For those of us who are constantly on a passive hunt for vintage cars and trucks, rust can be an annoyance, a potential deal breaker, and even a killer of classic cars. It can eat away at an automobile?s exterior, weaken structural elements, or just bubble up seemingly at random. Even on newer vehicles, rust can cause damage that is both aesthetically unpleasant and dangerous, especially when it finds its way to the undercarriage, chewing holes into frame rails or fuel tanks.
AAA recently did a survey to see how much of a plague rust still is to everyday motorists in the United States. It found that for the 150 million Americans who live in areas where snow and ice are regular winter hazards, about 15 percent of drivers had to get their vehicle fixed at least once in the past five years because of rust damage. The AAA survey, which questioned 1001 drivers between September 22 and 25, 2016, found that drivers have been paying about $3 billion a year to repair rust damage. For those who live where rust never sleeps, a little bit of corrosion prevention can go a long way. Here are some tips to combat rust:
Try to drive as little as possible before, during, and after winter storms when salt and de-icers are sloshing around on the roadways. Up here in southeastern Michigan, we know that may be asking a lot.
Wash your vehicle often, and if you do it yourself, pay special attention to undercarriage areas that are exposed to salt, which can cause corrosion.
If you wash your car...