What is Rustproofing?
Rustproofing is the process of applying sealants inside the body of a car to prevent rust from forming, which could damage the car. Improvements in automobile construction in recent years have diminished the need for rustproofing by the car dealer or a third party vendor, but people who live in snowy climates or who plan to keep their cars for a long time might still want to get their car rustproofed. Does this Spark an idea?
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How Rust Damages Car Bodies
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According to the Web site HowStuffWorks.com, rust is formed by a combination of water, air and steel. Rust is an electrochemical corrosion process in which the water and air break down the composition of the steel. Rust can form on the metal parts of a car, particularly in snowy climates such as in the American Midwest and Northeast if salt is used to deice roads in winter; salt also contributes to corrosion.
Rust can begin to spread in areas of the car exterior where paint has been chipped away, exposing the steel underneath, but it can also start from inside the car body and spread out. Rustproofing is intended to spray rust-inhibiting chemicals or sealants to inside sections of the car body, such as the inside of door panels, quarter panels or fenders.
Rustproofing vs Undercoating
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Rustproofing is different from undercoating, which involves spraying only the undercarriage of the car. With rustproofing, specialists drill small holes in the doors and insert a spray nozzle tool that applies the sealant. Then the hole is plugged up.
Rustproofing services can be sold by auto dealers to customers buying a new car. There are also aftermarket dealers of rustproofing services, such as Ziebart, which is based in Troy, Mich., and Ming Corp. of Murray, Utah, both of which have multiple locations in the U.S. and abroad. -
How Car Bodies Are Protected
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There is considerable debate about the need for rustproofing. Consumer Reports advises against getting rustproofing because cars are better made with rust protection applied to vehicles at the factory, avoiding the need to pay for rustproofing at the dealer or at a third party vendor. "Today's vehicles are manufactured to withstand corrosive weather and road conditions, so you will not need to pay for additional treatment by the dealership," the magazine states. In addition, with more of today's cars being made with plastic parts there are fewer parts of the car susceptible to rust.
The Ford Motor Co., for instance, improved rust-resistance in its cars by developing a process called electrocoating in the 1960s, in which an unpainted car body is dipped into a tank and an electrical charged bonded an anodic electrocoat layer to the steel. According to a report on Ford's Web site, the process has been refined over the years to better galvanize the steel in car bodies to resist rusting.
Pros of Rustproofing
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On the other hand, for people who do live in snowy climates and plan to keep their cars for more than three or four years, some do advise getting rust-proofing to help the cars look better longer. If the cost of rustproofing is spread out over, say, 10 or more years, it will prove its value if the car still looks good that long.
Rustproofers Forced to Diversify
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Demand for rustproofing has declined as evidenced by the fact that companies like Ziebart and Ming have had to diversify into auto detailing services and selling aftermarket accessories such as roof racks or window tinting, to make up for lost revenue from rustproofing services.
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