Rust Prevention from The SLSHOP

’Tis impossible to be sure of any thing but Death and Taxes…’

Cars weren’t around in 1716 when Christopher Bullock penned the famous quote, but had he been writing a few hundred years later he’d surely have added rust to his short list.

The underside of a car is under constant attack from the day it leaves the factory. The leading panels and underside are peppered with stones and loose gravel from the vehicle in front. The wheel arches are constantly dealing with water and shrapnel kicked up by the tyres. The suspension and drivetrain suffer from a barrage of water, dirt, salt and road grime. Chassis rails, floor pans and key components deal with all of these, plus the stress of shifting weight, compounded by the changing temperatures.
For most of Europe, we deal with a broad temperature range, enjoying balmy 30 degree summer days and freezing winters.

Freezing winters don’t help the cause…

On perfect July days your tyres are warm, the roof is down and a smile may be on your face, but sticky tar is being flicked into your wheel arches and underside with every passing mile.

Freezing winters bring snow and ice, salted roads and the torturous freezing and thawing that rust thrives on. After a good few years of use, the constant environmental onslaught means even the best protected vehicles will show the tell tale signs corrosion.

Many of us will remember a time when British, French and Italian cars would oxidise between MOTs. It was a common sight to see cars rusted from the windows down. Do you remember the home grown two tone paint job? Top half factory paint, bottom half a weekend’s worth of cheap black underseal…

Period Photo – underseal painted almost to the door handles already… s that a vinyl roof or have they painted it with underseal just to be safe…?

German vehicles always had a reputation for being better prepared to deal with the environment. How many contemporaries of the SL have rusted away? Relatively speaking, the German built SL has a much higher survival rate than some of it’s rivals at the time.

Howver, over the last 20 years we at The SL Shop have learnt that our beloved marque is certainly not immune from the dreaded iron oxide. We have dealt with enough classic Mercedes-Benz cars to understand the weak points, indeed it has been ten years since we developed our R107 bulkhead repair kit – and over 3,000 have been sold worldwide.

As water finds its way inside the plenum chamber via the heater blower motor cover, an R 107 SL can rust from the inside out. What may look like a perfectly presentable car from the outside could be hiding all manner of rusty secrets within.

The bulkhead may be the starting point for many, but when your pride and joy is completed, how will you protect your restored classic from future rust and corrosion?

With this in mind, we have opened The Rust Prevention Shop, an area of The SL Shop dedicated to rust prevention for your classic car.

The Rust Prevention Shop – part of The SL Shop:

With our Rust Prevention Shop, you can choose from a range of services, products, brands and finishes to give your classic the very best chance of long term survival in the fight against corrosion.

Each car is assessed carefully before being prepared for product, undergoing a detailed steam clean and wash down of all areas to be treated.

Once you have chosen a package that best suits your car, we’ll apply market leading rust prevention products in a colour of your choice. We even offer high quality clear coat rust prevention products for those customers wishing to show and display their vehicles.

Each car is treated as if it were one of our own, whether it’s an SL or otherwise… your passion is our responsibility.

Our rust prevention is a modern, technologically advanced solution for an age old classic car problem.

We’ve come a long way since the 1970s – your car deserves so much more than a weekend’s worth of black underseal.

Contact our team to discuss a rust prevention solution for your classic car.