Factory Applied Corrosion Protection - Jeep COMPASS Repair Manual

Corrosion Protection

Factory Applied Corrosion Protection

During the manufacturing of the unibody car, the manufacturer applies "corrosion protection" using specialized
manufacturing processes. This system is not duplicated in the collision repair body shop. However, the body shop still
has a responsibility to apply corrosion protection to the unibody vehicle. So, the collision repair shop must use
alternative materials to do the corrosion protection job after the repair.
This corrosion protection is required regardless of the environment and weather conditions the vehicle will be operated
in. Corrosion protection is as important in the desert as it is at the seaside. Corrosion damage can literally destroy the
structural integrity of a unibody vehicle from within. Many corrosion protection systems are destroyed during collision
repair operations. Metal finishing, metal working and fatigue can cause the breakdown of many of the corrosion barriers
installed at the factory. The use of heat for stress relief and welding also destroys factory installed corrosion barriers.
These corrosion barriers and corrosion protection systems must be replaced after collision repair to ensure that the
structural integrity of the unibody will remain intact throughout its life. In the past, only vehicles with aftermarket or after
delivery corrosion protection systems installed were serviced after collision repair to restore the corrosion protection
system.
An understanding of the types of corrosion which affect the unibody vehicles will assist in understanding why the factory
protection systems are important, how the factory protection systems consist of and how the systems' protection is
replaced after collision and electrolytic corrosion. Some of the more common types of corrosion are crevice corrosion,
pitting, galvanic corrosion, stress corrosion, cracking, fretting, and erosion corrosion.
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