Some competing products will use rivets or say their hardware is corrosion-resistant, but when differing corrosion-resistant metals come into contact, they will corrode by a process called galvanic corrosion(also called bimetallic corrosion). Galvanic corrosion is an electrochemical process in which one metal corrodes preferentially when it is in electrical contact with another, in the presence of an electrolyte. Basically, it is when two different metals come into contact with each other, they can cause premature rust and corrosion.
We use all stainless steel hardware and zinc coated rivet nuts to prevent rust and corrosion.The underneath steel frames of the Prius are coated and do not come into direct contact with the aluminum shield. Even after drilling holes into the frame, the zinc-coated rivet nuts are the only pieces that touch any uncoated steel and the zinc acts a protective barrier between the metals. We take every piece of hardware into consideration to make sure none of our parts will cause premature rust or corrosion. Be wary of products that do not use stainless steel or zinc-coated materials (such as rivets, self-tapping nuts or screws) because they will likely lead to galvanic rust.