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Thursday, June 24, 2010 — THE MEDICINE HAT NEWS


AUTOMOTIVE BEST BUYS


on the road these days, there’s a reason for it


fewer rusty vehicles If you’re seeing


A UT O KN O W IR ON O XIDE, A .K. A . R UST BY WHEELBASE COMMUNICATIONS Y


ou finally have the ride of your dreams, a gleaming beauty you’ve been lusting after for


years. But, that old demon — rust — is lurking in the shadows, just waiting to attack. What to do?


Put it in an air-tight capsule,


move to a warm, dry climate or find some way of keeping Mother Nature away from the metal? The air-tight bit might be a little difficult and moving is probably out of the question. So, let’s take a closer look at protect- ing your vehicle through other means.


What is rust?


Iron is the problem. Rarely found in nature, iron is a critical ingredient in the steel that is commonly used in the manufac- ture of most vehicles. Through corrosion, whereby one piece of metal gives up electrons and an- other accepts them through a medium that encourages the process, iron is converted into iron oxide, more commonly known as rust.


Without getting too much


further into a chemistry lesson, suffice to say that for iron to be- come iron oxide, there three ba- sic incredients: iron; water; and oxygen.


Water and oxygen are pretty


much everywhere (in fact, water contains oxygen), with more water or moisture in certain cli- mates than others. But wait, it gets better. Certain chemicals hasten corrosion, such as salt found in seawater and the salt- loaded spray from roads.


As the iron in the steel be-


gins to rust, it puffs up because iron oxide is a larger molecule than iron. The puffing causes cracks and voids, which expose more bare metal to the elements.


OK, how do we prevent all


that? Simple: keep the air away from the iron. Rust has become much less of a problem in recent years thanks to regulations re- quiring automakers to provide lengthy rust perforation warra- nies. Faced with paying for all that damage, manufacturers turned to the steel industry: wel- come to the world of galvanized steel, a zinc coating applied to the surface to keep air away.


Zinc got its name from Luigi


Galvani, a scientist best know for making bodily muscles move with electrical currents. A ver- sion of that process is how zinc gets onto steel.


Two-sided galvanized


(Galvani) steel is now commonly used in most vehicles. Problem solved. Maybe. Zinc is sacrificial. It prevents rust by oxidizing itself rather than allowing it to happen to the iron. It works until it oxi- dizes into nothing — which


A no-coating solution? Using the basic principle that corro- sion is an electrochemical reaction, CounterAct creates a negative surface charge on the vehicle. According to the company, that process dramatical- ly slows (even stops) the aging pro- cess on your vehicle. Simply install the tiny control box (in a discreet lo- cation under the dash, etc.), hook it to a constant power supply (the battery) and place each of the supplied stick- on tabs (connected to the power sup- ply with tiny wires) on either end of the vehicle’s metal structure. The tabs evenly distribute the negative charge, which is so small it barely registers on a volt meter, but it’s enough, ac- cording to the company, to stop rust in its tracks, even in salty coastal en- vironments. CounterAct can also be had in a version that plugs into the wall in case you have to store your vehicle for extended periods. Does it work? Industrial versions have been used on heavy equipment (snow re- moval, salt mine, etc.) since 1987 with impressive results. Visit counter- actrust.com to see for yourself or call 1-814-745-7535 to get the scoop and/or find a dealer.


takes a very long time — or is damaged or even scratched.


So if you have a vehicle that was built without galva- nized steel, a new one you plan to keep a very long time, or have had bodywork done, you might want to consider rust proofing.


Rust-proofing is the pro-


cess of covering steel with a coating that prevents air from coming into contact with it.


How, how much and with what is the issue.


Basically it comes down to the fact that vehicles produced with galvanized steel in the last decade or so do not need rust- proofing, unless they have been damaged or are going to be kept for decades. If you insist on that extra protection, look for a prod- uct and process that will address two key points: getting to the steel in hidden places and; lon- gevity.


Just about any coating will suffice if it is replaced before it wears off.


The (big) problems lie in ar-


eas that aren’t exposed to con- stant cleaning (say from rainfall), and small hidden pockets that retain mud, dirt and even damp leaves. And getting the rust- proofing applied behind panels and in hidden cracks and crevic- es — the rust-prone areas — can often result in rust as the process of drilling and getting applica-


tors into tight spots often scratches the protective zinc coating off the steel.


The other issue is that to be


truly effective, the coating/solu- tion should be applied with some regularity, perhaps every year. Nothing lasts forever in to- day’s caustic climate and a mon- ey-back warranty for the service might look good until you’re fac- ing a complete body job.


Some chemical solutions


used by reputable rust-proofers have been proven to migrate once applied to a vehicle, crawl- ing along the metal and into tight spots and hidden corners. But which ones? This is the big question.


Check with your Better


Business Bureau and keep an eye out for a rust-free 20-year- old car wearing a series of stick- ers from such a company.


The key is regular washes to


prevent the build-up of harmful chemicals. If you have a modern vehicle built from galvanized steel, rust-proofing might not be necessary. If you chose to pursue that option, make sure the peo- ple doing the work know their stuff and use a proven product.


Wheelbase Communications supplies automotive news and features to newspapers across North America.


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