Metals rusts in soil or sand because it comes into contact with moisture and oxygen, a process accelerated by soil characteristics like salt content, pH, and microbial activity. Water acts as an electrolyte, and the soil provides moisture and oxygen for the reaction to occur, which forms iron oxide (rust).
Please avoid contact of the products with oil/sand/water!
Recommended maximum tightening Torque for our hardware M8 is 25Nm (handtight).
Power tools are NOT REQUIRED to install our product/s.
By using power tools you will damage the thread and coating of our products and eventually your vehicle gutter.
If your gutters are not protected, use an acrylic tape or self adhesive and water resistant 15mm seal trims or mounting tape. Even butyl rubber or latex from a bike tube will do the job to isolate the bracket from the vehicle gutter.
We encourage installers to use a good silicone self-fusing tape, liquid sealant, silicone or lanolin spray, high density thread seal tape or anaerobic sealant if you're planning a low-maintenance and long-lasting installation.
Bunnings sells BOSTON 50g Liquid Sealant .
It's higly recommended to put nylon washers between the attachment substrate (bracket) and the stainless steel washer to avoid galvanic corrosion .
As a reference, check metals used on your setup against this useful galvanic reaction chart for dissimilar metals .
If your vehicle is constantly expose to weather or you live in a environment with high salinity, use a rust preventer to protect your set-up creating a protective barrier against moisture, rust, soil and corrosion.
Rust is a slow process.
Because rust is permeable, prevention focuses on stopping its formation in the first place.
Just by looking after your product and checking its condition every 2-3 months you can extend its lifespan.
If touch up needed, we recommend Dulux Metalshield® Epoxy Enamel spray paint (note that colours may vary).
Main reason to avoid power tools when installing our product/s.
If one of the threads on the bracket was damaged, you can use a tap & die set to repair it or just place a thin lock nut behind.
This last method has been tested & proof to improve the resistance to stress up to +4 times in some of our models.
Your product colour will fade along the time. You can opt to restore the colour by spraying with clear coat, epoxy enamel or specific metal paint.
Dullux Australia Metalshield® Epoxy Enamel will add a long term protective layer already tested with amazing results on our carbon steel brackets.
Bolt & Nut Australia provides a great range of compatible hardware as well as replacement for our M8 x 1.25p Metric Coarse Stainless A2-70 G304 Socket (6mm Key) Head Cap Screws DIN 912 / ISO 4762 .
Clark Rubber sells replacements for our Weather Strip U Channel (and a Weather Strip L Channel that you can use to protect your gutter). This piece of rubber is an excellent way to finish and protect exposed metal edges around door and lids. It is made of strong EPDM rubber material which provides excellent resistance to water absorption, ozone, dust and it prevents leaks, gasps and vibration. This rubber edge trim is designed in a huge variety of uses including car, camper, truck, boat, mini-van, van, trailer, bus, coach, lorry, motor home, caravan, truck, general engineering and domestic use.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 87% of Australia's population live within 50 kilometers of the coast, which is more than 22 million people.
Any metal will rust and corrode if continuously exposed to moisture and saltwater or other corrosive conditions over time: galvanic corrosion whenever rain or high humidity dissolves salts or pollutants to produce an electrolyte, because steel is more active than tin bronze in the galvanic series. Corrosion products from the steel will stain the bronze with a rusty colour.
Salt air is corrosive because it's hygroscopic – it attracts water. The salt attracts moisture from the environment to the carbon steel substrate, which speeds up the oxidation (rusting) process. Salt is in the environment, which means the effects of salt can be found on the surface of your carbon steel asset.
Because steel is a mixture of iron and carbon it may rust.
Like any other car part or accesory our products require a regular maintenance due to the exposition to weather conditions.
Here are some ways to prevent galvanic corrosion:
When installing a roof rack system, it’s important to understand that using different metals together (such as aluminium racks, stainless steel bolts, and mild steel brackets) can lead to galvanic corrosion, especially if you live near the coast. In coastal areas, salt carried in the air acts as an electrolyte, accelerating the electrochemical reaction that occurs when dissimilar metals are in contact. This can cause the more reactive metal—often aluminium or mild steel—to corrode prematurely. To minimise this risk, we recommend using compatible materials where possible, applying anti-corrosion coatings, installing nylon or rubber isolation washers between dissimilar metals, and regularly rinsing your roof rack with fresh water to remove salt buildup. Taking these precautions will significantly extend the lifespan and structural integrity of your roof rack setup in marine environments.
Below is a galvanic reaction chart for dissimilar metals - designed to assist in broadly assessing the risk of galvanic corrosion associated with a given metal coming into contact with another metal. To use the chart, align the metal to be assessed (for the risk of corrosion) in the left column with the Contact Metal listed in the upper row; green represents a lower risk* and red represents a higher risk. For a more specific assessment of the risk of galvanic corrosion, please reference other sources.
*Green represents "lower risk" not "no risk."
It should be noted that if sacrificial plating is incorporated into the fastener design, then galvanic action can result in the deterioration of the sacrificial coating, rather than of the fastener.
