Corrosion, paint loss, scratches on the body - how to deal with them

Even a relatively new car with a paint and perforation warranty can rust. To avoid costly repairs, check the condition of the sheets twice a year.

Even 10-15 years ago, corrosion was common. Regardless of the brand, after several years of operation in our climate, cars were very rusty. The exception was German cars led by Volkswagen and Audi, which, thanks to good protection, pleased the owner for a long time with the excellent condition of the paintwork. For years, Volvo and Saab vehicles have also been associated with solid sheet metal.

The warranty for paintwork and body perforation does not solve the problem

Unfortunately, despite longer and longer warranties, today's vehicles are no longer as corrosion resistant. Almost all brands of cars rust, even the most expensive, theoretically the best protected. It is important to note that in many cases the warranty does not cover repairs, so car owners are left on the battlefield alone.

Example? – I have been driving a Volkswagen Passat B6 since the end of 2006. Last year I found a lot of corrosion on the tailgate. Since I service the car and the perforation guarantee is valid, I went to complain about the defect. I heard from the dealer that they won’t pay for the repair, because the door is rusty not inside, but outside - the driver from Rzeszow is nervous. Ford is also notorious on internet forums. – I drive a 2002 Ford Mondeo station wagon. As part of the warranty repair, I have already varnished the back door and all doors several times. Unfortunately, the problem comes back regularly. When buying a car of this class, I thought that there would be no such surprises, - the Internet user writes..

Manufacturers cut costs

According to Arthur Ledniewski, an experienced painter, the problem with modern cars may be due to the cost savings in production. “Even young cars of premium brands come to our plant. They also rust. Unfortunately, cost cutting by manufacturers means lower materials or poorer rust protection. Unfortunately, you can see the consequences. Currently, car manufacturers are focusing on quantity over quality, says Ledniewski.

It's not easy to avoid trouble. Preventing corrosion is not easy, especially in our climate. Long, cold and wet winters are the perfect environment for rust to develop. Especially the problem concerns drivers moving around the city and major highways, abundantly sprinkled with salt. One of the allies of car owners is body care. The technologies are different, but the principle of operation is similar. It consists in coating the chassis with a flexible, oily protective layer that will create a kind of coating for metal elements.

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– We use an agent of the Canadian company Valvoline. Upon application, it transforms into a rubbery coating. Thanks to this, it does not break off. Such a layer effectively absorbs the impact of small stones and prevents salt and snow from getting on the chassis,” explains Mieczysław Polak, owner of a car service in Rzeszów.

The body is fixed a little differently. Here, the processing consists in introducing a protective agent into the closed profiles. Most good factories now use penetrants, so maintenance does not require, for example, the removal of the door upholstery. Through specially made technological holes, the liquid enters the door, and here it passes through the metal sheets, filling the smallest gaps. Maintenance of the entire car costs from PLN 600 to PLN 1000. This does not give a XNUMX% anti-corrosion guarantee, but it definitely helps to avoid problems.

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Minor faults can be fixed by yourself

According to experts, every driver should at least once, and preferably twice a year, inspect the chassis and body of his car. Thanks to this, any pockets of corrosion can be detected quickly enough so that the repair is limited to only local touch-up. – Small bubbles can be easily cleaned with sandpaper and then coated with primer and varnish. The cost of such repairs is usually low. All you need is a sheet of paper and a small package of varnish and primer. 50 zloty is enough for them, says Artur Ledniowski.

The color of the paint is easy to choose from the symbol on the nameplate of the car. If the car is older, the color may fade slightly. Then the varnish can be ordered in the mixing room, where it will be selected based on the current color. The cost of a 400 ml spray is about PLN 50-80. More serious malfunctions require a visit to the painter. A large point of corrosion usually requires a thorough cleaning of a larger surface, and often a patch insertion into the damaged area. Ready reparatures are used, for example, on the wings, in the area of ​​\u300b\u500bwheel arches, which like to corrode, especially on old Japanese cars. The cost of repairing one element in this case is PLN XNUMX-XNUMX, and if the varnishing requires additional painting of the neighboring element, then about half of this amount should be added.

You can try to remove shallow scratches yourself. For example, using a special colored paste or milk. – Deep scratches reaching the primer and, in extreme cases, sheet metal require a visit to the painter. The sooner we make a decision, the better. Driving a damaged element to an unvarnished layer will quickly lead to corrosion,” adds Ledniewski.