RV rust can destroy your rig: How to fix and prevent RV rust

By Cheri Sicard
RV rust can destroy your rig, but you can get rid of it and prevent it from returning. The team from RV Street is here to show you how in the video below.

They say this is an easy and inexpensive job, so there’s no excuse to let corrosive rust ruin your expensive RV investment. Let’s face it, any RV that has a little bit of age on it is going to have some rust.

Before they get into how to deal with RV rust you’ll see some astounding before and after pictures from the team’s own rig, where they removed lots of unsightly rust from five areas of the RV. The “before” pics are pretty ugly but the “after” pics show an RV that looks almost new!

Once the rust is cleaned off the RV, you are going to want to prevent it from returning. To do these jobs the team uses a rust inhibitor and then a top coat paint.

Five common areas for RV rust covered in the video:

• Exhaust pipe

• Water heater access door

• Front area on the chassis frame

• Tool bay back panel

• Propane tank

They use Permatex Rust Treatment, which comes in a spray can that makes it easy to apply. This primer destroys existing rust and inhibits new rust, but it does need a separate product topcoat, which they also demonstrate in the video.

Another popular option among RVers is Rust-Oleum products.

Before applying, the video demonstrates how to clean and prepare the surfaces for the rust treatment. This includes taping off surrounding areas so the spray goes ONLY where you want it to.

When it comes to spraying, they recommend three coats, two minutes apart, then let it dry for 24 hours.

VHT flameproof paint is used on the exhaust pipe as it is safe up to 2,000 degrees. While the heat protection is not needed on the chassis and tool bay, they use the same paint so it all matches.

Rust-Oleum Paint and Gloss was used, in different colors, to paint the water heater door and propane tanks.

I love videos like this as they make easy repairs so accessible. The entire work time totaled three hours: one hour of prep, one hour of putting on the primer, and one hour to put on the top coat. Those three hours can protect your RV from rust for the rest of its life.

Follow these tips and give your rig a rust-free facelift.

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