[Snappa]

Today I was at the dealership and noticed that the 2016 spark and Malibu now feature a type of textured paint along the very edge of the rocker panels all the way to the pinch weld. It is for rock chip protection. I didn't get a chance to look at any 2016 model Cruze. I was wondering do they also feature this? Very impressed with gm taking more efforts to protect cars from corrosion. I know the Cruze itself was one of cars in which gm highlighted to have better corrosion resistance when it first debuted here in the US. Seems like they are continuing to push forward with that trend in other models.

 

[Snappa]

Wow I had no idea that there was ever an automobile manufacture that brave enough to actually intentionally build a feature on their cars to take on road salt. I just googled that ford duraguard system and it brought up a news paper article from the 70s saying its main purpose was just that...to take on road salt! I always thought it was ironic that motor city was built over a salt mine, yet manufacturers did so little to protect cars from salt corrosion. I thought it was on purpose to get you to buy a new model eventually (aka planned obsolescence), but to think ford actually embraced trying to fight road salt back in the 70s is quite astounding. If what gm is doing to these models is similar and is now being done in conjunction with the improved steel of modern vehicles, we could possibly have vehicles that actually last long in the north! Makes me even more impressed with this feature.

 

[Snappa]

They shouldn't have ever quit putting protection like that on cars just because the galvanized steel. They should have simply put it on the galvanized steel as well, which seems like what gm is doing on these new cars.