St. Paul, Minnesota — July 19, 2016 — Corrosion is a serious issue, with the potential for salt and corrosive chemicals, moisture or damaged coatings from stone chips to allow corrosion to attack repairs. According to a statement from 3M, corrosion is one of the primary causes of future vehicle damage and customer come-backs.
According to 3M, the company recently surveyed collision facilities and found that a majority of repair technicans are not using any cavity wax to prevent post-repair corrosion. 3M also states that many that do use it don’t always apply it in critical areas where they should.
The cosmetic consequences of poor corrosion protection can deter return business, but more importantly, the safety implications of failing to protect structural parts can be dangerous. 3M has released a new anti-corrosion agent for use in the body shop: 3M Cavity Wax Plus. The product is expected to officially launch in Canada in the third quarter of the year.
A statement from 3M says the new 3M Cavity Wax Plus uses a corrosion-inhibiting formula that will wick into tight seams to protect welded areas and enclosed cavities with a film that will not harden and remain flowable to self-heal if scratched or abraded. When used with the 3M Cavity Wax Plus Applicator Wand Kit, it will deliver the right amount of flow and wicking to provide consistent and uniform protection for the repair.
The new wax comes in an aerosol can, eliminating the need for spray equipment. The wand kit includes three different length wands, two of which offer a 360-degree spray pattern for more complete coverage. The wand kit includes an 8-inch wand for easy access to areas such as radiator support seams, and two long wands (24 and 34-inch) to access enclosed areas such as frame rails and rocker panels. The wands are very small in diameter so they can be easily inserted into small holes and tightly formed structures. The wands can be cleaned by inverting the can and spraying until the wand is clean.
“Any time you make a repair, the welding, heating or removal of factory applied protective coatings can create corrosion hot-spots that are susceptible to damage,” says Shawn Collins, Senior Technical Service Engineer, 3M Automotive Aftermarket. “With the new 3M Cavity Wax Plus and the innovative application system, the repair professional can easily, efficiently and cost-effectively protect their repair–and their customer’s investment and safety. Most OEMs recommend the use of a cavity wax for collision repairs, so this allows the technician to restore the vehicle to next best to factory condition, which helps meet insurance standards, as well.”
For more information, please visit 3mcollision.com.
