Preventing rust from ruining your car is one of the most important steps that you can take for preserving its appearance and helping it to retain its resale value. Yet car owners are frequently poorly equipped for what is involved with maintaining a car's exterior, but some simple tips can greatly improve your ability to prevent these issues from harming your car.

Regularly Wash Your Car

Washing your car is likely one of the most routine tasks that you can do when it concerns your car. While it may seem counterintuitive that washing your car could prevent rust, this step can reduce the wear that occurs to the exterior protective finish. As dust and dirt gathers on the car, small scratches can form in the finish as these particles move around. Washing your car will remove these substances before they are able to inflict this type of damage. Additionally, you can help to repair wear that may have occurred to your car's finish by applying a fresh coat of wax.  

Repair Scratches And Chips To The Paint As Soon As Possible

As you are washing your car, you should perform a detailed inspection for scratches in the car's paint. When a scratch has penetrated the finish and compromised the paint, you will need to quickly repair it if you are to prevent corrosion developing. To repair this damage, you will need an automotive paint patch kit. When buying one of these kits, you will want to make sure that you choose one that matches the color of your car as closely as possible. After applying the paint, you should apply a waterproof sealant to the patched area to increase its resilience against moisture damage.

Treat Exposed Metal With An Inhibitor Spray

There are some portions of your car's exterior that may not be designed to be painted. This can include exhaust pipe, undercarriage and portions of the doors. Luckily, you do not have to leave these parts of the car exposed to the elements, as a coating of rust inhibitor spray will prevent corrosion from being able to develop on the exposed metal. To ensure that your vehicle is as protected as possible against rust, you should apply this spray each year as it will gradually degrade. Prior to applying these sprays, you will want to thoroughly wash the exposed metal so that no dust or dirt is present. Also, you will want to give the car several hours to dry prior to driving it.