Keeping your car’s body pristine throughout its life not only reflects you care but also your pride for your car. However, as cars are made out of metal, one process that takes a toll on a car’s appearance is rust. Although some of today’s cars come with many rust protection coatings on the exterior surface, some areas of the car are still at risk of rusting. Rust is an enemy that not only damages the car’s appearance, but also reduces the structural integrity of the car. Just in case you notice rusting on your vehicle whilst doing paint repair, the experts at our vehicle repair centre have revealed everything you need to know about the causes of rust, its types, the preventive anti-rust measures you should take, and rust removal.
What is rust?
Rust is an electrochemical reaction which occurs when moisture contacts bare steel. Creases or depressions in the metal can trap moisture, increasing contact time which causes more rusting to occur. The rate of rusting increases with temperature.
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What causes rust?
Rust is a sort of skin cancer for cars, a disease that gradually erodes steel body parts of the car. Rust forms when iron-based metals come in contact with oxygen in the presence of moisture. While steel’s tensile strength and formability makes it an excellent material for manufacturing cars, it is the impurities in steel that make it prone to rust. While car manufacturers have worked on developing several measures to mitigate rust on their cars, the fact is that rust still manages to degrade the car’s surface, so therefore you should be aware of rust removal.
Is rust-proofing necessary for a car?
Our vehicle repair experts have confirmed that there are certain things you need to consider to decide whether or not your car needs rust-proofing. The first one is, the duration you wish your car to stay usable for. If you intend to lengthen the lifespan of your car beyond the warranty period of your car, rust-proofing is something that will come in handy. The second one is the surroundings of your car, such as the place you live in and the climatic conditions there. The more humid your environment is, the more prone your car will be to rust. The third one is the age of your car. If your car is more than 10 years of age, chances are high of it not being manufactured with galvanized steel. The construction of galvanized steel delays the formation of rust, thus improving the rust protection. Older cars without galvanized steel will be more prone to developing rust.
How to prevent rust from occurring?
Although the anti-rust treatment and rust removal process from experts at any vehicle repair centre is the best option to avoid rust, there are some measures that you could take to distance the possibility of rust from your car.
Car wash: Washing your car frequently ensures the removal of dirt and road grime to reduce the rate of corrosion. The undercarriage of the car is the most susceptible area to rust, so make sure to pay some extra attention here.
Fix the abrasions: Abrasions on the body panels and paint chips leave the metallic body of the car exposed to the environment around. Fix the abrasions with a touch-up pen or repaint the body panel.
Treat the rust spots immediately: Finding the rust at the initial stages is more relieving than it seems, as rust removal could be done then and there only, and chances of its further spread could be diminished. Surface or scale rust can be fixed with the help of a primer, coating, and paint.
Wax your car: Waxing the car regularly not only makes it shine but also provides the surface of the car with a coating to protect it from UV rays of the sun and road grime. Waxing also reduces the possibility of scratches.
Home treatment of surface rust: If the situation of the surface rust is quite severe and it has covered a large area over the panel, then it’s best to have rust removal doe at a vehicle repair centre. However, if only some rust spots are on the body panels or parts, you could fix it yourselves. Here are the steps you could follow to remove the rust spots, as revealed by our paint repair experts…
Use sandpaper and scratch the paint at the periphery of the rust spot. Scratch enough to make the surface as smooth as possible.
Cover the surrounding areas of the spot with old newspapers or old clothes.
First, apply the primer, let it dry, and then apply the paint.
Wash your car thoroughly and then wax it.
Use Jenkins & Pain, Award-Winning Accident Repair Centre
There you have it, if you do find yourself with rust and need paint repair or rust removal you can count on us to complete all jobs using industry-standard processes. We offer free quotes and with our exclusive repair service, we are sure you will be happy with the results. Contact our Vehicle Body Shop today. Jenkins & Pain are a vehicle accident repair centre based in Dover, Kent. We are proud to call ourselves an award-winning accident repair centre. Check out our guide on how to look after your alloys!
Ready to Visit Our Vehicle Body Shop?
We understand how costly and inconvenient it is for a vehicle to be off the road and therefore we use processes that ensure your vehicle is repaired quickly and efficiently. So whether you need minor scratch repairs, major body repair, or alloy wheel refurbishment, our van body shop and car body shop can guarantee a high-quality service. We also repair light commercial vehicles and motorhomes. Contact us today for a paint repair at our Car Body Shop!
