How to Prevent Rust on Your Car

Rust is arguably the most damaging thing for any automobile. It chews away at body panels, rots suspension, and wears holes in exhaust. It can turn a beloved classic into a bucket of scrap with ease.

Thankfully, rust is relatively easy to prevent if you take the right precautions! If you want your car to last, you just have to be proactive. Here are some easy tips to keep your car rust-free.

Use a Prevention Spray

If you live in a particularly rainy or snowy area – especially if there’s lots of salt on the roads – you should invest in a rust prevention spray for your underbody components. Sprays like this 3M Rubberized Undercoating are spray on, dry instantly, and protect components against rust for several years.

If you have some light surface rust already, you can even buy converters that use chemical reactions to turn it into a protective coating! It may sound like magic, but these products are very real and very effective when applied properly.

Check Your Drain Channels

Any body panel that moves – a door, hatch, trunk lid – has a gap between it and the other body panels. These gaps allow water in, so naturally, that water has to go somewhere. Your car has carefully designed channels and drains that funnel this water away from the sensitive mechanisms and electronics under these body panels.

But these channels can become clogged with debris, especially in the fall and spring. Check them for debris, and make sure wiring gaskets and similar areas have no leaks. These leaks can let water inside the body of your car, causing a rust disaster.

Wash and Wax Your Car

By far the best thing you can do to prevent rust is also the easiest: clean your car regularly! Dirt actually accelerates the formation of rust. For one, dirt holds in moisture, trapping it on the body of your car. Corrosive substances, particularly salt, can mix with dirt and form a long-term corrosive coating on your car if not cleaned.

Waxing is also crucial to prevent rust. This protective coating seals your paint and prevents it from damage by road debris.

Looking to clean your car more often? Economy Express Wash offers both single washes and monthly wash plans! Our highest tier even includes unlimited hot wax, offering unparalleled protection for your vehicle. Stop by today and let’s get your car cleaned up!