Lada Grant has a galvanized body, which will help protect the car for a long time from negative factors affecting the duration of its operation.

In a car like Lada Granta, galvanized bodies can be in two cases:

• if the manufacturer has applied an anti-corrosion coating to the body;

• if the body was galvanized by the owner of the car.

The galvanizing procedure is carried out directly in the press shop. According to the manufacturer, protection is applied to Lada Grant according to the same principle that it has been repeatedly tested on. Thanks to the use of this technology, the owners manage to avoid additional monetary losses on the performance of anti-corrosion treatment. AvtoVAZ also gives a guarantee that Lada Granta will be reliably protected for more than 5 years after the vehicle starts operating.

When buying, you should also pay attention to the fact that most AvtoVAZ dealers claim that the low cost of the car is directly related to the lack of anti-corrosion coating. Therefore, when buying in a car dealership, check with the seller whether the body was processed at the factory or you will have to do this procedure yourself. Corroded parts:

• the body, if made of a sheet of metal that is not galvanized;

• rear doors, sealing rubber rub the upper edge of the door;

• trunk lid, if installed incorrectly;

• the joint between the roof and the windshield, if the installation of the glass was made poorly;

• hood edge, mechanical damage.

Coating methods

Galvanizing as a method of galvanizing the body

The first and most common option is called thermal or hot-dip galvanizing. Zinc alloy is applied to the car body even at the moment when it is not released from the conveyor. This method is most often used on the luxury version of Lada Grant and provides the greatest protection.

The second allows the use of galvanizing for zinc plating surfaces. Most often used on. Sheets of metal are dipped into a bath connected to electrolytes and filled with a significant zinc content. In the process of exposure to an electric current, zinc adheres to the surface of the metal.

The third method is most widespread and is used to cover any small parts of the Lada Grants.

Despite the massive application, this is the most difficult method of galvanizing individual parts of the car. First, the surface is treated with salts containing large amounts of manganese, zinc and iron. As soon as the layer is completely fixed, additional primer coating is performed.

As it dries, the surface is additionally painted with paint with a high content of fine zinc in the composition. Therefore, this method cannot be considered a full-fledged galvanizing, however, this painting of a car with the addition of anti-corrosion substances is capable of protecting the surface of your car for a long time.

Many future owners of the practical Russian model Lada Granta are haunted by one natural and urgent question: is the body of this car galvanized? This concern is easily understandable, because the body is the most expensive part of a Lada Grant car.

The presence of zinc plating has a beneficial effect on corrosion resistance and increases the service life. In this article, we'll talk about whether the body is galvanized.

Various sources provide very conflicting information regarding this aspect. The official dealerships of AvtoVAZ assure that the body elements of Lada Granta are indeed galvanized, however, some dealer entities put forward a refutation of this statement.

Regardless of whether the body is galvanized or not, we will further consider the methods and techniques for caring for the most expensive part of a given car.

What do the official representatives of the domestic auto giant say?

At the factory, the metal body panels of Lada Granta are treated with a zinc layer. The low cost of the model we are considering does not allow such coverage to be carried out over the entire body area. The most vulnerable areas are subject to protection. This applies to:

• door panels;
• hind wings;
• niches for stern wheels;
• luggage compartment cover;
• protective body screen;
• bottoms;
• rear wing grooves.

This statement gives an understanding of the issue with regards to the galvanizing of the body components of Lada Granta. In this regard, discussions around the products of the domestic auto industry are heating up with serious force. While fans and owners continue to argue, AvtoVAZ is improving its strategy for the production of cars, the list of main priorities of which includes the galvanizing of body components.

Factory conditions assume the application of the following types of coatings:

• thermal galvanizing, which is the most reliable treatment;
• galvanization, which involves obtaining a zinc layer on the body panels formed by an appropriate solution under the influence of an electric current;
• a primer coating that provides for the preliminary application of salts containing impurities of manganese, zinc and iron to a metal surface.

Improved body protection Liftback grants

In comparison with the sedan, this modification has a more presentable exterior, better rigidity of the body frame and higher quality galvanizing. If many are inclined to the version that the sedan does not have a zinc coating of the body, then at the slightest word about the liftback they humbly and silently nod their heads. This gives the right to endow the answer to the question about the presence of galvanizing at the Grant bodies with a touch of positive.

Now let's debunk some myths

1. Does the galvanized body reliably resist the onslaught of corrosion?

Even in a situation where the dealer presents a positive answer to your question about the presence of galvanized bodywork from Lada Grant, it is still too early to relax. The coating of the "Russian woman" has an insignificant thickness, which entails a rapid loss of the protective zinc layer. Without the application of measures aimed at additional processing of body components, the panels will still slowly corrode.

2. Does the new body need additional processing?

Practice has confirmed the imperfection of the factory protective layer. Despite the novelty of the car, it requires urgent processing in order to increase its own anti-corrosion properties. Operation of a LADA Granta car implies exposure to various mechanical influences that provoke the formation of cracks in the coating structure. The process is accompanied by the penetration of moisture, which leads to the appearance of corrosion foci.

3. Is the aluminum body resistant to rust?

In a real situation, there are no bodies made only of aluminum, whether the body is galvanized or not. In any structure, there is a presence of steel components, which are destined to be damaged by corrosion. During the operation of LADA Granta, aluminum is subject to oxidation, which causes a weakening of its strength structure.

4. Is the standard anti-corrosion protection able to maintain its condition for many years?

The rate of corrosion progress is directly influenced by the specific operating conditions and the climatic factor, regardless of whether the body is galvanized or not. For an insignificant 6-7 years, a metal layer with a thickness of 0.6 mm can corrode to through holes. This circumstance requires a protective treatment of the body.

5. Are plastic protective panels (fenders, mudguards, etc.) really useless?

This is a false statement, because protection of this nature is able to reduce the dynamic effect of stones and dirt on the body cavities. The installation of these accessories is carried out using self-tapping screws, and their joints with the body components are treated with appropriate anti-corrosion coatings.

Features of anti-corrosion treatment

Regardless of whether the body is galvanized or not, certain rules must be adhered to. The optimal time for the implementation of anti-corrosion measures in LADA Granta is a dry and warm period. The work is recommended to be performed annually or once every two years (according to the situation).

If the procedure involves the treatment of external and non-protected body surfaces, then a bitumen-based mastic is perfect. The process is not complicated, therefore, easy to do at home. There are mastics, both drying and devoid of this quality. The latter options are characterized by sufficient elasticity, but they are not resistant to mechanical factors. The application of the mastic assumes the achievement of a layer thickness equal to 0.4 mm, which allows to ensure maximum sound insulation effect.

To effectively treat hard-to-reach and hidden cavities on the body, it is recommended to use substances based on an oil structure. This allows pores and cracks to be effectively filled. Elastic mastics are also excellent, and have the advantage of being able to effectively displace moisture. These treatments have a paraffinic or waxy structure.

Let's summarize

Now you know if the body is galvanized. Only careful care of the LADA Granta car will allow you to keep the body in a presentable form for a long time and ensure its trouble-free operation. And the question of the level of efficiency of galvanized body Grants will move to the background here.

A lot of controversy has been caused about the modern car of AVTOVAZ, which is VESTA. Many do not believe our car industry and say that "modern generation" is nothing else - as the continuation of such "people's" on the one hand GRANTA, KALINA, PRIOR. If we discard everything else (technical and design), opponents of the brand, often entering into an argument, endure such facts - “ will rot in a couple of years if not properly processed "! However, the manufacturer gives a guarantee - "as much as 6 years" on the body, that there will be no signs of perforating corrosion. And now it starts to blow with such a concept as - "galvanized", opponents will again say that it is simply not there (it's LADA, NOT MERCEDES SAME), others say - that it is there and that the parts are reliably protected. So where is the truth? Today we will sort it out "on the shelves" if it is there or not ...

Starting the article, I would like to quote the words of one "megaexpert" from a specialized forum (I will not rewrite it word for word), but the meaning is this. There used to be a VAZ 2101 - the metal was of high quality, therefore it did not rot! And now, don't understand what, that's why they cover it with all sorts of crap - "anticorrosive", "galvanized" and so on. I want to argue with him right away, these methods are the answers to modern road conditions. Earlier, when "KOPEYKA" appeared, there were very few cars, I remember winters - the snow was practically not cleaned from the roads (only the main highways), there were no reagents. And what now - the roads are even at minus 10, some are wet, all because they are simply covered with reagents that corrode snow and ice, respectively, the body, paint and even rubber (but what can I say sometimes even boots do not go for the season). Under such conditions, "2101" would have rotted all over in a couple of years! So they protect modern cars, according to modern ones, excuse the tautology.

Is it galvanized on VESTA?

YES there is also a decent enough layer. Calling it a reference language does not dare, but to say that it simply is not there is NOT!

In general, all external parts are processed, these are doors, roof, hood, trunk lid, body pillars and so on. BUT INSIDE (in the cabin) processing - NO, only outside and only those parts that are in contact with the external environment.

The technology used by AVTOVAZ is the cheapest and far from the standard; it is powder coating by spraying.

Four types of technologies

A little about why zinc (Zn) protects steel - it is a non-ferrous metal, has a more negative potential and corrodes first (that is, when it breaks down it protects the coating under itself), and the protection works even when it is damaged or partially destroyed.

It becomes clear that the larger and thicker the zinc layer, the longer the car body is preserved and no foci of corrosion appear.

There are only four main technologies to apply protective metal particles to the body, I will list them from best to worst.

• Hot method. When the fully assembled body is dipped in a zinc bath. Moreover, the temperature is kept around 460 - 500 degrees Celsius. The method is very expensive and costly. It is used by expensive brands on luxury cars - PORSHE, VOLVO, now on some premium HYUNDAI, etc.

• Electroplating method. The method consists in the process of deposition on the cathode (in our case, a part of the body), positively charged particles (ions) of zinc from aqueous solutions (electrolytes). This technology works by passing a direct electric current through it. This is a less expensive and simpler technology, used by Mercedes, BMW, TOYOTA, Honda, Mitsubishi, KIA, etc.
• Zincrometal. It is used mainly by KIA, on cars from "C" class. This is a kind of plastic coating that consists of two layers.
• Cold method. In fact, this is a kind of painting. A powder is applied to the body parts, which contains small particles of zinc powder. It is used by many brands (Chevrolet, KIA, HYUNDAI, TOYOTA) including AVTOVAZ.

As you understand, VESTA is processed according to the third technology, you yourself choose - where and in what volume to apply this layer.

This is where the disadvantages appear, namely the uniformity and thickness of the coating. It is also worth remembering that this layer is not 100% corrosion protection, it needs to be further strengthened.

How else to protect the body

If you leave only galvanizing (which, by the way, is NOT inside the cabin), then such a body will not last long. Indeed, moisture, air, dust, etc. can also get into the cavity, all this can cause oxidation and after corrosion.

Therefore, to protect the inside (in the cavities), a primer is used. Moreover, it is applied in two layers, and of course not with brushes, but with the help of the technology - "KATAFORESA". The body is lowered into the bath and soil particles are deposited in it on the surface. Moreover, there are two such layers on LADA VESTA!

The application of two layers of primer gives good protection - after all, the steel is "sealed", as it were, air access is practically excluded

• 2 layers of soil
• ENAMEL

It should be noted that this is very good protection, which will allow the body to walk even in difficult conditions for more than 6 years!

Why galvanized primer?

If everything is clear from the inside, there is no protective layer and the soil is required - but why apply to the outside, where there is galvanized coating?

If you remember, I wrote on top that the larger the layer of this non-ferrous metal, the longer the body steel will live. SO HERE - the layer that is being sprayed is not so large and it needs to be additionally strengthened.

According to material science reference books, a layer of ZINC 100 microns thick is enough for about 87 years. And the thickness of the "cold method" on the VESTA body is 10 microns

That is, ideally, it should be enough for 8.7 years, that is, almost 9 years. However, AVTOVAZ does not give a guarantee for such a period, due to several factors:

• Application is carried out by spraying, and there is no guarantee against defects (especially if painted over by hand).
• As practice has shown, often the layer is about 8 microns.

Thus, the warranty for the body was taken out at 6 years, by the way, at the launch of this model, they wanted to give 4 - 5 years. Now technologies have tightened up a bit.

About myths

Almost everything has been found out, but again, many skeptics who are used to saying that there is nothing good in AVTOVAZ can put forward some theses:

• Foreign brands are made from fully galvanized sheets ... Perhaps someone does this (in his shed in particular), but in most industries around the world such sheets are not used. They are soft (there is no required strength), poorly welded (easily burned), the cost of the body will go off scale
• The cold method is used only at AVTOVAZ ... This is also not true, for example, Chevrolet, KIA, HYUNDAI, TOYOTA, MITSUBISHI use it on many of their cars (albeit a budget class, but still). For example CRUZE, covered worse than VESTA, it does not have sills processing and some front power struts

• The layer is so thick that it falls off ... I don’t understand at all who it comes to mind. If you check with a micrometer, it turns out: the roof is about 105-125 microns, the doors are about 145 microns, the fenders are 140 microns, the hood is 110 microns, the trunk lid is 120 microns. This is a completely "cake" that is applied to the steel. It is about the same as on many foreign cars of this class and nothing falls off from anyone.
• Only VESTA is processed, the rest of the VAZs are not processed ! This is again a myth. Galvanizing is applied to the following models: GRANTA (LIFTBEK) - the fifth door, fenders (here is the very minimum of galvanizing), KALINA2 - all the outer surface, except for the hood, roof, front and rear spars (fenders are needed here), PRIORA (since 2009) - everything except the roof, hood. X-RAY - everything outside, except for the roof, VESTA - the entire external surface, and the bottom, sills and arches are additionally treated with anti-gravel.

Many potential buyers of Lada Grant are interested in the question of whether Grants have problems with the body, whether he is prone to rust and other consequences of using not expensive metal. Today I will tell you about it.

Common problems with the body of the Lada Grant

I chose the most "sore" places based on the analysis of the Lada Granta club forums, collecting small statistics for a long time. The most susceptible to rusting, obviously, are the body elements, which are stamped from a non-galvanized sheet of metal. Namely, there is some statistics of "rubbing" of the upper edge of the rear doors with a sealing rubber-gutter, paint chips / "rubbing" on the edge of the trunk lid due to inaccurate adjustment of the position, "rubbing" of the joint of the roof and windshield due to uneven injection of the very glass and hood edge as a result of mechanical damage.

All problems, besides the latter, can be solved by correct adjustment and plywood of the windshield. The problem of damage to the hood can be solved simply and elegantly: by gluing the armor film to the edge of the hood. I, as the author of this article, strongly do not recommend using the so-called "fly swatter" for these purposes, as it is useless in this case, because protects an extremely small area and violates aerodynamics (according to the results of the Behind the Wheel test), plus contributes to the accumulation of debris and moisture under the lining itself, which, again, is an activator of the onset of rusting of the body.

All other elements, especially galvanized ones, are not susceptible to corrosion, which is confirmed by forum statistics.

The quality of processing and painting of the Lada Vesta body is now at a completely different level. Each sedan body undergoes a cataphoretic priming procedure.

At AvtoVAZ, many spoke about the new sedan Lada Vesta with aspiration. And what is there to be surprised at? After all, Bu Inge Andersson, who was appointed director of the Russian automobile giant in those glorious and difficult times, firmly stated that he would certainly improve the quality of the company's products. And, as the course of events showed, he achieved considerable success in this direction. The design, interior decoration, build quality of the new sedan - all this has grown by an order of magnitude. And the contrast with other models of the Togliatti plant only confirmed his correctness.

Among other things, the aspect of galvanizing and painting the body remained extremely important. Will Vesta be able to withstand corrosion better than the rest of the VAZ family? 5-year warranty given by the factory, reality or marketing ploy? Has the paintwork thickness increased? All this needs to be clarified.

AvtoVAZ promises

Representatives of the plant more than once, during the preparation of the new sedan for production, said that it would be assembled at a fundamentally new level. This also related to the eternal problems of domestic cars - weak paintwork and rapid corrosion. Everyone remembers how the same Priors began to bloom with saffron milk caps within six months or a year after the purchase! For modern cars, this is bad manners. It is not surprising that the owners of Lada, as well as those who were just trying on the purchase, en masse demanded the release of cars with a galvanized body.

The bodies of Lada Vesta are being prepared for painting at a completely different level.

Knowing how many complaints are pouring in on their products, the leaders of the Russian concern hastened to assure the public that this will not happen to Vesta. In addition, it was directly stated that VAZ is ready to give a 5-year warranty on bodies of its production. Of course, in comparison with German or Swedish models, whose metal warranty lasts 12-15, or even 20 years, such measurements looked modest. However, many did not even want to believe this.

So what happened in the end?

Is the body of Lada Vesta galvanized?

The answer to this question is twofold. Strictly speaking, Vesta's body is not galvanized, but the car is, in fact, well protected from corrosion. This is done by cataphoretic priming.

The hot-dip galvanizing method on Vesta and X Ray is not used - it is expensive ...

Galvanized body

The galvanized body technology is the most effective. During this process, the car body is dipped into a bath filled with molten zinc. The temperature of the solution ranges from 445-460 ° C. However, this method is also the most expensive. In the West, automakers galvanize about 95% of their models' bodies. AvtoVAZ does not yet consider it possible to use such a method, since this implies large-scale modernization measures at the plants' capacities and significant investments. In addition, the cost of galvanizing will affect the final cost of Lada cars.

Applying a protective coating on the body of Lada Vesta

Cataphoretic priming

It is this method that is being implemented by the Russian concern. It has also been borrowed from Western automakers.

Full processing cycle of a sedan body - from preparation to polishing.

Strictly speaking, cataphoresis is a chemical process based on an electrolytic reaction. The use of this technology makes it possible to fix a special substance on the metal surface as a protective layer. Like galvanizing, cataphoresis can significantly increase the metal's resistance to corrosion.

The scheme of preparing a car for a cataphoresis bath.

At IzhAvto, where Lada Vesta is assembled, the cataphoretic priming process is carried out according to the classical scheme:

1. Thorough cleaning of the surface of the body panels from the oxidizing film;
2. Degreasing;
3. Iron activation process;
4. Immersion in a bath with cataphoresis solution;
5. Rinsing;
6. Drying in a special chamber.

The first step, which involves cleaning the metal, provides optimal conditions for the interaction of iron and the cataphoresis solution. The same goal is pursued by the degreasing stage. Both processes described can be carried out both in special containers and in spray chambers (spraying method). But the activation of metal panels contributes to the greater reliability of the attachment of particles to them.

The body of Vesta and X Ray is dipped into such a container with a special solution.

After the completion of the preparatory measures, the Lada Vesta body, fixed on special holders, is sent to a cataphoresis bath filled with dissolved soil. Before lowering into the container, an anode is connected to the body, charging the steel with energy (negative). A cathode is connected to the bath itself, which imparts a positive charge to the soil molecules. During the immersion of the sedan body, which lasts about 120 seconds, positively charged soil settles on the negatively charged metal, and the metal is covered with a film of solution.

The process of layering soil in a cataphoresis bath and subsequent drying.

After removing the body from the bath, it is sent to the rinsing procedure. This stage is necessary to wash off soil particles from the surface of the panels that are not attached to them. As with preparations, this process can be carried out by either immersion or spraying. Finishing is the drying of the finished body. In the thermal chamber, the protective layer crystallizes and hardens. After drying is complete, the body is prepared for priming.

The strength of this method of applying a protective layer is that the body is completely immersed in the bath with the solution, and this guarantees its penetration over the entire surface, so there will simply be no uncovered areas.

The method used by AvtoVAZ guarantees a 100% surface finish.

Painting Lada Vesta

It starts immediately after the completion of the cataphoretic priming process. First, the preparatory equipment is dismantled from the car, which is placed in a special container behind the car, and the painting equipment is installed. This equipment allows you to open and close the hood and trunk doors. By the way, the entire line is equipped with special emergency buttons, pressing which completely stops the conveyor.

The painting stage begins with the application of a joint compound to all joints, which increases resistance to corrosion. In addition, anti-noise mastic is sprayed by the line workers, which reduces the noise level in the cabin.

After that, it is the turn of applying the primer. In this case, the main part of the operation is performed by robots, however, workers also have to prime the metal in those places where robots cannot reach. For the most part, these are the inner sides of the pillars, the edges of the roof, covered with doors, etc. The color range of the ground is limited to only two tones - light and dark. His choice depends on the future color of Lada Vesta.

First, a primer is applied to the body.

After the completion of priming, the machines are sent along the conveyor to the section for the secondary soil processing. In this department, employees eliminate paint defects using a special paste and brushes.

Only after the completion of all these stages, which take about 3 hours, the finished body is sent to the spray booths, where robots work side by side robots with people. First, the metal is covered with a layer of paint, after which it is the turn of varnishing. At the end, the painted sedan body enters the thermal chamber, where it is dried. This takes about 40 minutes.

at the end, the finished body is sent to the polishing and assembly line.

After drying, a few final touches remain - polishing and anti-corrosion treatment of the cavities. In the latter case, factory workers, armed with special sprayers with long nozzles, fill the inner surfaces of the cavities (thresholds, pillars, etc.) with an anti-corrosion compound.

The quality of priming and painting

Thus, the Lada Vesta sedans, which fully meet the standards of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, come off the assembly line. This is confirmed by examinations, which were repeatedly carried out not only by interested amateurs, but also by experts. As it turned out, there were no cases of underpainting of metal panels, traditional for AvtoVAZ. There are no paintwork defects, such as scuffs, scratches and the like, which are often noticed on the models of Priora, Kalina and others.