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Working professionally in the automotive field, I've seen a lot of mechanics doing what I consider to be "hack" things when repairing vehicles.
Personally, one of my number one pet peeves is rusted/corroded/seized fasteners and parts, and I take every measure possible to prevent that from happening in the future, whether it was starting to seize on that particular vehicle or not.
It irritates me to take all the lug nuts/wheel bolts off a vehicle and have the rim be stuck on and have to get a hammer and hit it from the back side. A good mechanic, in my opinion, would wire wheel the hub and inside of the rim and apply some sort of anti-seize or the like to prevent that from happening in the future.
Same goes for brake rotors. I've had to get out the rotor/drum puller more times than I care to and once that rotor is off I wire wheel and scotch brite the hub before liberally applying Fluid Film or anti-seize to everything. Same goes for inner tie rods when replacing outers, inside sleeves when installing shocks/struts or replacing tie rods/drag links on more conventional steering systems. Basically anywhere I can put anti-seize on it's getting put on.
I'm a big believer in corrosion prevention and will take every measure I can to avoid having to deal with it again in the future.
But I've watched many hacks take off a wheel, use their hands to hit the rim back and forth (another no no, unless you want nerve damage and to not be able to feel your hands when you're 50) and then force the rim back on with their impacts going criss cross to make the rim go on. And they'll do it again next time, too, almost as if they either enjoy struggling with things, think that all work should be difficult, or want to put on a show of being "macho" by showing how "tough" they are (read: stupid).
I don't want to have to work any harder than I have to, and if that means spending an extra 5-10 minutes cleaning and anti-seizing everything to make that job easier again in the future, so be it.
There's only 3 reasons I can think of that techs/DIYers don't do this:
1. They're lazy and don't feel like it.
2. They don't believe it'll do any good at preventing rust (and they'd be wrong).
3. They don't want to get it on their hands (anti-seize gets on everything, true, but that's what gloves are for).
I've heard more guys whine and cry because "I got never seize on my hands!" rather than thanking me for making their job easier. I'm trying to help them out and they want to cry and complain, and I say "Too bad!" Don't bite the hand that feeds you ( or helps you). Help me help you FFS.
What do you guys think? How effective are the current methods at preventing rust and do you take steps to prevent future rust when doing repairs.
I do preventative and regular maintenance but it’s on my personal vehicles. I would do the same for a friends or a customer if I was a mechanic. You need to understand that a lot of people don’t do anything more than what they need to do on a repair. You may not do it, I may not do it but a lot of people in all sort of trades do shoddy or butcher jobs on peoples cars or property. A lot of people simply don’t care about the future need of the customer.
You seem to be more sensitive to a customers future (potential) problems and it’s nice to see you give a crap. I had good and bad luck with mechanic shops and dealers. Ultimately it’s up to the person and their work ethic and what pride they have in the work they do and the end product they put out that makes the difference.
My most recent dealer experience was a recall. Did it the right way. Set up appointment, got there early. The writer was not there. The other guy literally didn’t want to give me the time of the day. They did the work but their customer service was crap. You really think I’m gonna bring my trucks there or when I go buy a truck I’m gonna go there to buy it? Nope
Ultimately not everyone is gonna go that in depth on doing rust prevention. Some people could care less.
Didn’t you already have a rant on something similar not too long ago?
Last edited by Electrician4you; 12-29-2019 at 11:27 AM..
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Shops depend on getting as much work done as possible in the day, and extra, unnecessary work is not going to be done. You must be an outlier. I did most of my own repairs including brakes until about the mid-90s with antilock and AWD, and never had any issues with rust or anything stuck. The rotors never got a chance to get rusty, since it only takes 1-2 times resurfacing before they are too thin and need replacing. On the other hand, the modern CUV or smaller will go 50,000 miles or more on the brake pads. Our 2014 is at 48,000 miles and has the originals, last time we checked at about 25% left.
Shops depend on getting as much work done as possible in the day, and extra, unnecessary work is not going to be done. You must be an outlier. I did most of my own repairs including brakes until about the mid-90s with antilock and AWD, and never had any issues with rust or anything stuck. The rotors never got a chance to get rusty, since it only takes 1-2 times resurfacing before they are too thin and need replacing. On the other hand, the modern CUV or smaller will go 50,000 miles or more on the brake pads. Our 2014 is at 48,000 miles and has the originals, last time we checked at about 25% left.
Depends on where you live. Areas where roads are heavily salted for 3 months every winter have rust you can't imagine. Some vehicles become unsafe to drive before the mechanical bits are worn out.
Shops depend on getting as much work done as possible in the day, and extra, unnecessary work is not going to be done. You must be an outlier. I did most of my own repairs including brakes until about the mid-90s with antilock and AWD, and never had any issues with rust or anything stuck. The rotors never got a chance to get rusty, since it only takes 1-2 times resurfacing before they are too thin and need replacing. On the other hand, the modern CUV or smaller will go 50,000 miles or more on the brake pads. Our 2014 is at 48,000 miles and has the originals, last time we checked at about 25% left.
Depends on where you live, how and what you drive. Out here in So Cal /south western US very little rust. Snow/rust belt .....whole different story .....as far as rust is concerned.
While vehicular rust is prevalent near salt water and where road salt is used, it also takes place to a lesser degree in humid environments such as where it rains a lot. Rust also takes place one the bolts and clamps supporting the exhaust manifold and pipes, specially in places where the ambient temperatures are low, or where the air contains moisture. In arid areas where the air is dry and warm, little condensation and rust takes place.
The thing about rust prevention at the mechanic's shop is that time is costs money, and the shop charges by the hour. Now, when i do my own maintenance, and depending on what bolts and nuts I remove and reinstall, I usually clean and lubricate the threads slightly. Carriage, exhaust, and suspension bolts/nuts often get rusty.
The mechanics are not expecting to see the car again, so have no interest in making the job easier for the next time. It sounds like you area good and careful mechanic, so I suspect you are getting repeat customers and working on cars that you have previously- worked on.
Depends on where you live. Areas where roads are heavily salted for 3 months every winter have rust you can't imagine. Some vehicles become unsafe to drive before the mechanical bits are worn out.
I DIY my repairs and where I live, I can take my time and clean up, paint, anti-sieze, etc all I want and the next time I dig into that area parts are corroded up again.
Brakes are the big problem area. I've spent a LOT of time greasing and lubing slide pins and anti-seizing the rotors and such, only to have that stuff all seized up again the next time I do a brake job.
I will say though that easy subsequent new vehicle I purchase is MUCH better at handling the salt and such than the previous one. My current 2014 vehicle has 110K on it and I drive it in the salt all the time and it actually looks pretty good underneath.
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