Rust is every car owner’s fear, and it’s not something to ignore.
It damages the car’s aesthetics and function, hence why many car owners put up protective measures against it.
One of the options people consider is waxing, but can it prevent rust?
Quick Answer
As a whole, waxing your car can prevent rust as it protects your car from rust-causing elements, like water, road salt, UV rays, thunderstorm, scratches, and more.
Wax is a great protection barrier and prevents rust from your car.
Read through this article if you need more reasons to wax your car against rust.
Does Waxing Your Car Prevent Rust?
Rust has significant impacts on cars. It can damage the paint, metal, the car’s aesthetics, and the resale value.
Furthermore, it compromises your car’s structural integrity; therefore, you must prevent it at all costs. But can waxing do the job?
Quick Answer
As a whole, waxing your car prevents rust as it acts as a paint sealant and protects against rust-causing elements.
Wax is a layer of protection, and it protects from the following:
UV Rays
Prolonged exposure to UV rays will rust your car.
When UV rays reach your car’s metal, oxygen and iron atoms decrease, increasing rust molecules.
In addition, it makes chemical reactions form on the metal, causing rust. Furthermore, UV rays can damage the paint, causing it to flake off and exposing the metal.
However, waxing will protect your car from UV rays and ultimately prevent rust.
Wax is a barrier between UV rays and the paint and prevents the damaging UVs from reaching the metal.
Moisture
Another thing that causes rust is moisture.
When moisture penetrates the metal, it causes iron oxidation, as it mixes with oxygen over a long time.
Over time, the oxygen and moisture interact with each other, forming rust.
Generally, water is the major catalyst in the rusting process.
You can prevent moisture from interacting with oxygen in your car by waxing your car.
Waxing lets water slide off your car, preventing it from penetrating the metal.
Scratches
Beyond making your car ugly, scratches make your car vulnerable to rust.
Scratches open pathways for debris, moisture, and oxygen to get to your car’s metal and cause rust.
Even the littlest scratches can cause trouble, especially if you ignore them for too long.
However, waxing can prevent minor scratches from reaching your car’s paint.
Wax is a sealant on the paint and takes the hit instead of the paint.
In addition, it minimizes clear coat scratching, protecting your car from rusting.
Road Salt
Salt is corrosive and can damage the car’s metal.
It creates a chemical reaction in your car’s paint, and continuous buildup will become a problem. While not immediate, road salt will eventually corrode the metal.
However, waxing can protect your car from road salt and prevent rust.
The road salt settles on the wax instead, and you can easily wash it off before it reaches your car’s metal.
You should wax your car often if you live where they use road salt to defrost ice during winter.
How Often To Wax Your Car Against Rust
Waxing is great on cars. It protects your car’s paint from UV rays, road salt, scratches, moisture, debris, mud, and more.
Furthermore, it makes your car glossy, and it improves its look.
So, how often should you wax your vehicle to prevent rust?
Quick Answer
As a whole, you should wax your car every three months against rust, and more often than that, if you live in rust-prone zones.
Wax doesn’t last so long compared to ceramic coatings and other protective sealants; therefore, you must wax your vehicle every three months or at least twice a year.
You should consider waxing more during winter to prevent road salt from attacking the metal.
Then, ensure you properly maintain the wax so it can last long.
Lastly, you should wax every three months to up the protection
Conclusion
Waxing protects your car from rust.
It’s one of the cost-effective ways to protect the clear coat from damage.
Ensure you wax your car often, as it doesn’t last that long, but every three months is ideal.
More importantly, you should maintain the wax on the clear coat if you want to keep the rust away from your car for a long time.
Key takeaways:
References:
https://vfauto.com/prevent-rust-car/
https://www.turtlewaxpro.com/blog/how-to-prevent-car-rust
https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/does-waxing-prevent-rusting-1216214/
