Winter is just about to rear its ugly head, and now is as good a time as any to prepare our pride and joys to brave the elements; maintaining your car can and in general means spending money. The amount is dependent on how much you have and want to spend, the time you can and want to put in, and your knowledge on maintaining your car. However, this is in respect of mechanical maintenance. One other area of maintenance is the exposure to whatever Mother Nature throws our way, along with general driving conditions, inconsiderate careless people, accidents and acts of vandalism. I am of course talking about your cars bodywork. Maintaining your cars bodywork can save you from costly repair bills. Where the problems start Most cars are made from mild steel for its durability, weight, and cheaper cost. However, this comes at a cost to the consumer too; mild steel is an alloy containing iron, and when exposed to the weather it corrodes at an alarming rate. Car manufacturers treat a car body during production, and then apply layers of paint and lacquer, and can boast a number of year’s paintwork guarantee. Having said this, there are four areas on a car that corrosion tends to target; it just so happens that on most cars the wheel arches have a lip or fold. The manufacturers aim being to give the arches strength, and an almost seamless seal to protect the metal from corrosion. The outer area that is folded inwards is painted as equally as the rest of the outer bodywork, and the inner area of the arch is coated in an under body sealant. The lip or fold is where the problems begin. Dirt, grit, sand and rain are being drawn up into cars arches through every day driving and inevitably reach the lip or folded area. The dirt, grit, sand and rain tend to gather in these areas, and if left there become hardened. Each time the car is driven in the wet, the water finds its way into these hardened areas, which retain the water making them behave like a sponge. This is also the case where there are arch mouldings; the dirt gathers up under these and can also speed up corrosion. So how do you combat this hidden threat? A car wash is in no way efficient in removing this dirt. Even the type of car wash that sprays jets of water from underneath won’t remove it because the tyres and wheels are protecting the dirt. A pressure washer will remove dirt from between arch mouldings, but can’t reach the hidden area in the lips or folds. The only sure-fire way to remove Category:Home › Other • Pomegranates: A newly discovered superfood • Where did the joke why did the chicken cross the road come from and why is it funny? • Can mothers diagnosed with bipolar disorder make good parents? • Spiritual evolution of human consciousness • Tips for getting a college basketball scholarship • Living with Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) • Caring for the caregiver • Technologys impact on society
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