Rust Proofing Your Car ?

[jmurray01]

I'm not, because money is too tight at the moment, and I usually get the hose out every two weeks during the gritting season, and give the undercarriage a good jet wash to get any rotten (pardon the pun) grit off the chassis.

You really should get your undercarriage rust proofed though, because unless you have time to be jet washing the undercarriage like I do, it will rot.

In fact, I know somebody in Canada who didn't rust proof his '91 Ford F250, and it is getting a whole new body now because the floor pans and sills rotted to nothing - Literally!

It isn't too expensive to rust proof your undercarriage, especially if you buy a tub of it and apply it yourself, but as I say, I still can't afford it myself.

Of course, you could just put your car away for the snow season and be safer all round, but in the real world none of us can really go without transport for over two months.

 

[LandN]

anytime you can PROTECT your vehicle against the harsh elements of ma nature, your ahead. this is one reason i am very much in favor of frequent oil change intervals so that many chassis components can be inspected for wear, tear, and RUST.there are a number of aftermarket products that you can brush/spray on to help protect chassis components and slow down deterioration.as far as that ford truck of that era ,that was a common problem with body rot anyway. garage kept helps, as well as frequent washings,and if you can,just cut back on winter time driving. 1 1/2 years ago i bought an old(er) pick-up truck to restore and play with, and this thing is almost new WITHOUT restoration because of the care the previous owner took of it. last month i bought a old(er) buick, again this thing has 20k miles on it and is in like new condition because of good care from previous owner.both sit tight in the garage.

 

[mnicholson]

My car is already 5 years of age and it has no spot with rust in it. I think that general care for your car would avoid those spots. Also, most sides of the car are already made of a certain type of fiber or plastic so the visible area of the car is not prone to that much rust anymore.

What you could also do is to apply a layer of protection on your point just to make sure it does not rust.

 

[Dangeroustoys56]

Most people Zeibart their cars - actually this is bad - its a thick layer of tar on the bottom of the vehicle, inside the doors, ect.

My folks bot a 85 crown vic that hardly saw winters, was zeibarted every few years and the chassis rotted out because water sat in there.

A freind of my dad's uses a undercoating gun , but sprays a mixture of paint thinner and heavy grease to the chassis /rust prone parts of his cars - the thinner allows it to spray easily, yet when it dries the grease stays put. He has cars from the early 80's and not one of them have any rust underneath , and theyre run every winter up north on salty roads.

Ultimate undercoating would be using rhino bedliner - alot of offroaders do that to their machines - only downfall would be the vehicle would need to be totally taken apart .

Cheepest alternative would be park the good vehicle for the winter and buy a reliable winter beater - specially where they use a ton of salt on the roads .

 

[KennyV]

Undercoating was a scam at car dealers for decades... until people caught on, It has disappeared for a while, so I will not be too surprised to see some version of it coming back... someone is going to figure out how to make it sound like a positive thing again...

Do as common sense would indicate. Wash the underside of your car, as often and as thorough as possible. ... Allow it to dry and don't apply anything that can trap moisture along with road grime... :smile:KennyV

 

[LandN]

Undercoating was a scam at car dealers for decades... until people caught on, It has disappeared for a while, so I will not be too surprised to see some version of it coming back... someone is going to figure out how to make it sound like a positive thing again...

Do as common sense would indicate. Wash the underside of your car, as often and as thorough as possible. ... Allow it to dry and don't apply anything that can trap moisture along with road grime... :smile:KennyV

A scam ?......i would believe that new virgin steel undercarriage components would benefit more than 'already' weathered/aged undercarriage components.steel chassis components and body parts were not very good decades ago . putting undercoating on an 'already weathered' parts would not be as good as protecting new components.i think (not sure) that different types of protection are now there(as opposed to the old tar) splattering aimlessly all over drain holes etc. in my years have seen no ill effects of undercarraige undercoating.i'm still tossing around the idea of doing my truck bed in that textured finish.but as much as i would like to wash and dry my vehicle in the winter would be a nightmare....bbbbrrrrrrrrr:thumbsup::smile::smile: but with todays vehicles and better materials..........?