This rich fellow bought two cars—identical Honda Cities—to try and conduct an experiment. The first car he had sprayed on with a certain rust control product. The second car he left as it is, trusting its fate all in the words of the car salesman who told him their cars do not require rustproofing. The rich man left both cars out in the sun and rain for a few years. What happened to the cars, what the rich man saw when he finally went out to check, was that the first car was as he had left it, shiny and smooth to touch, but the second car was completely taken over with rust. The second car is now useless until a new body kit is installed.
Rustproofing: Why should you do it?
Rustproofing has several other advantages aside from keeping the car rust-free. First it improves the car's condition over time and minimizes its depreciation value. Let's say you want to trade your six-year-old Corolla for a Lancer. But you never applied rustproof on your car. So now it's got rust and all other signs of vehicle corrosion, and its current value is no more than a tenth of its original price. You can drive to a detail shop and have it cleaned up, but that is money out of your wallet. You could have easily saved a few hundred dollars if you only took the time to apply rustproof on the car every couple years or so.
Another reason for you to rustproof your car is longevity. Cars, or vehicles in general, are a hefty investment. They don't grow on trees, neither is the money used to purchase them. So if a person buys a car he or she probably wants it to last as long as possible, to make the most out of every dollar spent, and the way to do that is by rustproofing the car. Rust is a disease. It easily jumps from one part of metal to another. Rustproofing the body kit helps preserve the good rust-free condition of the car's engines and interiors.
Rustproofing costs differently depending on where you live, though expect to pay around $400 dollars. This is talking about work done by a professional and should last a good 10 years, just about. Spray-on rustproofing products costs cheaper but they need to be reapplied every year.
The different rustproofing treatments
There are three different methods of rustproofing a car: dealer-applied rustproofing, manufacturer-applied rustproofing, and professionally-applied rustproofing.
Manufacturer-applied rustproof is the most common form of rustproofing for modern cars—it is applied by the manufacturer itself. It provides basic protection within a year or so.
Dealer-applied rustproof is usually just a spray-on rustproof chemical applied by the car dealer to preserve the car's smooth finish. But don't put your hopes up for a long-lasting protection; this chemical wears off easily the moment your new car hits the road.
Next is professionally-applied rustproof, and it certainly goes a long way. This process requires the work of trained technicians to disassemble the car and apply the rustproof agents around and underneath the body kit. It's one of the most effective methods of rustproofing and usually lasts more than a few years.
Rustproofing is a great way to preserve a car's smooth and shiny finish. Sure, constant waxing and polishing helps in keeping the car's sheen for months at a time. But a car's body kit is made of sheet metal, and metal when exposed to the harsh outdoor elements—snow, rain, sunlight, hail, sandstorm, wind, etc—tend to corrode easily one way or another. So if you're planning to keep a car for more than five years or buying one that is at least two years old, you should definitely think about rustproofing it. The long-term payoffs far outweigh the short-term costs.
