Expert Treatments for Mild to Severe Chassis Corrosion 

Modern Aston Martins are robust and hard-wearing cars. But it’s not uncommon to find a small amount of corrosion on the subframe of older (pre-2009) vehicles. Nine times out of ten, this is harmless surface rust that builds up when water, salt and other contaminants infiltrate the powder coating that’s used to finish and protect your chassis.

This surface rust may be unsightly, but it won’t affect the performance or drivability of your car. That said, surface rust can lead to deeper corrosion if it’s left untreated, which is why we’d always recommend treating the problem as soon as you notice it. 

On some of the older DB7s, DB9s and V8 Vantages, surface corrosion can also develop on the welds that hold your rear subframe together, threatening their structural integrity.

We live and breathe Aston Martins. We also specialise in the restoration of classic Astons so we’re used to dealing with everything from mild to severe chassis corrosion. If you notice surface rust and want a professional opinion, we’d be more than happy to examine your vehicle. 

We’re also equipped with the domain knowledge and tools needed to treat chassis corrosion properly - eliminating surface rust and treating your chassis with to prevent the problem from recurring.

Why Is My Aston Martin’s Subframe Corroded?

You might be surprised to find rust on the subframe of a premium vehicle, but it’s worth noting that all car manufacturers struggle to completely prevent the build up of rust. Modern materials and engineering practices help, but a small amount of corrosion is inevitable. 

Simply put, driving in UK climates, especially in winter when roads are salted and there’s a lot of surface water sitting on roads, means that your chassis will naturally be exposed to large amounts of moisture.

When this moisture starts to penetrate the protective powder-coating that’s used to treat the underside of your Aston Martin, the underlying steel framework of the subframe starts to rust. If you run a finger along a corroded subframe, you’ll notice that the rust flakes away very easily because the protective coating has been eaten away. 

The good news is that most corrosion is purely cosmetic. It’ll eat into the steel if it’s allowed to develop unchecked, but a light dusting of surface rust is easy to remedy and even deeper, more invasive corrosion can be checked with the right techniques.  

How Do Pugsley & Lewis Treat Chassis Corrosion?

Over the past thirty years, we’ve developed a proven process for refurbishing modern and classic Aston Martin chassis. We start by raising your car on a ramp and removing suspension components/undertrays so that we can get full access to your chassis. If your subframe is heavily corroded, we may drop and remove it completely – so that we can fully expose welded joints and other problem areas that are frequently missed by non-specialist garages. 

Once we have full access to your Aston Martin’s subframe, we’ll start removing surface rust; either shot blasting to remove severe corrosion, or using an industrial air descaler to gently agitate more moderate rust before with a wire brush to create a completely rust-free surface. 

This will leave the steel framework clean, smooth and ready to accept preventative treatments. We’ll then coat your subframe with a primer and enamel paint to ensure that metal components are protected from the elements. We also use products like waxoyl to provide a further layer of protection that should stop corrosion from gaining a foothold in the future.

This protection won’t last for the full lifespan of your car – products like waxoyl will wear off eventually, but you should be able to enjoy several years of rust-free driving before you need to look at topping up your protection.

And it goes without saying that preventative maintenance will be considerably easier once the underlying corrosion has been remedied. 

Want To Talk To A Chassis Corrosion Specialist?

If you’d like to talk to an Aston Martin specialist, just fill in the form below. One of our team will be in touch to talk through your issues and explain how we can help. 

As one of the UK’s foremost Aston Martin restoration workshops, we’re the safe pair of hands your car deserves and we guarantee a premium service for any rust or corrosion-related problems.