This has probably been discussed to death, but I live in the Northeast where there is generally alot of salt spread on the roads during the winter, I just purchased a new 2014 GMC Sierra 1500. There are so many mixed reviews regarding this subject that I cannot come to a decision as to whether this is needed or not. My concern for the rust is the chassis, not so much the sheet metal as I believe the way vehicles are built today that shouldn’t be an issue. My previous Chevy pickup developed visible surface rust on the chassis over 3 years, so I don’t want the same thing to happen to this one. If rust proofing for this area is recommended what product works best? The dealer sells & applies Noxudol. A nearby 3rd party applies Waxoyl. Any suggestions and/or advice? Thanks
Don’t bother.
Don’t bother, the bodies are galvanized steel on both sides. The frame is coated with black goo right now and adding more can trap moisture as effectively as keeping it away. The black goo will last about 6-8 years and you can touch it up if you are seriously OCD about being able to look underneath and see rust. You can do just as good a job by yourself by sliding under your new truck with a can of black paint to paint stuff that isn’t now, like driveshafts. Add a can of spray undercoat to do touch ups where the factory coating is a bit light and that should get you up to 10 years before it starts to look dodgy. BTW, I’m a Chevy truck owner from a road-salt state that goes through freeze-thaw cycles all winter.
Mustangman, I appreciate the response. I’ll probably just do what you’re recommending and save a few hundred dollars and aggravation. Thanks.
Agree; it’s no longer necessary to do so. I once specified an number of vehicles for the far North. We used an insulating undercoating to get to get the vehicle warmer at -45F and colder. This was a spay-on foam that did a good job, as there was no worry about salt. The vehicles were a lot warmer with insulated floors.
I too live in the North East…and keep my vehicles a long time. Usually after 10 years and a few hundred thousand miles they start showing signs of rust.
Thanks everyone. I’ll stay clear of the rust proofing.
The last car of mine that showed any evidence of rust was my '92 Accord, and they all had the same problem of rust right behind the rear wheel wells.
Great strides in rust-proofing have been made in the intervening decades, and two subsequent cars that I kept for 9-10 years still looked great–with no evidence of rust–when I traded them in.
It might be that the frame of your old vehicle, and the new one too, has been dipped in Phosphoric Acid. This forms an Iron Phosphide coating that looks like surface rust, but is actually the primary corrosion protection for the frame. Doing this process allows the frame to be protected inside and out. They can paint over this coating as it acts like a primer, but if the paint gets chipped off by road debris, the metal is still protected.
There are some applications that can help. But, it’s so much dependent upon the workmanship when doing it, it usually becomes problematic and causes more rust. The only thing one can do in the North East to delay rust more then it does, is paint exposed surface areas with grease and use oils in crevasses that collect water and salt brine. It works. But, it’s dirty ( you have to crawl underneath) costly, ( six dollars per year) and time consuming ( 45 minutes per year). This works but most want one time fixes and can’t be bothered. One time fixes never work. So, don’t go for rust proofing beyond what the factory does unless you are willing to get down and dirty, yearly. Then, your cars will remain rust free in treated ares for decades, not just for eight to ten years.