Repairing Car Body Rust: 3 Reasons to Choose Professional Welding Services

Rust is the implacable foe of every car, and leaving your car's exterior bodywork to corrode without attempting to repair the damage can see it consigned to the scrapheap long before its time. Unfortunately, dealing with severe rust eating away at your car's bodywork can be a difficult and time-consuming process, and trying to repair body rust without the requisite skills and knowledge can do more harm than good.If your car or truck's bodywork shows signs of rust, your best course of action is to take it to a professional welding shop that specializes in rust repair. Discover three reasons why professional welders are your best bet when saving your car from corrosion.

1. Superior to Body Filler Repairs
Has one of the body panels on your vehicle suffered extensive rust damage that penetrated the panel itself? Often, the easiest way to fix the damage is to grind away the rusted sections of metal and replace them with a waterproof body filling compound.
However, while this repair method is fast, easy, and inexpensive, it is not usually a long-lasting solution. Over time, the hardened filler material can wear away, allowing moisture to attack the damaged body panel and cause further corrosion. Replacing the rusted sections of bodywork with welded steel panels is a much more durable solution to your corrosion woes and can restore the damaged bodywork's strength and appearance more completely. Having a professional welding service perform the work will ensure that the welds that hold these panels in place are of the highest quality. High-quality rust repairs are particularly important if your vehicle has unibody construction, rather than exterior body panels fitted to a separate, supporting frame. Unibody vehicles rely on their exterior body panels to provide structural support, and replacing large sections of rusted metal with fillers can dramatically undermine the strength and safety of the vehicle's entire structure.

2. Easier Than Panel Replacement
If your rust-stricken vehicle is a common model, you may be able to solve your rust problems by replacing rusty body components with new, replacement panels. These panels can be metal or fiberglass and are usually manufactured by aftermarket fabricators. However, fitting a replacement body panel is not a perfect solution. Aftermarket body panels rarely match the original panels in terms of strength and quality and can be damaged in transit if you need to order replacement panels from a distant fabrication workshop. Fitting replacement panels can also be time-consuming, and your vehicle may not be safe to drive until the work is complete. Taking your rusty vehicle to a welding service that offers rust repairs is generally a faster and easier solution than fitting replacement panels. Additionally, this will preserve as much of the vehicle's original bodywork as possible to minimize loss of structural strength. Preserving original bodywork can be especially important if you drive a rare or vintage vehicle, as fitting aftermarket panels can significantly lower your vehicle's value.

3. Higher Quality Than DIY Welds If you know how to wield a MIG or spot welder, you may be able to perform welded repairs yourself. However, DIY welded repairs have their shortcomings. These welding methods usually require removing large sections of the original body, and you will have to leave a significant gap between the original bodywork and the repair panel to provide room for the weld itself.If you don't perform MIG or spot welded repairs perfectly, the wide welds left behind may contain cracks or pinholes, which will allow moisture to penetrate the bodywork and restart the corrosion process.Professional welders who specialize in vehicle rust repair can use more sophisticated welding techniques than the average weekend welder, such as TIG welding. TIG welding uses much narrower, sleeker welds to repair damaged body panels, leaving a smoother finish and minimizing the risk of weld defects forming in the finished repairs.If you have any more questions about how professional welding services can quickly and efficiently repair vehicle body rust, contact the rust repair experts at Sam's Welding, Inc , today.