent oxygen and moisture from interacting with the metal frame of your car. Apply a new layer of wax each day until you can have an experienced professional make repairs to limit rust and corrosion.

You don't have to cope with the negative effects of rust. Contact Coats Auto Body & Paint for help minimizing and preventing rust damage to your vehicle.

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