2023 Tesla Model 3 wheel spacers use a premium hard-anodized rust-proof coating to protect the interior metal. Many common metals react with oxygen and water to form rust, so rust protection on metal surfaces is necessary. It protects the metal from oxidation or slows down the oxidation process, thus allowing the metal to maintain good metal properties. 2023 Tesla Model 3 stock parts and aftermarket parts are subject to varying degrees of rusting depending on driving time and regional salt content.
How to Rust-proof 2023 Tesla Model 3 Wheel Spacers?
Hard anodized rust prevention technology protects 2023 Tesla Model 3 wheel spacers. Hard anodizing is recognized as an excellent rust-prevention technology for many aluminum alloy products. In automotive aftermarket parts, many parts are made of forged aluminum alloys because they are more balanced in weight and strength than steel alloys. Among them, 2023 Tesla Model 3 wheel spacers use forged aluminum alloy 6061-T6 or 7075-T6.
The principle of hard anodizing technology is to increase the thickness of the aluminum oxide. After finishing the 2023 Tesla Model 3 wheel spacers, the aluminum alloy surface generates a thin film of aluminum oxide to prevent the oxidation of the internal metal. The voltage increase by the electrolyte of hard anodizing technology eliminates the resistance, and the heat generated by controlling current density is the key. Temperature rise will accelerate the dissolution of the oxide film so that the oxide film cannot become thicker. The greater the thickness of aluminum oxide, the better the rust prevention performance.
How to Remove the Rust on the 2023 Tesla Model 3 Rotor?
The rotor must be rust removed before installing 2023 Tesla Model 3 wheel spacers. When rust is found on the rotor, use a rust remover and abrasive paper for sanding it down. Spray the rust remover evenly on the rusty surface of the rotor, taking care to avoid the normal metal parts, and wait for 3-5 minutes for the rust to dissolve. Use abrasive paper to sand the rust and gently remove the rust. Finally, use a clean paper towel to remove the excess rust remover.
Install the 2023 Tesla Model 3 wheel spacers on the rotor, and put a piece of paper between the wheel spacers and the rotor. When the paper is clamped and does not fall off, it means the contact surface of the two fits. You can proceed to the next step of installation. Instead, check the back of the wheel spacers and the surface of the rotor for rust or impurities.
Are Wheel Studs on 2023 Tesla Model 3 Wheel Spacers Rust-proof?
The wheel studs on 2023 Tesla Model 3 wheel spacers use Dacromet rust prevention technology, which is different from chrome plating. Dacromet is a zinc-chromium coating, a new anti-corrosion coating with zinc powder, aluminum powder, chromic acid, and deionized water as the main ingredients. The protective effect of the Dacromet layer on 2023 Tesla Model 3 wheel spacers wheel studs can be summarized as follows:
- Barrier effect: Due to the lamellar zinc and aluminum lamellar overlap, hindering the process of water, oxygen, and other corrosive media reaching the substrate, can play a kind of isolation shielding effect.
- Passivation effect: In the process of Dacromet treatment, chromic acid reacts chemically with zinc, aluminum powder, and base metal to produce a dense passivation film, which has good corrosion resistance for 2023 Tesla Model 3 wheel spacers wheel studs.
- Cathodic protection role: The most crucial protection of zinc aluminum chromium coating is the same as a galvanized layer, which is cathodic protection for 2023 Tesla Model 3 wheel spacers wheel studs.
Does Chrome Coating Work on 2023 Tesla Model 3 Wheel Spacers?
The chrome plating layer has high hardness, and its hardness can vary in a wide range of 400 to 1200 HV. Better heat resistance allows it to be heated below 500°C, its glossiness and hardness do not change significantly, and the temperature greater than 500°C starts to oxidize and discolor. Its dry friction coefficient, among all the metals, is the lowest. Most stock lug nuts use chrome-plated steel, which has good rust resistance but is prone to hydrogen embrittlement due to defects in chrome-plating technology. So, the aftermarket lug nuts in 2023 Tesla Model 3 wheel spacers do not use chrome plating technology.
Hydrogen embrittlement refers to the hydrogen dissolved in the steel, polymerized into hydrogen molecules, resulting in stress concentration exceeding the strength limit of the steel, forming small cracks inside the steel, also known as white spots. Once hydrogen embrittlement is created, it cannot be eliminated. The internal residual or applied stress causes embrittlement or even cracking of the material. That is why BONOSS did not use chrome plating for the rust protection of 2023 Tesla Model 3 wheel spacers.
What Happens if 2023 Tesla Model 3 Wheel Spacers Get Rusty?
2023 Tesla Model 3 wheel spacers disc body using aluminum alloy due to the barrier effect of the oxide film will slow down the reaction rate. People are more concerned about lug nuts and other fasteners’ rust because most of the fasteners are made of steel alloy or iron.
Rusting is a chemical reaction that is essentially an oxidation reaction of the metal. The most common phenomenon of rusting is the oxidation of iron products exposed to air and oxygen for a long period or erosion into oxides by oxygen elements in the water. Wheel studs use a steel alloy of SCM440, and oxidation occurs in both carbon and stainless steel, and rusting causes deterioration of steel products or structures. The volume of rust is larger than the same mass of iron, so rust will squeeze the adjacent unrusted parts, thus causing damage.
(Some photos come from our clients and factory, if there is any infringement, get in touch with us immediately to delete them.)
