Are you among those asking, “why do chevy trucks rust so bad?” — we’ve composed this article in such a way that answers that question. Considering the fact the Chevy trucks are known for having rust problems, we didn’t only cover the answer to this question, we also went further to touch other areas, areas such as “how to avoid rust on your truck?”

…and even more.

Why Do Chevy Trucks Rust So Bad?

It’s primarily about location. In colder states, the roads are salted to protect against slipping on ice. That salt used has several negative effects on your truck’s undercarriage. So, having said that, we can narrow the answer down to saying: “it’s caused by salt.”

According to observation by Chevy truck owners, these trucks seem to depict rust surfaces more usual than trucks from a few other brands — their counterparts.

Tip: There’s nobody who would be happy after purchasing a truck that already has rust at observable areas. Therefore, before you go ahead with the “buying” process, ensure you inspect the truck to be sure it’s clean and ready to last for a long time — for years.

How To Avoid Rust On Your Truck

If you’re among those who reside in a colder state, avoiding rust on your truck would be a herculean task. Here’s how the rusting process commences: the salt that, however, finds its way to the road reacts chemically with the metal on your vehicle to create rust.

Regardless of the salt, there are a couple of steps you could follow to reduce the chances of having rust spots:

• Wash your truck regularly. Washing your truck frequently would help you to keep dirt away from paint.
• Paint your truck.

Although you make use of paint to beautify your truck, it — to a large extent — can help in protecting your truck from rust. Again, another thing that could be said as an answer to “Why Do Chevy Trucks Rust So Bad?” is:

It’s because of the damage around the coat of paint — this gives rust the freedom to appear in visible areas.

In addition, make sure you don’t skip the part where you have to wash the underbody of your truck as a lot of rust is likely to form in that region. There’s a tip found online that depicts the effectiveness of using baking soda during your wash. By doing so, the salt that causes rust on your vehicle will be neutralized.

Furthermore, when you find rust on your truck, resist the urge to allow it to bother you. As long as the rust hasn’t spread across other areas, you can employ the use of something rough — something like sandpaper — to ensure the rust is rubbed out. The use of sandpaper prevents the continuation of the damage [the rust] around the vehicle. Whenever you sight rust, don’t procrastination the recommended action — in order to avoid the rust from spreading to other areas of your truck.

The rust neglected gives way for the appearance of more rust surfaces. Buying products to stop the spread will work, but it doesn’t serve as an ultimate approach. If the rust spots you have gotten rid of occupying an area in your truck that has painted, get a primer and apply — paint over it. Just as we have stated in one of the above paragraphs, this paint has the feature of protecting your truck against rust. After all, you won’t want to leave bare metals — after getting rid of rust — exposed to the elements.

Tip: In case you don’t know, rust can accumulate at your wheel wells — as a result sprouting up on your truck — so it’s advisable that you, also, keep that place clean.

Science Of Rust

In our quest to fully dish out an answer to the question, “Why Do Chevy Trucks Rust So Bad?” — follow us as we let you in to the science behind why rusting occurs. Rusting, as a type of corrosion, occurs when steel or iron comes in close contact with other elements. For rusting to occur, three things must be present: steel/iron, water and oxygen. Basically, the moment water comes in contact with iron and oxygen, the iron gets broken down into a substance that’s entirely different — this substance is called iron oxide, also known as rust.

Because of the fact that steel and iron can’t be avoided in your truck, whenever water touches your truck, it so much heightens the possibility of having the presence of rust. When salt is involved in the process, it speeds up of the rusting process. The chemical reaction that occurs between salt and water makes the process faster.

So, if the question, “Why Do Chevy Trucks Rust So Bad?” is asked, there’s an added answer:

Water & salt [depending on the location].

Let’s look at the solution to the rust issue.

Possible Solution To Your Rust Problems

Do you want to purchase a new truck? Go in search of a truck that’s rust-free. If you’re someone who resides in the Midwest, this can be quite difficult to accomplish. You can perform the rust removal using the following tools:

• Touch-up paint pen
• Grease and wax removal
• Primer
• Rust removal
• Colour matching spray paint
• Sander
• Masking Tape
• Sandpaper
• Sanding discs
• Dust mask
• Gloves
• Protective eyewear

For Minor Surface Rust

1. Use paint-appropriate tape to mask the affected area. That would give some inches of protection around the rust spot.

2. There are directions on rust removal, follow them. Usually, it involves brushing or spraying it onto the rest and allowing it to sit for several minutes. After that, make use of a clean rag to wipe off any residue. Remember that the rust remover is a nasty stuff, ensure you wear the appropriate protective gear when handling it.

3. Afterwards, the rust should be erased, but don’t forget to, using sandpaper, take out the leftover rust.

4. Clean with a wax removal soap and grease, then air dry.

5. Spray primer in a light-to-medium coat, and allow an hour to dry. Spray three coats.

6. Going way thinner than the primer, spray the colour-base coat. For complete coverage, it’s important that you do either five or six coats. In order to prevent drips, give it enough time between coats.

7. Spray the clear coat. Before washing, it’s necessary that you wait for two to three days — and before waxing, wait for a minimum of two months [some suggest waiting for six.]

Major Surface Rust

1. Mask off the affected area. Are you sanding through primer and paint? Then, it’s quite advisable that, in order to protect your truck from the super-fine dust, you cover the other areas of your truck.

2. For you to remove as much surface rust, make use of a grinder together with a sanding wheel. When you’re removing the rust, don’t forget that you shouldn’t go beyond how you should bear down.

3. Use grease removal to clean the work area.

4. Use a body filler — a fiberglass reinforced body filler — for holes and depression leftover after getting rid of the rust. Then, allow it to cure completely. You shouldn’t start at all if the atmospheric temperature is cooler than about 65 degrees.

5. Get a progressively finer grit sandpaper and use it to sand the filler. After that, clean using the wax and grease remover.

6. Tape the area to be painted.

7. Make use of the self-etching primer and patiently wait for the drying time — the required drying time.

8. Spray a couple of light coats of paint.

9. Finish with a coat or two. Hold off on waxing and washing.

Why Do Chevy Trucks Rust So Bad – Conclusion

At this point, we can boldly say we’ve given several answers to the question, “Why Do Chevy Trucks Rust So Bad?” You can completely avoid rust, but performing a frequent check for rust surfaces would be a good move to get rid of the rust even before they escalate.

Moreso, we covered areas — after answering the question, “Why Do Chevy Trucks Rust So Bad? — such as “how to avoid rust on the truck” and more. In the section of “how to avoid rust on your truck,” we outlined two ways:

• Wash your truck regularly. Washing your truck frequently would help you to keep dirt away from paint.
• Paint your truck.

Ensure you wash your truck using baking soda, because baking soda helps in neutralizing the effect of salt. And, painting your truck doesn’t only beautify it, it also contributes to helping your track do away with rust. After that, we talked about the few things that must be present for rust to occur and they include:

• Steel/Iron
• Water
• Oxygen

Lastly, as a solution to your rust problems, you can go through the process of ensuring the removal of rust. Aside from these, Chevy trucks are very strong trucks and they last for a very long time — a matter of years. The reason that stands as an answer to “Why Do Chevy Trucks Rust So Bad?” is location: some locations have salt on the road. If Chevy trucks are exposed to water and/or salt, the likelihood of the iron/steel areas getting rust becomes huge.

Thanks for reading.