The winter months in the UK are the most severe for your car. The importance of protecting the underside of your car is vital for having long lasting rust protection and no expensive repair bills in the long run. It is the most common cause of damage to the underside of your vehicle, as although it has the most exposure to the elements, it is something that is the least protected. Rust also can spread throughout your vehicle and onto important structural chassis components that affect rigidity and dissipate energy when you crash.
Fear not, there are many products and set procedures out there to help you protect your vehicle from rust, and if followed correctly will give you long lasting protection for many years to come.
For example, the DINITROL DIY rust proofing kit helps owners by having the complete solution.In either aerosol format or spray gun for those with access to an air supply or compressor.
According to Mark from Preserve Protect “Beforehand, the vehicle needs to be completely clean. The best way is to steam clean the vehicle fully and wait for it to dry.”Then use masking to block any areas that you want to avoid spraying.It is important to wear the correct protective gear and a plastic floor covering can be used to protect the floor from the rust protection spray. Excess or loose material can be removed using a wire brush for finding that underlying base material.
If your vehicle already has rust present, the best way to treat is by using a converter product. After any detaching rust is removed the DINITROL RC900 product can be used on the rust that remains. All the edgesneed to be coated to form a seal. The product will create chemical reactions to convert rust to a more constant iron compound.
Then, a cavity wax product can be sprayed on the underside in a fine layer to help loosen up any coatings that might be existing. It also helps with sticking the underbody and stone chip coating. The wax inhibits the rust and the underbody coating tackles the road salt and abrasion which causes corrosion.
An underbody coating product can be applied from here, even if the underside is still wet. Due to the dense liquid, the coating can be warmed before spraying for easier application. 700 microns is the recommended thickness (which will dry to 500microns) for ideal protection.
Important step is to clean the additional coating or overspray. Any Benzene based spirit such as DINITROL 7225 Auto Cleaner can be used for this. This completes the protection process of your vehicle.
Annual vehicle inspections are important, do not be afraid to physically touch the underbody to check the coating is doing its job. You can even touch-up with small applications of coating as and when it is needed.Along with the important coatings, good practice for protecting the underbelly of your car is to regularly clean it and keep it in a garage when not in use.
Sources:
https://www.unit18.co.uk/latest-news/the-best-way-to-protect-underside-of-a-car
https://www.dinitroldirect.com/classic-car-rustproofing-guide/
https://preserveprotect.co.uk/the-process/
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