So let's talk about rust prevention.
Rust pretty well has to be the biggest fear most Kombi owners have. We get asked all the time. What can I do to prevent rust? The answer here really can get quite long and drawn out and it really depends on where you are and how you are storing your pride and joy.
If you want to prevent rust it really helps to first understand how rust starts. This is an easy one. Rust generally forms from the inside out. Think of two steel panels with a space between. Over time the space will form with moisture and dirt and because it can’t be accessed it won’t dry out and can’t be cleaned out so after some time it will rust through from the inside out will show from the outside in the form of bubbling.
Now, thinking about your location, a wetter climate where your Kombi sees a lot of rain will allow water to make its way into these inaccessible locations. If you are near the coast this is compounded further because the water mixed with the salt in the air will speed up the rust process.
Knowing this, the biggest prevention for rust is how you store and use your bus. If your bus goes out a lot in the rain or is parked outside it’s going to see a lot more water and a lot more of the salt breeze. If you garage your bus and it doesn’t go out a lot in the rain then this is about the number one prevention for rust. That might be easy said but that can mean you enjoy your beauty far less and honestly, why own a beautiful Kombi just to keep it in a garage? As I say, cars were made to be driven and enjoyed so that should be the number one priority for you. Don’t sacrifice your enjoyment for preventing rust.
So, we’ve established storing your beauty in a garage is high priority and the other thing, if you live near the coast and your baby sees a lot of salt breeze, we would recommend it be washed regularly.
Moving on to products. What are some things you can use to treat the Kombi for rust prevention. You may have heard of fish oil and this is definitely a good one as is cavity wax. A lot of people don’t understand how or where to apply the fish oil. If you remember what we said about rust starting from the inside out you might have more of an idea. Fish oil and cavity wax is used for getting it into these places that can’t otherwise be reached. There is a spray gun available with a tube that can be fed through a hole down into the hard to reach places such as inside the A and B pillar, between the inner and outer sills and inside the steps. We can also recommend inside at the bottom of all the doors and up inside and around the edges of the roof. Applying fish oil or cavity wax to these areas will buy you years of rust prevention.
Protecting the exterior of the vehicle is also important and we would recommend using a quality polish or paint protection which acts like a coating and will prevent the water and salt air from finding exposed areas to start corrosion. A common place for rust to start from the exterior is from the roof gutters and the floors.
The final point about rust prevention is about protecting your floors and underbody. In regards to the floors, we see a lot of people stick floor mats and carpet to the floor. This might seem like a good idea but these high traffic areas inevitably become moist and wet