Rusty repairs

By CRM staff

Toronto, Ontario — December 14, 2018 — A recent study conducted by the University of Windsor and Krown Rust Control provided a consumer-oriented metric for measuring vehicle corrosion. The results show repairers and auto recyclers how vital rust prevention on vehicles can be.

Rust can appear almost anywhere and cause serious repairs that include: lower body panels such as door bottoms and fenders; mechanical parts like metal gas tanks; electrical connections; and brake, fuel and air conditioner lines.

To measure the amounts of rust, the university’s research team photographed the visible surfaces of 228 rust-treated vehicles that were collected through the course of two sampling campaigns. The results were compared to measurements taken from 141 untreated vehicles that were collected in a similar fashion.

The researchers found that vehicles that weren’t treated for rust control showed seven times more corrosion on the body panels and 3.6 times more corrosion on the underbody compared to treated vehicles.

There are obvious reasons for shops to convince consumers to have their vehicles treated, the main one being the appearance and value of the vehicle. But another reason that is often overlooked, is that it can actually be damaging to the environment.

“Corrosion protection not only keeps your car looking good for longer, but it keeps it on the road in good condition for many more years,” said Auto Recyclers of Canada managing director, Steve Fletcher.

“That’s not only good for the consumer by keeping money in his or her pocket, but it’s good for the environment because it keeps cars from being disposed of before they need to be,” he said.