Truck paints, finishes protect against corrosion, brand erosion

Paints, finishes protect against corrosion, brand erosion

Preventative maintenance

Obviously the finish can’t keep corrosion away all on its own—fleets need to keep up preventative maintenance on their end. Sherwin-Williams’ Walton provided us with a checklist of maintenance questions that should be addressed when protecting a fleet:

  • Is your vehicle electrochemically sound? The electrons within metals circulate and when two metals that are not similar are near each other, it can cause problems. While one metal remains pristine, the other corrodes rapidly. If you are replacing rivets, screws, or bolts, pay attention to their metal types and the body metal material. Refer to a galvanic series chart to ensure they are close together to prevent galvanic corrosion.
  • Do you properly prepare substrates for recoating? Whenever sanding through the OEM coating, make sure the metal is properly cleaned and abraded. Spot pretreatments can help extend the life of coatings over exposed metal.
  • What properties does your primer have? Use a properly formulated 2K epoxy or 2K urethane that is designed to go direct to metal. Make sure your primer contains anti-corrosive pigments and additives to extend corrosion protection. In extreme environments a zinc rich primer can be used.
  • What is your appropriate film build? By decreasing your film build, you will shorten the corrosion protection of the coating system. Although a lighter film build will provide cost savings, the lack of protection allows premature corrosion to develop and will cost much more in the end.
  • Are joints and cracks sealed? Water magnifies corrosion problems. It is critical to evaluate cracks and even sealed areas because water can absorb moisture from the air and complete the corrosion cycle if not addressed.
  • Do you regularly clean your fleet’s “hot zone”? The hot zone is any part of the vehicle within 42 in. from the ground. This area gets the most moisture and salt from the roads, and needs to be cleaned and inspected regularly. This is not the only area to check, but it is usually the first place to look for premature corrosion.

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Weather differences

The location and climate of a fleet can also be a variable when it comes to spec’ing recommendations. Hot-weather fleets, for example, will have different paint and finish needs than cold-weather fleets, which will have different needs than those in a more moderate climate.

“Climate can play a major role in any paint job,” says Martin Senour’s Dowling. “It can wreak havoc in any of the four seasons, but the winter and summer months stand out above the rest. This is mainly because the chemical reaction that takes place during the paint process can move from one extreme to the other. For example, summerMartin Senour months in Texas or Arizona can speed up the chemical reaction extremely fast, while winter months in Minnesota or the Dakotas can slow the reaction down too much. These extreme ends of the spectrum can be problematic during the paint process.”

Dowling recommends reducer selections to address this problem. Reducers are mixed with paints to allow thicker paint to be used as a spray without worrying about it stopping up the sprayer or resulting in uneven coats of paint.

“Reducers are also utilized to ensure the proper viscosity and mil thickness are achieved so a paint job cures and protect as anticipated. Offering reducer selections will help control the chemical reaction so a shop can produce consistent paint jobs during mild or extreme temperatures,” Dowling says.

3M’s Spoto offers a maintenance tip: “Use caution when cleaning trucks with caustic solutions and high-pressure washers. Rather than washing the salt and grime off the truck, it can drive it into the seams where rusting can occur.”

Taking matters into their own hands

Some fleets have their own paint spray booths in their facilities; by doing so, they can control the painting process themselves, becoming solely responsible for each aspect of the paint job, while controlling environmental conditions and keeping dirt away. This is a significant investment on the part of the fleet; whether or not it’s a worthwhile one, our experts agree, depends on the fleet and its needs.

3M’s Spoto says that the major benefit on the fleet’s part of having its own paint booth is that it improves the efficiency of the repair process and the quality of the repair.

“That’s critical to getting the trucks back on the road and generating revenue faster,” he says. “One key with truck paint, which is much heavier, is to have good air circulation in the paint booth, to ensure the paint cures properly.”

“If the fleet has the ability to install a spray booth and employ a professional, trained painter, the fleet would have the ability to control the maintenance on their vehicles,” Axalta’s Papa says. “There are some fleets who own their own paint booth and some that forge relationships with quality collision shops in their area. It’s really a preference and what works best for the fleet in their work flow process.”

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