One of the most vulnerable places in the car are the thresholds. They are most often exposed to adverse factors. And more often than not, rust on a car body begins precisely with thresholds, quickly diverging throughout the body. How to avoid this and what threshold protection exists at the moment, we will describe in this article.
What is a car threshold?
In simple terms, the threshold in the car is a strip that passes under the car door between the front and rear wings. Roughly speaking, to see the threshold, you need to open the car door and look down - this is what the threshold is. And it is about their protection that we will talk about.
Ways to protect the threshold
- Using an aerosol coating.
- With linings.
- Using protective films.
- With mastics and varnishes.
- Using liquid lockers.
Now consider each method in more detail.
Aerosol coating
This way of protecting the thresholds with your own hands is the most economical, but also not very durable. No matter how carefully you apply the product, you are unlikely to be able to achieve an ideal glossy surface, which means that dirt will constantly accumulate in the slightest bumps, which will eventually cause the coating to peel off.
- BODY-950. Corrosion-resistant spray, which is based on resins. Such a spray is quite resistant to external damage and dries quickly, but it must be applied using a special gun.
- "Altrans". The low cost of this anti-gravel aerosol and application directly from the container makes it quite popular among car owners. The tool is quite effective with an economical expense. About 400 grams of the product is spent per square meter, provided that it is painted in one layer. For greater effectiveness, it is recommended to apply two to three layers.
- Kerry Quite high-quality protection of car thresholds, which does not require any special skills of use. It has high adhesion to the surface.
Of course, there are a lot of such aerosols, all of them have both pros and cons. We brought the most famous and worthy of attention. Such threshold protection can be carried out as an auxiliary in addition to the main methods.
Before starting treatment, the thresholds should be thoroughly washed and dried. If there are traces of rust, they must be cleaned with a wire brush or emery cloth. And only after that apply aerosol. If you use anticorrosive and anti-gravel protection, then rust must be applied first.
Lining
Pads as a protection for car thresholds have not only protective, but also decorative properties. They effectively protect the car from harmful effects and are a beautiful and effective way of tuning.
Usually they are made of metal, often chromed, but there is also a plastic threshold protection. The latter option is the cheapest, but also the most short-lived. In addition, under a plastic body kit, metal can rust much more strongly than without it at all. This is due to the fact that if there is no access to air, it will “sweat”, as a result, the risk of corrosion increases.
Metal plates, on the contrary, are quite durable and reliable.
Generally speaking, the overlay for protecting the threshold is such an “entrance mat” on which all street dirt, chemicals from our roads and other garbage settles.
Another advantage of using a cover as a threshold protection is that it is very easy to install and replace. You do not need to attract specialists for this. Agree, it is better to periodically change such overlays than subsequently pay for a full repair of thresholds.
As you can see, such protection has many advantages, but there are also disadvantages. Firstly, it is a constant additional cost. And secondly, such overlays are not suitable for all car models. Sometimes motorists complain that after installation it became uncomfortable to get into a car - especially for cars with low landing. Well, the third minus is that if you mount slips inaccurately, you can deform the body and damage the thresholds, so all actions must be performed carefully and without rushing.
Another option for protecting the thresholds is a pipe that operates on the principle of a lining-threshold, but does not require drilling the body.
Protective film
Such a film is used not only as a protection for the bumper and sills, but also for the entire body, and more precisely for those parts that are most exposed to harmful effects.
The protective film is different, depending on its purpose. To protect the thresholds, they usually use anti-gravel.
The advantages of such protection are that the installation and dismantling do not cause any damage to the car. In addition, it is quite durable and reliably protects the car from damage. To cover the thresholds with such protection is quite within the power of the car owner himself. All you need is patience and free time. But if you want to really cover the entire body of the car with high quality, then it is better to contact specialists.
The disadvantage of such protection is that:
- Pasting not a new car will show all the chips and scratches on the body more strongly.
- With poor quality work, it is likely that the film will quickly peel off.
- If you do not wash the car, the film quickly turns yellow from dirt.
The film is vinyl and polyurethane. The first is short-lived and protects the car only due to its thickness. Quite rough and unplastic, at low temperatures or with a strong impact it can break. Polyurethane, on the contrary, is quite expensive, but of high quality. It protects not only from small scratches, but also from sand, stones, etc., very elastic and resilient, resembles rubber. It transfers operation at low temperatures. At a price, polyurethane is about five times more expensive than vinyl.
Varnishes and mastics
The protection of the thresholds in this way is within the power of the car owner himself. The involvement of STO specialists is usually not required. Operating procedure:
- Wash and dry the vehicle thresholds thoroughly.
- Remove external thresholds so that there is access to all parts that require processing. Clean the inside sills.
- Remove old anti-corrosion coating, peeling paint. If there are traces of rust, then they must be cleaned until an undamaged metal appears.
- Degrease the thresholds with acetone or gasoline and apply a rust cleaner.
- Use masking tape to seal areas that will not be processed.
- Apply pickling primer.
- Protect thresholds with protective equipment.
- Leave on for two to four hours until completely dry.
For such work, the following are most often used:
- Aerosol, bitumen, polymer-bitumen mastic.
- Movil.
- Bitumen varnish.
- Oil-based material with anti-corrosion properties.
- Rubber based anti-gravel.
Liquid locker
Liquid locker is a dense, viscous paste that, when applied to thresholds, hardens and resembles rubber or elastic plastic in properties.
The advantages of this method of protection:
- Resistance to mechanical stress.
- It is quite easy to apply, even to hard to reach places.
- The locker is plastic and homogeneous.
- Resistance to moisture protects the car from accumulation of condensate.
- It is ecologically safe.
- It grasps well and has a high adhesion threshold to the car's coating; it does not form sagging.
- It tolerates high and low temperatures.
- It has soundproofing properties.
This method of threshold protection takes place in three stages:
- Using a brush or spatula, apply the first layer of anticorrosive and dry.
- Apply bituminous mastic with the second layer and dry.
- Spray anticorrosive rubber with the third finishing layer.
Each layer should be 1.5-2.5 centimeters thick. Such a coating completely sets in about two days after application, so for this time it is better to refrain from using the car.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a lot of ways to protect thresholds, and all of them have their pros and cons. Which one to choose is up to you. But if you are not confident in your abilities, then it is better to contact the service station - let the experts do the work for you qualitatively so that you do not have to spend money on correcting your mistakes.