Guidelines on preventing rust formation in your car
When buying a second hand car one of the important aspects that needs to be checked is whether it has started to rust. It may not be apparent from the first look, as the car sales person may have given the car an immaculate look with a new paint job. However, on close inspection, you may be able to detect a rust repair job. If you manage to buy a corrosion free car, you should then focus your attention onpreventing any corrosionfrom taking place, otherwise prevent existing patches of corrosion spreading. This affects the re-sale value considerably.
The main advice any expert will give is to prevent rust from forming rather than trying to treat it once it starts to spread. If rust penetrates through the metal, creating a hole, it may not be possible to arrest its spread, although its progress can be slowed. Therefore, the best means of preventing rust from forming is to maintain your paint job by detecting and touching-up breakages in the paint job even if they are barely visible to the naked eye.
Detecting sites of potential corrosionis difficult. One reason is the location of potential rust spots. Places such as in and around the wheel wells, on the fenders immediately behind the tires, front of the car etc are the most likely places for rust spots to start. These areas are more prone to attacks from small debris thrown off the tires or from the tires of other cars. At the same time, due to the accumulation of dust and dirt, these areas maintain moisture, which may accelerate the rusting process as well.
Thus, you should regularly check these areas for scratches, nicks or any kind of paint damage and, in doing so, you may have to clean up these areas before using a flashlight to make the detection. If present, you should take immediate measures to patch it up as allowing it to remain even for few months may cause the rust to form and penetrate through the metal.
When repairing a potential rust site you should first apply a fine-grain sand paper You should keep in mind that the repair should be both clean and invisible. Once the sand paper is applied, you can clear the debris by dampening the site with mineralized water and allow it to dry for some time. Once dry, you can apply a tiny dot of paint to cover the damage. You do not have to apply the paint to a large area if the rust has not yet spread.
In the event the damage is considerably large, you may have to seek the help of a professional body repairer.
