Vesta is rightly perceived as a breath of fresh air from AvtoVAZ. They released the car modern design and interior, high-quality assembly and decent equipment. These are clear improvements, but not everyone remembers whether the Lada Vesta body is galvanized or not. And it should, because it depends on how soon rust starts to appear on the car.
Paintwork is not enough to protect the body. The slightest damage and moisture does its job, causing the steel to oxidize. Inconspicuous at first, the center of corrosion grows, and the car has to be repaired.
One of the most effective ways to prevent rust formation is galvanized bodywork. Automotive industry leaders have been practicing this procedure for many years. Thanks to this, they can give a guarantee on the body up to 20 years.
You can galvanize the body in the following ways:
- heat treatment;
- galvanic processing;
- cold processing.
During thermal galvanization the car body is completely immersed in a special zinc-containing solution and heated to a certain temperature. This method is the most effective and is used on expensive cars.
The galvanic method involves the application of zinc particles during the electrolysis process. The body or part is placed in an acidic zinc solution and subjected to an electric current. This method is not as reliable, but it is cheaper.
Interesting!
The duration of the guarantee directly depends on the method of galvanizing and the thickness of the resulting layer.
With the cold method, the body is simply treated with a zinc-containing primer. In this case, manufacturers do not give a long-term guarantee, because protective layer may be damaged along with the paint
Expectations from Lada Vesta
Domestic cars had eternal problem as a weak paintwork and rapid corrosion. Recall the same Priora, which in a year could acquire rusty areas, which for modern car is simply unacceptable.
With the first announcements, it became clear that Lada Vesta will be a next level machine. Car owners shared their assumptions about what kind of body the Lada Vesta has and that it will finally have normal corrosion protection. Representatives of the plant assured the public that in this regard, their new product will not disappoint anyone and even promised to give a guarantee on the body.
What body did Lada Vesta end up with?
AvtoVAZ really kept the promise and improved the quality of the body, and even gives a six-year warranty for it instead of the originally promised five-year one. It's still not much when compared with the market leaders, but still better than nothing.
Galvanized or not? Yes, there is galvanization. True, not the most reliable cold method is used - the body is processed only from the outside, with the exception of the floor screen, which is protected on both sides. The peculiarity is that not liquid, but powdered zinc is used - so all the cracks and bends will be filled with better quality.
The thickness of the zinc layer does not exceed 8 microns - this has become the determining factor in calculating the warranty period.
Interesting!
Vesta is the first car in the Lada line, the surface of which is completely (except for the roof) covered with a layer of zinc.
In terms of corrosion protection, the main focus is on cataphoretic priming, one of the tasks of which is to protect the zinc layer. The process is an immersion of the body in a cataphoresis bath. The anode is connected to the body, and the cathode is connected to the bath. Thus, a positively charged soil will settle on a negatively charged metal, and the body will be completely covered with a film that has sufficient rigidity for full protection.
Interesting!
Cataphoretic priming is similar in principle to galvanized galvanization, only instead of zinc particles, soil settles on the body.
Is Lada Vesta reliable paintwork
The quality of the paintwork is also top notch. Amateurs and automotive experts checked whether Lada Vesta had a reliable paintwork. Underpainting, scuffs and various coating defects, which often happened on previous models, were not noticed.
Although the small thickness of the Lada Vesta LPK may be in doubt. But this trend is characteristic of many modern cars - environmental regulations impose restrictions on the depth of the paint and varnish layer. A quality primer protects the iron well, and corrosion is unlikely to spread due to normal chipping.
On the bottom, sills and arches made additional processing with a layer of anti-gravity. In total, the thickness of the body metal is about 0.7 mm.
On a note!
If the Lada Vesta with a galvanized body rusts during the warranty period, do not hesitate to contact the dealer. You have the right to demand reimbursement for the cost of repairing or eliminating this trouble.
Do I need additional anti-corrosion treatment of the Lada Vesta body
Vesta's corrosion protection is at an acceptable level. All places belonging to the "risk group" are carefully processed. In this regard, the plant did a good job, and you can make additional anticorrosive at your discretion.
But it is worth remembering that the service life of the body depends not only on the quality of galvanization and paintwork, but also on the attitude of the owner to his car. If you neglect regular washing and do not get rid of damage to the paintwork in a timely manner, then the car may soon rust, and in this case, additional anti-corrosion treatment is necessary.
Conclusion
So we figured out what the body of the Lada Vesta is made of, or rather, its main coating. Despite the fact that this case does not use advanced galvanizing methods, its body is much better protected than its predecessors. The presence of a guarantee is proof of this.
Body galvanization VAZ Granta
The table indicates whether the body of the VAZ Granta car, produced from 2011 to 2014, is galvanized,and processing quality.
| Treatment | Type | Method | Body condition | |
| 2011 | Partial | Cold galvanized | The result of galvanization: Bad The car is already 8 years old. Considering the age and quality of the zinc treatment of this car (under normal operating conditions), the corrosion of the body has just begun. It is difficult to notice if the car has not been hit and scratched. |
|
| 2012 | Partial | Cold galvanized | application of a zinc-containing coating | The result of galvanization: Bad The car is already 7 years old. Given the age and quality of the zinc treatment of this car (under normal operating conditions), the corrosion of the body has just begun. It is difficult to notice if the car has not been hit and scratched. |
| 2013 | Partial | Cold galvanized | application of a zinc-containing coating | The result of galvanization: Bad The car is already 6 years old. Considering the age and quality of the zinc treatment of this car (under normal operating conditions), the corrosion of the body has just begun. It is difficult to notice if the car has not been hit and scratched. |
| 2014 | Partial | Cold galvanized | application of a zinc-containing coating | The result of galvanization: Bad The machine is already 5 years old. Given the age and quality of the zinc treatment of this machine (under normal operating conditions), the first corrosion will begin after 1 year. |
Types of processing
Over the years, the processing itself has changed. Younger car - will always be galvanized better!
Types of galvanization
The presence of zinc particles in the ground covering the body - does not affect its protection and is used by the manufacturer for the word "galvanization" in promotional materials. . Tests The test results of cars that left the assembly line with the same damage (cross) on the bottom of the front right door. The tests were carried out in the laboratory. Conditions in a hot salt mist chamber for 40 days correspond to 5 years of normal operation. hot dip galvanized car(layer thickness 12–15 µm) 
Galvanized car(layer thickness 5–10 µm) 
cold galvanized car(layer thickness 10 µm) 
Zinc metal car
Car without galvanizing
It's important to know— Over the years, manufacturers have improved the technology of galvanizing their cars. A younger car will always be better galvanized! – Coating thickness 2 to 10 µm(micrometers) provides excellent protection against the occurrence and spread of corrosion damage. - The rate of destruction of the active zinc layer, at the site of damage to the body, is from 1 to 6 microns per year. Zinc is more actively destroyed at elevated temperatures. - If the manufacturer has the term "galvanized" not added "full" This means that only the impacted elements were processed. - Pay more attention to the presence of a manufacturer's warranty on the body, rather than loud phrases about galvanizing from advertising. Additionally
A lot of controversy is caused about the modern AVTOVAZ car, which is VESTA. Many do not believe our auto industry and say that the “modern generation” is nothing more than a continuation of such “popular” GRANT, KALINA, PRIOR on the one hand. If we discard everything else (technical and design), opponents of the brand, often entering into a dispute, endure such facts - “ will rot in a couple of years if not properly processed "! However, the manufacturer gives a guarantee - “as early as 6 years” specifically for the body, which signs through corrosion will not appear. And now it begins to breathe in such a concept as “galvanization”, opponents will again say that it simply is not there (this is a LADA, NOT A MERCEDES), 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” is it there or not ...
Starting the article, I would like to quote the words of one "megaexpert" from a specialized forum (I will not rewrite verbatim), but the meaning is this. There used to be a VAZ 2101 - the metal was of high quality, and therefore did not rot! And now you don’t understand what, that’s why they cover it with all sorts of crap - “anticorrosive”, “galvanized” and so on. I want to object to him right away, these methods are answers to modern road conditions. Previously, when the “Kopeyka” appeared, there were very few cars, I remember the winters - the snow was practically not cleaned from the roads (only the main highways), there were no reagents. And now - the roads are somehow wet even at minus 10, all because they are simply covered with reagents that corrode snow and ice, respectively, and the body, painting and even rubber (what can I say, sometimes even boots don’t go season). Under such conditions, "2101" would have rotted all over in a couple of years! Here they protect modern cars, according to the modern, sorry for the tautology.
Is VESTA galvanized?
YES, there is a fairly decent layer. To call it a reference language does not turn, but to say that it is simply not there is IMPOSSIBLE!
In general, all external parts are processed, these are doors, roof, hood, trunk lid of the body rack and so on. BUT INSIDE (in the cabin) processing - NO, only outside and only those parts that come into 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, destroying itself protects the coating under itself), and the protection works even when damaged or partially destroyed.
It becomes clear that the larger and thicker the zinc layer, the longer the car body lasts and no corrosion centers occur.
To apply particles of protective metal to the body, there are only four main technologies, I will list them from best to worst.
- hot method. When a fully assembled body is dipped in a bath filled with zinc. 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.
- galvanic method. The method consists in the process of deposition on the cathode (in our case, 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. It is less costly and more simple technology, it is used by Mercedes, BMW, TOYOTA, Honda, Mitsubishi, KIA, etc.
- Zincrometal. It is mainly used by KIA, on cars from the "C" class. This is a kind of plastic coating, which consists of two layers.
- cold method. In fact, it is a kind of painting. A powder is applied to the body parts, which contains small particles of zinc powder. Used by many brands (Chevrolet, KIA, HYUNDAI, TOYOTA) including AVTOVAZ.
As you understand, VESTA is processed exactly according to the third technology, you yourself choose where and in what volume to apply this layer.
Here 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 must be further strengthened.
How else to protect the body
If you leave only galvanization (which, by the way, is NOT inside the cabin), then such a body will not last long. After all, moisture, air, dust, etc., can also get into the cavity, all this can cause oxidation and after corrosion.
Therefore, to protect inside (in the cavities) a primer is applied. Moreover, it is applied in two layers, and of course, not with brushes, but with the help of technology - "CATAPHORESIS". The body is lowered into the bath and soil particles are deposited on the surface in it. Moreover, there are two such layers on LADA VESTA!
The application of two layers of soil gives good protection - after all, the steel is, as it were, “sealed”, air access is practically excluded
- 2 layers of soil
- ENAMEL
It should be noted that this is a very good protection that will allow the body to walk even in difficult conditions for more than 6 years!
Why primer on galvanizing?
If with inside everything is clear, there is no protective layer and the primer is required - but why apply to the outer one, where there is galvanization?
If you remember, I wrote above that the larger the layer of this non-ferrous metal, the longer the body steel lives. SO THIS - the layer that is sprayed is not so large and it needs to be additionally strengthened.
According to materials 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 body of VESTA 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, this is due to several factors:
- Application is by spraying, and there is no guarantee against marriage (especially if stained by hand).
- As practice has shown, often the layer is about 8 microns.
Thus, they brought out a guarantee for the body in 6 years, by the way, when launching this model, they wanted to give 4-5 years. Now the technology has advanced a bit.
About myths
Almost everything was found out, but again, many skeptics who are used to saying that there is nothing good in AVTOVAZ can put forward some theses:
- Foreign cars are made from fully galvanized sheets . Perhaps someone does this (in their barn in particular), but in most industries around the world such sheets are not used. They are soft (there is no required strength), they do not weld well (they burn easily), the cost of the body will go through the roof
- The cold method is used only at AVTOVAZ . This is also not true, for example, Chevrolet, KIA, HYUNDAI, TOYOTA, MITSUBISHI use many of their cars (let budget class, but still). For example, CRUZE is covered worse than VESTA, it does not have thresholds and some front power struts
- The layer is so thick that it falls off . I really don't understand who comes up with this. If you check with a micrometer, it turns out: the roof is about - 105-125 microns, the doors are about 145 microns, the fenders - 140 microns, the hood - 110 microns, the trunk lid - 120 microns. This is completely a "pie" that is applied to steel. It is about the same as on many foreign cars of this class and nothing falls off from anyone.
- Only VESTA is processed, there is no processing on the rest of the VAZ ! This is again a myth. Galvanization is applied to the following models: GRANT (LIFTBEK) - the fifth door, wings (there is the very minimum of galvanization), KALINA2 - all external surfaces, except for the hood, roof, front and rear spars (wing liner is needed here), PRIORA (since 2009) - everything except the roof, hood. X-RAY - everything outside, except for the roof, VESTA - the entire outer surface, and the bottom, sills and arches are additionally treated with anti-gravity.
AVTOVAZ has published another video clip from the "Good mechanics" series. In this issue, host Stas talks about the thickness of the body metal of Vesta and XRAY, as well as about the anti-corrosion treatment of new AvtoVAZ products. At the end, they answer the question of whether additional body protection of these models is needed.
So, is the Lada body galvanized or not? On the latest models Lada (Veste and XRAY) galvanized outer body panels. Internal cavities that do not have an impact with the external environment are not galvanized. To protect against corrosion, they are treated with cataphoresis primer.
In addition, a new anticorrosive agent is used on Lada Vesta and XRAY, which spreads best over the surface, into all the cracks of the body and best protects the body. The mass use of zinc began on Lada Kalina cars.
The outer body panels of modern Lada models (Vesta and XRAY) are protected from corrosion by several layers that are applied to the body metal (its thickness is 0.6-0.8 mm):
- Zinc;
— Cataphoresis primer (primary);
– Cataphoresis primer (secondary, polyester);
— Base layer of enamel;
— Lac.
Anti-noise mastic is additionally applied to the bottom of the car or the weld between the layers of cataphoretic primer.
The modern body of the Lada car is covered with a two-component primer, which can withstand about 1,500 hours in salt fog (in 1970, the Lada body could withstand only 96 hours). As an example of corrosion resistance, the hood of Vesta was demonstrated, on which a calibrated incision was made. After that, the body was in salt fog for many hours, which is equivalent to 4 years of car operation. As a result, zinc successfully saved Vesta's hood from rust. The presenter also showed the internal cavities of the body, which also successfully passed the test. No rust or corrosion found.
Galvanized hood of LADA VESTA after salt fog
Next, a stand was demonstrated (a shot-blasting machine that emits a trip along the highway when stones and sand fall on the car body) to check the quality of the paintwork (paintwork). How the quality of the primer, enamel and varnish evolves was shown by example. Compared paintwork VAZ 2110, Priory, Kalina, Niva 4x4 and XRAY. You can see the results of the test in the photo:
Do I need additional anti-corrosion protection for Vesta or XRAY? The standard protective complex is enough to protect the body from corrosion during the average operation of the car. It makes sense to use an additional anticorrosive agent (2 years after purchase) only if you are going to operate the car for 8-10 years.
Summary. Today's Lada body is a modern high-tech product, sufficiently protected and always ready for use in our harsh road and climatic conditions.
Watch the video: