CREDIT: MAURICIO PRADO
According to Dann Burt (pictured), now is the time to look into rust treatments to prepare your car for winter.

While nobody controls the weather, everybody can limit how much it affects their cars by taking extra care. It is that time of year when car dealerships and workshops get flooded with clients looking to prepare their cars for winter. Franchise owner of UniglassPlus on Hamilton Rd., Dann Burt, said this time of year is one of the busiest seasons for them.

“We have had all types of clients over the years, but this year in particular, we have seen more young people compared to previous years,” Burt said. “A vehicle is a fairly expensive piece of equipment for everybody at every age. You want to keep it up as long as you can.”

Burt said that cars must deal with salt and other ice-melt techniques on top of the weather conditions, which makes it easier for corrosion to develop in cars.


According to The Government of Canada, five million tons of road salt is used annually to keep snow and ice from building up on roads and to make driving safer. Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic are the regions that most use salt for roads.

“With the new metals used to build vehicles nowadays and their prices, it must be necessary for every car owner to do rust-proofing,” Burt said.

Burt, who has been in the mechanic industry for 32 years, said the best time to do rust control treatment is generally in the fall, just before the weather changes and gets damp.

“Whether it is the permanent rust-proofing, which is a tar-based product or the annual rust proofing, which is generally an oil-based product, it helps protect the vehicle from the elements,” Burt said.

Fanshawe student Luisa Amaya said she has had two cars and the first had a severe corrosion problem.

“I did not know how to take good care of cars back in the day, and due to that, the rust and corrosion even got inside my car,” Amaya said.

Amaya added that she lives in Hamilton, so having a car in good condition is necessary for her safety.

“I travel every other day to my hometown because that is where I am from and where my family is,” Amaya said. “Sometimes, I must drive in awful weather conditions to return, and I do not want to have car problems under heavy rain or snow.”

According to Burt, the rust treatment process generally takes about two hours because they first need to clean the bottom of the vehicle to remove any debris.

“Each vehicle is going to be different. In some vehicles, we just need to pull their taillights out to get to the panels; in others, we have to drill holes in the doors to get inside the panels,” Burt said. “The time it takes depends on each car.”

Burt said that some vehicles, unfortunately, are prone to rust because of the materials being used when manufactured, but the rust treatment helps them increase their longevity a little longer.

“The rust control treatment is around $150 in most workshops around London,” Burt said. “Some workshops even offer a warranty for their services and products.”