According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 87% of Australia's population live within 50 kilometers of the coast, which is more than 22 million people.
Any metal will rust and corrode if continuously exposed to moisture and saltwater or other corrosive conditions over time: galvanic corrosion whenever rain or high humidity dissolves salts or pollutants to produce an electrolyte, because steel is more active than tin bronze in the galvanic series. Corrosion products from the steel will stain the bronze with a rusty colour.
Salt air is corrosive because it's hygroscopic – it attracts water. The salt attracts moisture from the environment to the carbon steel substrate, which speeds up the oxidation (rusting) process. Salt is in the environment, which means the effects of salt can be found on the surface of your carbon steel asset.
Because steel is a mixture of iron and carbon it may rust.
As other car part or accesory our products require a regular maintenance due to the exposition to weather conditions. Here are some ways to prevent galvanic corrosion:
Recommended maximum tightening Torque for our hardware M8 is 25Nm (handtight).
Power tools are NOT REQUIRED to install our product/s.
By using power tools you will damage the thread and coating of our products and eventually your vehicle gutter.
We encourage installers to use a good silicone self-fusing tape, liquid sealant, silicone or lanolin spray, high density thread seal tape or anaerobic sealant if you're planning a low-maintenance and long-lasting installation.
Bunnings sells BOSTON 50g Liquid Sealant .
It's higly recommended to put nylon washers between the attachment substrate (bracket) and the stainless steel washer to avoid galvanic corrosion .
If your gutters are not protected, use a thin adhesive seal (around 20mm wide) to avoid contact between bracket and vehicle gutter.
Rust is a slow process.
Just by looking after your product and checking its condition every 2-3 months you can extend its lifespan.
If touch up needed, we recommend Dulux Metalshield® Epoxy Enamel spray paint (note that colours may vary).
Your product colour will fade along the time. You can opt to restore the colour by spraying with clear coat, epoxy enamel or specific metal paint.
Dullux Australia Metalshield® Epoxy Enamel will add a long term protective layer already tested with amazing results on our carbon steel brackets.
Bolt & Nut Australia provides a great range of compatible hardware as well as replacement for our M8 x 1.25p Metric Coarse Stainless A2-70 G304 Socket (6mm Key) Head Cap Screws DIN 912 / ISO 4762 .