Top 5 Tips to Deal With Rust On Your Car

Rust is always a threat to your vehicle. No matter the season, parts made of iron or steel are vulnerable to corrosion and oxidation. Even if you live in a state with a dry climate, such as Nevada or Arizona, rust might still form on your car or truck (but isn’t likely). In northern areas where the roads are salted in the winter, it’s a much bigger issue.

5 Great Tips on How to Deal With Car Rust

Fortunately, you can easily keep rust at bay through good habits and investing in car care and storage. Here are 5 helpful tips to deal with rust on your car:

Wash Your Car Regularly 

The easiest and most obvious step is to wash your car regularly and thoroughly. But how does washing keep it free of rust? Wouldn’t it worsen the situation since car washes involve water, which causes rust?

Well, your vehicle can handle getting wet. Otherwise, you’d head for cover immediately after the first raindrop splatters on the roof. Staying wet is what accelerates the rusting process–more on that later.

Furthermore, water isn’t the only cause of rust. It’s not the worst offender out there. Natural and artificial salts can corrode steel much faster than water can ever do. If you drive near the coast or on deiced roads treated with road salt during winter, you know how bad they can get.

Washing your car removes corrosive substances before they can build up on surfaces. A recently washed car also looks much better than a dirty one. 

So, when’s the best time to wash your vehicle? Weekly car washes are recommended. Even if your car looks clean at the end of the week, don’t skip the wash. You can’t see the corrosive elements with your unaided eye, but they’re present.

Consider investing in a high-pressure washer, which can easily deal with stubborn dirt and clean hard-to-reach areas like the undercarriage and wheel arches’ interior. Of course, the local car wash has high pressure washers that can be used the same way.

You can also take your vehicle to a professional cleaner at least once every month if you can afford it. Note that they’re expensive, and most people don’t want to spend $40-$100 a month on this. If you do decide to do it, note that a professional cleaner can clean your car or truck in ways that you can’t. Combined with weekly car washes, professional cleaning will help keep your vehicle free of rust.

Post-Wash Inspection and Clearing Clogged Parts

After washing your car, take the time to inspect it from front to rear. Look for the warning signs of rust, such as damaged paint and corroded spots.

Pay close attention to the parts that let water flow from your vehicle. Check the drain holes in the bottoms of doors and rocker panels. Dirt and debris can eventually clog the holes, preventing them from draining water. If moisture gets trapped in those parts, they can cause rust.

If you find a blocked drain hole, clear it with a pipe cleaner. Get rid of the pooled water in the part and dry everything.

Other parts that require inspection are the channels that direct where water should go and various seals that keep moisture out. Clear out clogged passageways, remove pooled water, dry the affected parts, and repair or replace degraded seals.

Apply a Coat of Car Wax

Whereas washing and cleaning your car removes potential causes of rust, applying car wax to your vehicle’s body provides long-term protection. A wax coat acts as a barrier that prevents harmful substances from reaching the paint and the steel surface that the latter covers.

Wax your car or truck a minimum of twice a year. You’ll need to apply car wax more often if you park your vehicle outside a garage. Exposure to the elements degrades the wax coat until it leaves the body panel unprotected.

Usually, you can apply car wax yourself to save on the cost of labor. If pressed for time, you can request a professional cleaner to wax your vehicle by hand during the cleaning process.

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Apply a Rust Protector to Your Car’s Underside 

A rust-proof coating seals metal parts from air, moisture, salts, and other things that cause corrosion and oxidation. Many vehicles have their underside treated with a rust protector.

Like car wax, the rust protector wears out eventually. Check the underside of your vehicle for bare spots that have lost their rust-proof coating. Get rid of any rust and apply a fresh layer of rust protector to the exposed parts.

If your car or truck lacks rust-proof coating and you live near the coast or drive on deiced roads, you might want to apply a rust protector to your vehicle’s underside. While it’s recommended to have a professional perform the treatment, you can make it a DIY job.

Find an appropriate rust protector. Some rust protectors also have a rubberized coating that provides additional protection.

Always Park Your Car Under Cover

Last but not least, always try to park your vehicle in a covered location. Don’t leave your car or truck outside without protection, especially if there’s constant or heavy precipitation like rain and snow.

The best option is garage parking. A garage provides all-around protection from the elements, especially if it has climate control.

Unfortunately, not all homes have garages. The house might lack enough space to fit one. Likewise, your budget might not be able to handle the cost of adding a garage.

If you’ve been parking your vehicle on your front lawn, you probably have enough space to set up a steel garage. As its name suggests, it’s a small structure that works like a garage.

If there’s no room to accommodate a miniature building, how about a portable garage? It’s a small tent that can fit your vehicle.

The absolute minimum is an all-weather car cover for your vehicle. Whenever you park your car or truck, cover it immediately.

While the threat of rust will never go away, you can mitigate it by taking good care of your vehicle. Whether you wash and clean your car, protect it with a car wax coat and rust-proof coating, or keep it covered, you can minimize the risk of rust.