rust under black plastic piece (rocker panel)
05-05-2010, 01:01 PM
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rust under black plastic piece (rocker panel) Today I found a very unwanted surprise! Reason it's such a big deal to me is that the car has never been driven in the rain except two-three times I got caught and brought it back home.
The only time I ever truly drove the car through foul weather was on my way back from picking up the car in WI in the middle of the winter. 8 hours later, the car was covered in white salt dust and cleaned up thoroughly after that.
Well I brought the car out just like I do each spring and after removing the black plastic pieces that are situated on top of the rocker panels (Or under your doors, when closed) I found two spots of light surface rust and a descent amount of white road salt from three years ago during my trip from WI!
I advise anyone that takes care of their cars to pull back this piece on both sides of course and inspect/clean up this space and better yet throw some sort of a rust inhibitor in there. The nice thing is that the holes give you access to the INSIDE of the rocker panels giving you an opportunity to coat them in oil.
I will report back with some detailed pictures tomorrow!
The only time I ever truly drove the car through foul weather was on my way back from picking up the car in WI in the middle of the winter. 8 hours later, the car was covered in white salt dust and cleaned up thoroughly after that.
Well I brought the car out just like I do each spring and after removing the black plastic pieces that are situated on top of the rocker panels (Or under your doors, when closed) I found two spots of light surface rust and a descent amount of white road salt from three years ago during my trip from WI!
I advise anyone that takes care of their cars to pull back this piece on both sides of course and inspect/clean up this space and better yet throw some sort of a rust inhibitor in there. The nice thing is that the holes give you access to the INSIDE of the rocker panels giving you an opportunity to coat them in oil.
I will report back with some detailed pictures tomorrow!
05-05-2010, 02:17 PM
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Do you wash the car regularly? It's not just rain water that causes rust, any water plus exposed steel = rust. My non-daily drivers don't ever get washed, I use Quick Detailer and a car duster to maintain the finish after a drive. Only time I would ever wash them would be for serious dirt or mud, but I never let it get that bad (or if I get caught in the rain...which hasn't happened yet).
And this is further proof that salt gets EVERYWHERE!
And this is further proof that salt gets EVERYWHERE!
05-05-2010, 03:14 PM
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Do you wash the car regularly? It's not just rain water that causes rust, any water plus exposed steel = rust. My non-daily drivers don't ever get washed, I use Quick Detailer and a car duster to maintain the finish after a drive. Only time I would ever wash them would be for serious dirt or mud, but I never let it get that bad (or if I get caught in the rain...which hasn't happened yet).
And this is further proof that salt gets EVERYWHERE!
And this is further proof that salt gets EVERYWHERE!
I do the quick detailer trick too, but I've also spent a lot of time correcting my paint and keeping it as swirl free as possible, therefore I'm cautios as to which areas of the car get QD'd.
Anyways, it wasn't a nice surprise and salt really does get everywhere. The strange thing about these two small specs of surface rust is the location. It wasn't on the edge of the steel, or in a tight area where the two piece of steel go over one another, it was right in the middle of the rocker panel on a nice flat piece of steel.
Thankfully this area is hidden due to the piece mentioned above.
05-05-2010, 05:05 PM
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Yes I do, I'm an avid detailer and spend more time doing detailing then driving the car
I do the quick detailer trick too, but I've also spent a lot of time correcting my paint and keeping it as swirl free as possible, therefore I'm cautios as to which areas of the car get QD'd.
Anyways, it wasn't a nice surprise and salt really does get everywhere. The strange thing about these two small specs of surface rust is the location. It wasn't on the edge of the steel, or in a tight area where the two piece of steel go over one another, it was right in the middle of the rocker panel on a nice flat piece of steel.
Thankfully this area is hidden due to the piece mentioned above.
I do the quick detailer trick too, but I've also spent a lot of time correcting my paint and keeping it as swirl free as possible, therefore I'm cautios as to which areas of the car get QD'd.
Anyways, it wasn't a nice surprise and salt really does get everywhere. The strange thing about these two small specs of surface rust is the location. It wasn't on the edge of the steel, or in a tight area where the two piece of steel go over one another, it was right in the middle of the rocker panel on a nice flat piece of steel.
Thankfully this area is hidden due to the piece mentioned above.
Maybe there was some dust under the paint there, that eventually worked loose and left a tiny nick.....
05-05-2010, 07:13 PM
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Ah yes, the hassle of a black car! Having silver lets me get away with less time spent on swirl removal. However, I have to say that QD is a great product, my sail panel and mirrors are black, and by the end of the season they only have minor swirl marks, which I then remove with my personal 2-step process. They are never deep enough to stay around, been like that for years. But, I do agree that all black cars require a lot more caution.
Maybe there was some dust under the paint there, that eventually worked loose and left a tiny nick.....
Maybe there was some dust under the paint there, that eventually worked loose and left a tiny nick.....
As for black, yeah it isn't a color, its a part time job. But man....is it ever worth it. I just got some pinnacle souveran paste wax that I'm dying to try.
