Serious Rust/Contamination

[RAG]

Anybody know how to beat rust contamination near salt air?



A recent transplant to an ocean town (La Jolla, CA), I`ve been exposed to an entire new element of contamination - rust. This is SERIOUS stuff. The salt air is murder! I think the type of clearcote is HUGE with respect to rust contamination - I almost never see Lexus` with rust specking.



I detailed my Aunt`s white Jeep Grand Cherokee and Uncle`s Dodge Magnum (both about 2 years old) about 3 months ago - and both have quite a bit of rust specking/contamination in the paint already. (my uncle owns a machine shop, so I know his car is often in a high-contamination area, but my Aunt`s car is rarely there.) Both details were clay, rotary compound, polish, and FMJ (I think I put AIO under FMJ on one of them, but can`t be sure). I can`t believe how much contamination they have already.



Also, I worked as a service advisor (ticket writer...selling details) at a local hand wash for a while when I first moved here...all I can say is - there are a lot of cars here with rust contamination due to the salt air. And right now, I don`t know how to beat it...other than clay every 6 to 8 weeks. I haven`t had too much of a problem with my LandCruiser, but the 2003 Honday Coupe I just sold needed to be clayed OFTEN to keep the rust at bay.



I suppose the cars that are more suseptable probably have softer, more porous clear coats.

[White95Max]

You can get rust specks in the paint whether you`re 1 mile or 1000 miles from the ocean. There are a lot more contaminants to worry about than salty air.

[wannafbody]

that sounds like rail dust or something other than just salt-I`d think salt could pit clearcoat but that it would disolve during washing :think:

[Setec Astronomy]

Don`t fight, kids. I think the salt air accelerates the rusting of any rail/brake dust that gets stuck on the paint. I`m not sure I understand why your uncle owning a machine shop would result in more contamination, unless he exhausts grinding or welding mist out of the plant. Anyway, you are right in DavidB`s neck of the woods (beautiful area, BTW), so maybe he will chime in to help you.

[RAG]

Yes, rust contamination will happen anywhere. And Yes, I believe the salt air accelerates the rusting of contamination (90% of rust specking contamination comes from rotor particles, as you notice it is always most severe on the tailgait/bumber area where the air flow swirls around and rams these particles into you clearcoat). Anyways...this contamination is dramatically accelerated here (compared to anywhere else I`ve lived). Every night/morning our cars outside are completely wet (we live 3 blocks from the ocean).



I`d like to know why some car makes seem to be more suseptable than others.

[White95Max]

I`d like to know why some car makes seem to be more suseptable than others.





I think the vehicles with a softer clearcoat are more susceptible than one with a hard clearcoat. Obviously it`s easier for particles to lodge themselves in a softer material.

[wannafbody]

I didn`t even think of rotor and brake pad dust-thats probably more prevalant than rail dust anyway

[Accumulator]

Some paints have more porosity/micro fissures/etc. than others- it`s easier for stuff to take hold and cause trouble. IMO the ones that have these compromises in their build film are gonna be more susceptible to the kind of problem under discussion. I`d a) try to polish the paint to where it`s "smoother", b) try to fill the little pits/fissures/etc. with something like a glaze (if it`s compatible with your LSP), c) consider using a "heavy" wax or a layerable sealant (e.g. KSG) on such paints, d) build up the LSP so you can clay contaminants off/out of the LSP before they get to the paint, and e) wash/clay frequently.



You might look into a decontamination system for the initial prep, to *really* get rid of the rust specs. Clay while the acidic step is dwelling.

[harvey]

I live on Long Island across the street from a bay on the Atlantic Ocean. The last time on saw rust on a reasonablely cared for car was in on my 1971 Stitfire, which was a well know rust bucket.



I really do not know what you guys are taking about. Is there more salt on the Pacific coast than on the Atlantic cost.



I am only one who has not a a rust problem in recent years. Or I am just lucky?

[White95Max]

I really do not know what you guys are taking about. Is there more salt on the Pacific coast than on the Atlantic cost.



I am only one who has not a a rust problem in recent years. Or I am just lucky?





The winds on the East Coast are mainly coming from inland areas. On the West Coast, the most common wind direction is off of the water, which brings salty, moist air to the land.

[RAG]

Being in moist areas or nearby the ocean where outside cars get damp everynight simply accelerate the rusting of contamination that adheres to the clear coat. Also, one of the people responded to this post asked why parking next to a metal shop could be problematic; the reason is that lost of contamination (much of it metalic) is in the air and settles on the car. I even had a friend once park near where someone was grinding and the next day, after a damp morning, the car was mostly orange because there were so many rusting particles on the car.



What Accumulator is saying about paints/clear coats makes sense with what I`ve seen.



I simply could not believe I could do a major detail (deep compounding and the like) on a car and then wash it three months later and have the paint feel like sand paper. :confused: All I know for sure is that some paints are more vunerable and that I see 4 times the amount of rust specking in cars here (San Diego) than I did where I lived previously (Sacramento).

[wannafbody]

not sure what products your using but you might need something a bit stronger. After a polish try a sealer like Duragloss or Finish Kare 218 (they claim it migrates to fill in the paint pores) and then top with collinite 845(strong carnauba/synthetic blend). Collinite claims 845 protects from salt. IME the 845 is pretty tough and should help protect the finish well.