Rust Never Sleeps

Rust-Proofing Your Car is a Good Thing

In the wild, rust is a natural predator. Its prey? Your car. And there’s nothing worse than leaving your car unsuspectingly grazing in your driveway or frolicking in the open road as rust sneaks up over time. As the great Neil Young says – Rust Never Sleeps.

The Danger of Rust on Your Vehicle

Rust attacks everything you hold sacred in your car: its appearance, its value, and, ultimately, its performance. Rust occurs as a result of the chemical reaction between oxygen and iron. As corrosion develops, iron surfaces fall victim to rust, and the fading away of surface area leaves more iron susceptible to corrosion. The cycle of rusting repeats, and soon your vehicle’s metal parts are in a state of dilapidation.

For vehicles that endure all four seasons, rust can prove to be a major problem for multiple areas of the vehicle. Rust can leave bubbles and scratches in the car’s paint, but appearance isn’t the only issue. In addition, much of the frame and chassis is made of metal, meaning that the car’s hinges, control systems, bumpers, window frames, and other parts are at risk for rust that eventually makes them less structurally sound and thereby less effective. Most seriously, rust in the engine and trunk can cause leaks in the air intake system and result in mechanical and electrical problems. Valves and cylinders wear down two to three times as fast, and rods and valve springs can be particularly troublesome areas. Perhaps worst of all is that the most serious consequences of internal rust can be difficult to diagnose until it’s too late to treat the problem.

Long rough Canadian winters are a particularly dangerous threat to our vehicles. Cold weather leaves vehicles particularly susceptible to rust, especially when engines aren’t given enough time to warm up. Condensation that has built up while the car has been sitting can heat up but not fully evaporate if the car isn’t given time to warm up, and the remaining water that leaks into the engine can lead to internal corrosion over time. Cars that sit for long periods of time are especially susceptible to these issues.

Cash Consequences

On the surface (literally), the problem of rust seems mostly about appearance. It’s not a good look for a car that was once sleek and stylish. Allowing rust to remain and expand, however, eats into performance and value. Rusty parts are bad parts, and they make your car operate at less than its highest level of performance. Eventually, rust shortens the lifespan of your vehicle, and it makes it both more expensive to maintain and more difficult to sell in the future.

Rust-proofing your vehicle is a no-brainer. If you plan on using your vehicle for in the long term, rust-proof spray is one of the easiest ways to extend the life of the vehicle. Wax-based treatments, the most common among rust-proofing options, keep the vehicle looking good and feeling good on the road. Most dealerships offer them at the point of purchase, and because applying such products is far less effective on dirty surfaces, you should strongly consider having the work done immediately.

Left to its own course, rust is a major threat to your vehicle, so there’s no reason to let it go untreated.