Metal corrosion
Approximately 70% of the cost of a car is determined by the condition of the body. And this, in turn, depends on whether the car has been in an accident and, most importantly, on the extent of its corrosion damage.
The causes of accelerated corrosion are divided into two groups and are related to:
- with design or technological features of specific models;
- with external influences.
The first group includes:
- occurrence of high stresses and vibrations of the body metal;
- the presence of "pockets" in the supporting sections of the bodies;
- using thin sheet metal (0.7-0.8 mm);
- use of metal with impurities that increase the rate of corrosion;
- the presence of corrosion concentrates in the form of moldings and other decorations.
External influences include:
- sulfur compounds, carbon dioxide and chlorides found in the environment;
- salt solutions used to combat ice.
In our conditions, various salt solutions have the greatest impact, as they lead to the formation of conductive "bridges" between body parts, which, as a rule, have different electrical potential. This causes the most rapidly developing type of metal destruction - electrochemical corrosion. The point is that all cars have a single-wire electrical circuit, and, therefore, currents "walk" through the body from one consumer to another.
Let's not go further into the theory, leaving it to corrosion specialists, and turn to practical issues. These results are based on the use of three types of devices during the examination, which make it possible to assess:
- change in the thickness of "live" metal, that is, not subject to corrosion;
- the degree of erosion of the metal from the inside, or, more simply, the degree of its loosening or destruction by oxides;
- thickness of cosmetic layers (paints, putties), which allows us to determine whether the body has been repaired and attempts to hide it.
The results of the examinations carried out by specialists allow us to draw the following conclusions:
1. In the conditions of our region, the rate of corrosion penetration into metal for cars used in winter is 0.2 mm per year and 0.1 mm per year for cars that have not seen salt.
2. Corrosion develops especially quickly in areas that have undergone body repair, and even more quickly if this repair was carried out using welding or soldering, since electrochemical pairs are created from dissimilar metals. For those buying a car, especially a foreign car, this is of fundamental importance. It is not for nothing that thrifty Europeans almost always sell even slightly damaged cars (true, having received insurance) for next to nothing - $1-2 thousand. The reader probably knows for how much they are then resold at our markets. But if you are lucky enough to discover a hidden defect before making a purchase, know that the real cost of such a car is 25-50% lower than that of an undamaged one. It is important to remember that sooner or later you will have to sell your car, and without experts, only very naive people make expensive purchases these days.
3. The corrosion process occurs most quickly in cars that are used in winter and stored in garages, especially warm ones, without preliminary dissolution of salts with running water. We emphasize, not washing off, but rather dissolving. Those who believe that by washing the underside of a car with a strong jet of water they are doing a good deed are very much mistaken. Salts dissolve easily even without strong pressure, but protective coatings from a powerful jet quickly "peel off" from the metal, sag, creating only the illusion of protection. In the cavities formed between the metal and the sagging mastic, corrosion develops much faster than on exposed metal.
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It is highly recommended not to wash a car with hot water, since due to different temperature expansion, the protective coatings that warm up first "slide" off the metal, creating a negative effect.
Those who believe that the thicker the protective coating, the better, are wrong. Everything is just the opposite. The main thing is that there are no breaks in the coating, and therefore it must be regularly updated.
Finally, some practical advice. Of the two cars, the better one is not the one that is "younger", but the one in which the metal destruction process has not penetrated to a depth of more than 0.4-0.5 mm. In this case, no treatment can prevent the formation of holes in one and a half to two years. And vice versa, even an old car that has had reliable protection from the beginning of operation will serve for many more years. In our conditions, it is possible to repair the engine and chassis of a foreign car, but it is not economically feasible to repair a badly rotted body.
Self-makeup
You've probably noticed how impressive a wet, freshly washed car looks. Covered with drops of water, it sparkles and shimmers in the light like new. Unfortunately, this does not last long, the water dries, the body becomes dull and all the small scratches and marks become visible.
A great variety of different preparations are produced for car body and interior care, giving shine and luster to both old and new cars. In movies and television shows you can often see good-natured Americans or Europeans carefully polishing their pets until they shine like a mirror.
With the dirt on our roads, especially in the off-season, it would seem unreasonable to spend money on special shampoos and polishes and make them shine, only to dirty the car again five minutes later. Let's try to prove that we need car cosmetics no less, but even more, than in other countries. If only because it is not only sparkling cleanliness, it is first and foremost protection from external harmful effects, of which there are plenty in our climate zone: large temperature differences, "salt cocktail" in winter, dust, sand, scratching paint like sandpaper, stones, leaving small cracks in enamel - in summer. Add to this acid rain, which has already become a reality, ultraviolet radiation, burning out color pigments from the paintwork and making your car faded and dull, poor quality of painting of domestic cars.
No one doubts the need for anti-corrosion treatment of the bottom and sills. And if you want to keep the exterior of the body and interior in its original form, you can't do without car cosmetics. This is especially true for new foreign cars. The enamels on some of them are water-based - this composition is less harmful in production (environmental requirement). However, they are not as durable as regular synthetic ones, and therefore more vulnerable. Car treatment begins with washing. Clean water alone is unlikely to remove all the ingrained dirt, oil stains or traces of tree resin, although it is still worth rinsing with water to wash away small stones and sand that can scratch the paint. What to wash with? In no case with washing powder, soda or household detergents, for example, for cleaning tiles or dishes. They "eat" dirt perfectly, but at the same time they destroy paint no less actively and, penetrating through cracks, cause corrosion of metal. So, you need to "bathe" your pet only with car shampoo and a special fine-pored sponge that traps sand particles, preventing scratches on the surface of the body.
Remember, gentlemen, remember.
Car shampoos sold on the market can be divided into two groups: those with low and high wax content. The first ones contain dissolved surfactants that "pull out" (extractive) dirt from the surface. The shampoo is easily washed off with water, leaving a thin layer of wax. The second type's cleaning composition includes a solvent, and the content of wax and polymers is an order of magnitude higher. In essence, this is a shampoo and polish "in one bottle". Such preparations are very popular in Scandinavian countries, they are especially convenient to use in late autumn, winter and early spring, when due to low temperatures it is difficult to apply a very thick polish - you wash the car and the body is already treated. However, ease of use inevitably affects the price - such shampoo is usually 2-5 times more expensive than usual.
To prevent stains from forming due to uneven drying and to polish the wax, it is recommended to wipe the body with a soft cloth, or better yet, with artificial suede, which is sold separately in a plastic case. It will serve you for many years. After washing, you can begin to process the paintwork. If the car has not been treated for several years or never at all, then it probably makes sense to use a so-called color restorer. The fact is that as the enamel ages, the top unprotected layer of paint softens and becomes dull under the influence of the external environment. Color restorers contain finely dispersed abrasive powder with a cleaning composition, which gently removes the outer "dead" layer and at the same time slightly evens out the surface, helping to clean old stains of ingrained dirt.
If, having finally washed the body, you suddenly discover traces of incipient corrosion, do not despair: small spots are easily removed with rust converters. They interact with rust, leaving a film that is resistant to further corrosion, passivate the metal and, as a rule, do not require special surface preparation. Although the transformation process occurs right before your eyes, everything depends on the size of the stain and the depth of corrosion penetration. For large stains, the treatment will have to be repeated several times with short breaks. After treatment, the damaged area will need to be touched up.
Now that the body is fully prepared, you can apply polish to give the car more shine, and most importantly, protect the body from the aggressive external environment. What to polish with? The question is quite complicated, since this part of car cosmetics is the most widely represented. Polishes for car bodies, plastic trims and bumpers, for chrome and wheel rims, colorless and with a coloring effect, liquid and paste-like, with or without abrasives - for every taste and wallet size. There are, of course, universal polishes that add shine to painted panels, bumpers, chrome parts, glass and even tires. They are more likely to interest people who care primarily about the appearance of the car and their image. But the protective capabilities of such preparations cannot be very high, because the surface properties of different materials vary greatly. For ideal protection, each material requires treatment with its own specific composition.
So, the body. For new or almost new cars, colorless polishes are ideal, they are relatively cheap and easy to use. Some of them contain Teflon and super-slip polymers, which form very smooth surfaces after polishing, preventing dirt from sticking. If the car has been driven a lot and its paint is covered with scratches from sand and stones or improper washing, colored polishes are preferable. They are thicker and a little more difficult to apply than clear ones, but they fill well and mask small scratches and abrasions on the enamel. However, it is important to remember that polish is not paint and cannot replace it in the case of deep and wide scratches. Polishes enter into an electrochemical reaction with the paint coating, for their complete "hardening" it takes about a day, so they are applied in the garage or outdoors in warm weather and, of course, not in the rain.
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And more about the usefulness of cosmetics in our harsh conditions. Agree, dirty, cloudy after winter, wiper-scratched windows look like an eyesore against the shiny body, and besides, driving with such windows is unsafe: it is difficult to see the road through them, especially at night or when driving towards the sun. A thorough wash alone will not remove the countless scratches left by sand, windshield wipers, and when raising and lowering the side windows. Waxes and silicones contained in regular polishes can cause clouding, so it is better to use a special glass cleaner with a polishing and protective effect. It cleans the surface well and at the same time smooths out small scratches, making the glass more transparent. Well, if you treat the outer surface with a product from the "anti-rain" series, and splash an all-season cleaner into the washer reservoir, the world around you from inside the car will appear in a completely different light.
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There are also other parts that change their original appearance over time and spoil the appearance of the car, for example, bumpers and wheels. Black plastic bumpers soon turn grey, dirt easily penetrates into the porous surface of the plastic, and no shampoo can remove it from there. A cleaner is produced especially for such cases, which returns the bumper to its "native" black color and at the same time covers it with a protective film.
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For chrome and aluminum parts, there are products available that contain a small amount of abrasives and polishing compounds to impart shine. They can also be used to treat wheel rims, although special preparations have been developed for them. For special enthusiasts, there are even tire care products.
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When starting such a "general cleaning", it would be a sin not to take care of the interior, because we drive not on, but inside the car. A vacuum cleaner and a wet cloth can achieve significant results, but everything has its limits. For example, the front panel, like black bumpers, has a tendency to fade and burn out in the sun and simply requires treatment with some kind of polish. You can wash fabric seats and napped upholstery with water and washing powder, of course, if you have the time and opportunity to wait a few days for them to dry without using the car. A good alternative to this is aerosol upholstery cleaners. The white foam is instantly absorbed, cleans the fabric and dries very quickly, leaving a transparent protective layer - any accidentally spilled liquid can be simply wiped away. Perhaps the only drawback is the high consumption of the product and the correspondingly high cost of treatment.
Finally, a provocative question - is it worth it? Maybe it will do? Fortunately, the traffic police are not very picky about the appearance, and the cleanliness of the car has little effect on the technical parameters. But imagine that you have to sell the car. What will the buyer pay attention to first? That's right, look at the exterior, how is the body - is it "rotten"? It's worth spending 10-20 dollars a year on car cosmetics, so as not to worry about this at least, and, you must admit, driving in a clean, sparkling car is much more pleasant. By the way, according to statistics, such cars are less likely to get into accidents. Why - I don't know, but the fact remains a fact.
What's creaking?
One of the most important indicators of a car's comfort is the level of acoustic noise inside the cabin. It is known that driving brand new cars, fresh off the assembly line, if they have no serious defects, can be a pleasure at first. But how long does this idyll last? After some time, the vehicle, as readers figuratively put it, turns into a rattle. Sometimes - quite quickly, by 15-20 thousand kilometers. In other words, an active, frequent-driving driver may encounter this sad fact without even driving for a year.
The car ages quickly. The interior of the car wears out even faster - from the seat mechanisms, their upholstery, door trim elements and ceiling to various keys, buttons, plastic levers, handles. All this, to use formal terminology, wears out: driving a car even on quite decent roads begins to be accompanied by extraneous noises. The car owner hears creaking, knocking and even grunting. What is the root cause of this sad metamorphosis? It seems that the possibility of a car being reborn as a mobile noise orchestra is primarily determined by the culture of its design - what is called school. But schools, as we all understand, are different.
At the same time, the car's transition to this state can accelerate (slow down) by the actions of the owner himself, and they, the owners, are also different! □one takes care of the car, watches its every whim, the other treats it like an enemy who has been captured.
But let's return to the school of design. If you remove the door trim of an old "Saab", for example, you will see all sorts of levers, rods, cables, etc. The parts are flimsy, and they are attached "simply" or "very simply"! It seems that the designer was concerned that the mechanics would not rattle on the day the car was sold.
One of the most common causes of extraneous noise in the cabin is the loosening of connected parts due to their vibration wear. In moving units, wear from the mutual movement of parts is added to this.
Why, for example, does an "itch" of some decorative panel arise if it is tightly and immobilely connected to the base of the body or door? In fact, both the panel and the base vibrate, and often in different ways. This means that vibrational movements occur in their contact, wearing out the material. Then comes the vicious circle: more vibration displacements - more wear, louder noise.
Evidence of vibration wear of some plastic parts may be characteristic dust at the points of contact and traces of mutual abrasion. Eliminate vibration displacements and wear will disappear.
Vibrational movements of parts such as interior door trim panels can often be reduced to a minimum by using additional fasteners such as self-tapping screws. Sometimes they do it differently: a gasket made of foam rubber, sponge rubber, latex is installed between the panel and the door - materials that dampen vibration well.
How to deal with this has already been said. There is another method, tested by experienced car enthusiasts: the panel from the inside is covered with an additional layer of sound insulation - even an old blanket. It's a labor-intensive task, but those who decide to do it will be rewarded: the knocks are muffled almost completely.
In general, when you have to fight against noise caused by vibration of any panel, you should not treat it as a simple, easy matter, especially if the vibration of a rigid panel is not damped in any way (that is, it does not go out). Here, even by additionally strengthening it with self-tapping screws, you may not achieve the desired results - having stopped "buzzing" at one speed, the panel may make an even more annoying noise at another. The use of soft pads usually gives a positive effect.
Having mentioned the word "vibrations" so many times, it would be a good idea to say which ones exactly we are talking about. Unfortunately, various parts in the cabin, with different sizes, weight, rigidity, etc., also have their own "favorite" vibration frequencies, which they readily respond to with "itching", knocking, rustling, etc. The vibrations themselves are caused by the operation of the engine, gearbox, transmission, wheel rotation, and finally, road irregularities. The frequency spectrum is so rich that any part, having received illegal freedom to vibrate, will certainly find "its" frequency.
This freedom has to be limited in one way or another. Is a switch vibrating? Glue a thin strip of foam rubber to it or press it with an additional spring. Is the rod inside the door rattling? Support it with a pad made of the same foam rubber... or lightly tie it to the door frame with an elastic band.
Looking under the dashboard, you will see a picture of complete chaos: wire harnesses and individual wires, numerous electrical connectors, cables. Nearby are instruments and switches. There is also a collection of abandoned bolts and nuts that ended up here during the assembly of the car. All this rattles and clanks, especially in winter, when the wire harnesses are as hard as a stick from the frost, and just like it, they hit the structural parts. That's why many car enthusiasts literally stuff the space under the dashboard with foam rubber or latex.
By the way, additional soundproofing of the engine compartment and, at the same time, the space under the dashboard gives amazing results. This is done with a piece of foam rubber glued to cardboard, which is laid from the pedals up to the edge of the "Dashboard". It is clear that such a "muffler" must be securely fastened and not interfere with control.
The noise in the car interior is largely explained by the properties of the materials used. Unfortunately, often the parts are made of plastic, which is not wear-resistant, fragile, etc. Naturally, the "loosening" of a unit assembled from them can happen very quickly.
If the parts operate in conditions of even slightly elevated temperatures, it is important that they do not warp or shrink. In fact, we see this process in any of our cars.
A special type of noise is creaking. The causes of creaking can be very different, but they are all united by the root cause - the movement of one part relative to another in a pressed state and the work of friction forces. Why, for example, wouldn't the edge of the dashboard creak if the door is pressed tightly against it when closed? The entire body "breathes" on uneven roads, the parts move relative to each other, causing a creak. It will disappear if you manage to eliminate the "illegal" contact. Most often, this involves loosening the fastening screws and moving the instrument panel as far as necessary.
The seat springs have an "anti-squeak" coating where they come into contact with the frame. But this layer is quite fragile and wears out. And here you have it - a squeak. There are different ways to eliminate it. One puts a plastic tube on the spring, another winds insulating tape, a third lubricates it with graphite grease. All the methods are rather frivolous - these measures do not last long.
The best way to eliminate creaking in hinge joints is to periodically apply graphite grease.
Another type of creaking is an extremely unpleasant sound that occurs when the heater fan is turned on, when the electric motor shaft rotates in the stator bushings without lubrication. There is only one way out - disassemble the engine, clean it from dirt and replenish the lubricant.
As we can see, there are two ways to get rid of the creaking: either eliminate the mutual movement of tightly pressed parts, or lubricate the rubbing parts.
Luke
"Keep your feet warm and your head cool" - this popular expression is known to many, but not everyone adheres to it. But doctors strongly recommend that motorists take this useful advice into account and justify their recommendations from a scientific point of view: the air temperature at the driver's head should be 6~7°C lower than at the feet. This achieves thermal comfort, which makes the driver less tired and more responsive to changes in the surrounding environment.
In principle, it is not difficult to achieve such a temperature difference; all you need to do is install an air conditioner in your car. But the device is not cheap and is somewhat demanding in maintenance. You can manipulate the window glass, but it is unlikely that you will achieve the optimal result. A small crack has no effect, and a well-opened window lets in a wind - there's no time for a temperature difference of 6-7 degrees, especially in winter.
A hatch may be a compromise solution. It is thanks to it that you can significantly improve the microclimate of your car.
When moving, the speed of the air flow above the car is quite high. Inside the cabin it is practically absent. Accordingly, the air pressure in the cabin is higher. But as soon as you open the hatch a little, the air from inside will start to be drawn out. This can be easily verified by lighting a cigarette in a "locked" car. The smoke from the cigarette will begin to flow out in a stream, leaving no smell in the cabin. And this cannot but affect the microclimate inside the car (both literally and figuratively), especially when there are smokers and non-smokers in it.
Due to the fact that there is an intensive air exchange in the car interior with a sunroof, the heater also works more efficiently here in winter, providing the necessary temperature balance.
In addition to everything mentioned, one more important thing can be noted. In the event of an accident, when exiting the car through the standard doors and windows is difficult or impossible, the hatch can be used as an emergency exit.
By the way, have you noticed? The strange, in the opinion of linguists, word "zalyuko-vanny" has entered the lexicon of motorists quite thoroughly and no one is puzzled anymore. As, incidentally, is the sunroof itself, which was initially considered the height of luxury and an accessory only for very expensive foreign cars.
What types of hatches are there?
Conventionally, they can be divided into two classes. The first is the hatches that are installed on the car at the manufacturer's factory. They are usually opaque (although there are exceptions), and in the open position the lid is hidden under the ceiling trim. There are particularly sophisticated ones, consisting of two halves and providing several operating modes: air intake, exhaust, and enhanced exhaust. In most cases, their drive is either mechanical (manual) or already electrified.
The second class includes mortise hatches. These are the ones that can be seen on most imported and domestic cars. They usually differ from the "branded" ones by a transparent cover and one position, in which the interior air is extracted from the car. (Although there are models that allow you to completely remove the cover and enjoy the open sky above your head. But more on that later.)
What is so good about mortise hatches? The indisputable advantage is that they are unified: this miracle can be installed on any car, from Cadillac to Zaporozhets. The installation process does not take much time, of course, if you have the skills. It takes a specialist about an hour and a half to two hours to do this. The hatch kit includes a paper template, according to which the window in the ceiling is cut out. Psychologically, the procedure is certainly not pleasant - on a new car, the roof is opened like a tin can. However, not even on a new one (and it is precisely this "democratic" that mortise hatches are distinguished by). But the mental discomfort should overcome the anticipation of the advantages of this simple device.
After the "foam" is removed, the roof reinforcement is removed, or rather, the part of it that got into the "window" opening. It is subsequently replaced by a hatch frame, which copes with its duties no worse. The penultimate step is to remove part of the headlining. And finally, the installation of the hatch, which is vaguely reminiscent of assembling a hoop for embroidery on fabric. After this, it is not recommended to use the hatch for three days: the sealant used during installation must harden. (If you have ever encountered "lids" - that's what they call manholes in slang - that leak, then this happens precisely because the last requirement has not been met.)
What types of mortise hatches are there? The choice here, as well as the range of prices, is great: from the simplest ones, opening in one position and costing their owners $180 including installation, to "tricked-out" electric ones for $700 with the same installation.
But the most optimal option, in our opinion, is to install a hatch that opens discretely, in several fixed positions, and provides the most suitable open angle in a particular case. Typically these "lids" have two to four fixed positions or a mechanical drive in the form of a rotating handle.
Most hatches are made of tinted glass. Sometimes even this protection is not enough, especially when the sun is at its zenith. In this case, sun blinds, which are included with some "covers", can help.
There are hatches that not only provide air extraction from the cabin, but are also removable. This option will suit safari lovers. You can stick your head out of the open hatch with either a gun or a camera. Only in the car you need to prepare a place for the removed/ "cover" in advance. Although it is made of tempered, and sometimes reinforced with microwire glass, it still requires careful handling.
The most expensive and labor-intensive to install is the electric hatch. If it is not sliding, then its operating principle is no different from others, it is just that the opening process is entrusted to an electric motor. By and large, it's a waste of time, but it comes with a branded alarm system (ensuring that all windows are locked when the system is armed) you will no longer forget to close the hatch, it will do it itself.
A sliding sunroof provides owners with much wider possibilities. You could say the sum of all of them taken together. Only when it is retracted does it vaguely resemble a fairing on a mainline tractor. Although this may be a handy addition for a car that often has to tow a caravan, it is not hot in the car and the fuel savings are obvious. Press the button and it's done. True, the price of $700 is a bit steep. However, everyone is free to choose. Moreover, a healthy microclimate in a car is not a luxury, but a necessity.
Hatch options
| Name | Country of origin | Design Features | Price with installation (USD) |
| Nakita | Hungary | 2 positions open-closed. | 180 |
| Nakita Extra | Hungary | 3 fix, positions, removable glass | 220 |
| Air Light | Italy | 4 fix, positions, removable glass | 260 |
| Iceland | France | 4 fix, positions, removable glass | 270 |
| Galileo | France | rotating handle, removable glass | 280 |
| Galileo | France | rotating handle, removable glass, curtains | 300 |
| Brezza | Italy | electric drive | 700 |
(The article is based on information from the website: HONDABOOK.ru)