Understanding Car Rust and Corrosion

Your car is rusting because it's a tiny, self-destructing battery. Seriously.

Corrosion is an electrochemical process where metal spontaneously oxidizes. One part of the

metal acts as the anode, losing electrons, while another part acts as the cathode,

gaining them. This electron flow, especially with water and oxygen, creates a tiny galvanic

cell that eats away at the metal. The rust you see is just the metal turning back into

a more chemically stable compound. That's why salty winter roads are so destructive—the

salt water is a perfect electrolyte, speeding up the reaction. We can even fight

it with cathodic protection, using a more reactive metal to sacrifice itself and corrode