Vehicle bodywork, chassis and maintenance/ servicing
Vehicle bodywork, chassis and maintenance/servicing covers construction, corrosion control, refinishing and the scheduled checks that keep a vehicle roadworthy.
Construction and corrosion
Body-on-frame vehicles use a separate chassis; monocoques use stressed body panels. Corrosion starts at seams, wheel arches, sills and around fixings. Repair by cutting back to sound metal, treating with rust converter, applying etch primer, then primer, topcoat and clear coat. Body filler is for shallow dents, not structural rust.
Servicing
A service schedule is set by distance and time - whichever comes first. Checks include engine oil and filter, air and fuel filters, brake fluid, coolant, belts, tyre pressures and tread, lights, and suspension play. Use the manufacturer's torque figures and jacking points.
Worked example. A paint system is mixed 4:1:1 by volume (base:hardener:thinner). For 1.5 L of ready-to-spray paint, total parts = 4 + 1 + 1 = 6, so one part = 1.5 ÷ 6 = 0.25 L. Mix 1.0 L base, 0.25 L hardener and 0.25 L thinner. Add the hardener last and use within the pot life.
Traps
Filling over rust. Skipping etch primer on bare aluminium. Jacking on a sill instead of the jacking point. Servicing by distance only when the time interval has expired. Reusing a crush washer on a sump plug.