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  • The 4 Things You Need to Know About Corrosion on Newly-Repaired Vehicles

    corroded vehicle part

    • When you ask a truck owner what causes corrosion, they’re likely to tell you that things like salt, chemicals on the road, and moisture are the culprits behind rusting parts.

      However, the little-known truth is that collision repairs are just as likely to contribute to corrosion. In this article, we’ll dive into the top four things you need to know about repair-induced corrosion – and what you can do to protect hours of work in minutes.

    1. When a vehicle is repaired, it no longer has its original factory corrosion protection at the repair location.

    • corroded red car panel

      When someone says chemicals and moisture from the road are causing corrosion, they aren’t wrong. However, they’re overlooking a piece of the puzzle. Yes, those elements contribute to corrosion, but it’s the lack of anti-corrosive coating that makes a newly-repaired truck so susceptible to corrosion.

      For increased safety and longevity, OEMs have improved the anti-corrosion coating on newly-manufactured vehicles. From galvanized sheet metal, to anti-corrosion primer baths to stone chip resistant sealants, new vehicles are far more resistant to corrosion than they were in the past.

      When a vehicle is damaged and repaired, it’s exposed to welding, heating, and other processes that remove its original protective coatings.

      Unless technicians apply some kind of anticorrosive coating, the repaired areas are highly susceptible to salt, chemicals, and moisture, making them hot-spots for corrosion.

    2. 3M Cavity Wax Plus is designed to protect vehicles that no longer have their original internal anticorrosion coating.

    • So, if removing a vehicle’s original protective coating is unavoidable, what can be done to protect costly new repairs?

      3M Cavity Wax Plus 08852 was created to combat this very problem. Designed to protect enclosed cavities such as frame rails and sectioned areas (see below), Cavity Wax is often recommended by OEMs for providing protection to repaired metals.

      3M Cavity Wax Plus features a thick but non-hardening formula that will not chip, crack or peel and adheres to surfaces regardless of orientation. This material is self-healing, meaning it adapts as the metal in the vehicle expands and contracts. This maintains a protective film regardless of environmental conditions on the outside of the vehicle for reliable coverage that lasts.

    3. Most body shops aren’t using products like Cavity Wax, leaving expensive repairs vulnerable to damage.

    • unprotected car frame

      3M surveyed body shops and found that a “large majority of repair technicians don’t use cavity wax and many that do aren’t applying it to critical areas and pay especially little attention to internal cavity protection.” By skipping this step in the repair process, shops are needlessly leaving repaired areas unprotected.

      Though shops can’t exactly duplicate the anti-corrosive primer bath process, applying a product like 3M Cavity Wax is the next best thing to factory-grade protective coatings when it comes to protecting the inside of panels, both repaired and replaced.

      Coatings like 3M Cavity Wax Plus are essential to newly-repaired vehicles; most OEMs recommend the use of cavity wax on newly-repaired passenger cars, and many of the same standards can be applied to truck repair.

      BMW has said, “the best repair is worth nothing if subsequent cavity protection measures are not conscientiously carried out.”

      This kit includes three easy-clean wands (8”, 24”, 32”) for easy access from radiator support seams to frame rails and rocker panels.

      With the 3M Cavity Wax Plus Applicator Wand Kit, body technicians no longer need to be apprehensive about their shop’s ability to use a product like cavity wax.

    4. Your shop doesn’t need specialized, complicated equipment to use cavity wax.

    • 3m cavity wax plus aerosol can

      With OEMs endorsing the use of cavity wax, it is important to understand why most technicians aren’t currently using it to protect valuable repairs.

      3M surveyed body technicians and found that their biggest concerns revolved around the specialized equipment they believe is needed to apply cavity wax.

      What these technicians didn’t know was that 3M Cavity Wax Plus is easy to apply and, when purchased along with the 3M Cavity Wax Plus Applicator Wand Kit 08851, no special equipment is required.

      This kit includes three easy-clean wands (8”, 24”, 32”) for easy access from radiator support seams to frame rails and rocker panels.

      With the 3M Cavity Wax Plus Applicator Wand Kit, body technicians no longer need to be apprehensive about their shop’s ability to use a product like cavity wax.

    3m cavity wax plus applicator wand kit applying product to vehicle

    • When it comes to preventing vehicle corrosion on newly repaired cars, it is important to understand the unavoidable risk that comes with the repair process. 3M Cavity Wax Plus is the ideal solution to protect truck repairs and though it’s an OEM-recommended step, many body technicians have apprehensions about their ability to utilize it. With the 3M Cavity Wax Plus Applicator Kit, your shop can confidently and easily apply cavity wax in minutes, protecting hours of costly repairs for years to come.

      By Shawn Collins and Dennis Keicher; 3M AAD Technical Service
      For more information visit http://3mcollision.com/how-to/heavy-truck or contact heavydutytruck@mmm.com

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