The Car Geek: Rust: Slowly but surely destroying your car's body

The Car Geek

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Rust: Slowly but surely destroying your car's body

Rust is one of the most destructive corrosive forces that inflict damage to all metal parts of your vehicle. Steel is strong and will last virtually forever if it is protected from the elements. However, when the protection is breached, even the slightest scratch or dent can expose you're the metal to the slow, destructive power of rust. Rust damage can go unnoticed until the damage is quite serious. It can literally put a hole right through the metal.

Rust damage can start even from the smallest scratch or dent. These scratches, bumps and dents may happen unnoticed anytime, for instance while parking or turning a sharp curve. Although we can be very careful while driving, these scratches and dents are bound to happen in the lifetime of our cars. The paint cover is also bound to get chipped over time, thus exposing the metal underneath to the elements. In such cases, cover paint chips and scratches immediately. A quick solution until you can get some touchup supplies is to dab a little clear nail polish on the spot.

If your car's paint is showing signs of damage, you can buy touchup paint from your car dealer. There is touchup paint available for all vehicles ever built. Check your car's manual to know the exact paint code for your car. You can also have a scratch repair kit in handy, just in case you need to repair a deep scratch. Otherwise, you can go to your nearest car repair shop and have your vehicle’s scratches and dents repaired.

However, if the damage is substantial, you can always order a replacement for the damaged part. For instance, if your Ford fender has incurred serious damaged due to rust or other causes, you can easily order a replacement fender whose quality matches the original part. Even your BMW bumpers, GMC tailgate, Toyota door handles, or Chevrolet hoods for instance can all be damaged by rust, but you can purchase a replacement part from the leading auto parts stores.

Preventive maintenance is, of course, still easier and more effective than corrective measures. On the other hand, if replacement is the only option, you should buy replacement parts only from a trusted auto parts store like Auto Parts Inner. Aside from offering a plethora of informative articles, animations and pictures on everything about the automotive, Auto Parts Inner also has an online auto part store offering a wide array of replacement and aftermarket parts.