how to prevent rust?

[Afficionado]

I've had the problem of condensation building up in my car on subs and amps..how do i prevent this? It has caused rust on the motor of one of my subs, and i want to prevent it from happening on anything else.

[P4killer_]

The only way to truely prevent it is to take it out. Which a lot of people do. Especially if its a comp car and itll be sitting outside etc.

Otherwise you gotta just try and keep as much of the elements out as possible. Make sure your weather stripping on the trunk or w.e is good and still in place. Make sure any grommets or w.e havent popped out and are letting elements in.

The problem is any moisture in the cabin at all can contribute it doesnt have to be physically snowing or raining In the car. Just opening your door lets moisture in. Moisture on the metal of the amp or sub creates corrosion over time.

So imo you could paint the effected areas as to cover and protect any rust prone metal surfaces. Once you clean it off obviously. You could also try and just wipe it off with a dry towel at the end of the day when you park your car for the night, or for long periods of time etc.

Hope this helps

[Afficionado]

The only way to truely prevent it is to take it out. Which a lot of people do. Especially if its a comp car and itll be sitting outside etc.

Otherwise you gotta just try and keep as much of the elements out as possible. Make sure your weather stripping on the trunk or w.e is good and still in place. Make sure any grommets or w.e havent popped out and are letting elements in.

The problem is any moisture in the cabin at all can contribute it doesnt have to be physically snowing or raining In the car. Just opening your door lets moisture in. Moisture on the metal of the amp or sub creates corrosion over time.

So imo you could paint the effected areas as to cover and protect any rust prone metal surfaces. Once you clean it off obviously. You could also try and just wipe it off with a dry towel at the end of the day when you park your car for the night, or for long periods of time etc.

Hope this helps

i see. thanks for the help. so basically, unless i stick them in a sealed box, they're going to get wet and corrode.

[P4killer_]

I mean it happens. Its a car. When you get in your car in the am, theres moisture on the inside of windows you can draw your finger with. If you dont want to paint them and wiping isnt practical, every so often just take em out and clean it off. Idk maybe twice a month or so. A small amount of surface rust that can be easily removed if not wiped off is not a huge deal.

Left unchecked, the rust will grow and then eat away etc and create problems. But even once a month even should keep your gear ok. Unless for some reason you have a big excess of moisture in the cabin. Which has to have some underlying cause. In that case you'd want to find and resolve that issue obviously.

[SPLadd1ct]

First remove the pre-existing layer of rust. Then use rubbing alcohol to remove any other crap. Then put a light layer of gun oil over the metal using a sock or something. That is what gun owners do to prevent rust.

[Afficionado]

First remove the pre-existing layer of rust. Then use rubbing alcohol to remove any other crap. Then put a light layer of gun oil over the metal using a sock or something. That is what gun owners do to prevent rust.

if i have some brand new subs that i'm putting in, should i put a thin layer of oil on the problem area of the previous woofer?

[P4killer_]

As he said, you want to completely remove and rust and dirt or grime before you prep the area for prevention. Otherwise your just sealing in that dirt or rust and the prevention method will be ineffective.

Even with a new sub, wipe it with alcohal or acetone on the metal to remove any impurities. Gun oil is a good suggestion.

[Afficionado]

As he said, you want to completely remove and rust and dirt or grime before you prep the area for prevention. Otherwise your just sealing in that dirt or rust and the prevention method will be ineffective.

Even with a new sub, wipe it with alcohal or acetone on the metal to remove any impurities. Gun oil is a good suggestion.

right, i was just referring to my new woofers. thanks for the advice.

[kirill007]

You could also check if any air vents aren't blocked off or as they have said weather striping/grommets gone bad.

You can also put one of those cheap moisture absorbers in your car. (or 2 if it's that bad, but check if there is any cause first.)

[Afficionado]

found the air vent in the trunk that was the problem, filled that bish with expanding foam.