Maine qualifies as rust belt and successfully keeping early 70/s VW Beetles used daily for commuting as rust free into the late 90’s (and still rust free in storage) qualifies as success story. You talk ten years of rust prevention on a Volare ?.
Sorry…but Maine doesn’t even come CLOSE to amount of snow Syracuse and Buffalo get…and about 1/10 the amount of snow the small town I grew up in gets. So there’s a difference.
Mike and dagosa, it sounds like you are arguing about gold or platinum being valuable. Both are, and I’d be pleased to have either. You both have good points, and I believe that the coatings Mike mentions are useful if, as you say, they are done properly. BTW, dagosa, oxygen alone is not enough. Water is needed to make the “battery” work. Typically, there is enough dissolved oxygen in water to allow rusting to occur. I suppose one could say that oxygen (air) is not needed, but that is not really the case.
Have a good day, guys. You are both right.
Yes, where YOU live will affect the rust longevity.
But if buying used you should be very concerned with where the CAR lived before this.
In truth, cars today are designed and manufacured with rust resistance the we could only dream of in the '70s and '80s. They’re designed with drainage and ventilation built in for areas that migh entrap water, the alloys used for much of the vehicle are more rust-resistant, electrolytically applied conformal coatings are the norm now, much of the welding (that stresses metals and can promote rust) is largely done with much less atress to the metals (smaller heat-affected-zone) and using much lower power, much of the welding has been replaced with bonding adhesives, tack welds, spot welds, and very small bead welds, all robotically applied, and final finishes have progressed tremendously. Cars today smply are not as rust prone.
Those who suggest 'Vettes and other such cars with nonmettalic body panels I’m sure realize that these vehicles are, underneath, no less rust prone than other vehicles. Steel and iron still abound in the undercarriages. And the Saturn (may Saturn rest in peace) has other problems. The early SL engines were prone to headgasket failure.
Buttom line, I honestly don’t believe rust is a significant enough problem anymore to be a major purchase consideration or to warrant aftermarket treatments. And I live in NH, where salt is so plentiful that trucks going down the highways on dry winter roads raise salt clouds.
You make a good point. Mine is just that, like you say moisture is necessary. From my experience (not with Volarys I must admit) in helping friend restore and maintain his very old cars, rust occurs in areas that are not easily accessable because of their retention of moisture and still allowing “air”.
Frequent cleaning and even Rusty Jones takes care of the exposed surfaces; but only for a while. Nothing comes close to cutting off O2 in the presents of moisture like oil with easy flowing characteristic. That same characteristic makes it necessary to reapply. My main point, long term maintenance is the key not one term “treatments”.
The amount of snow is incidental to the environment that causes rust. Salt coastal air and the exposure to chemical deicing agents which in moderate mid Maine where icing occurs with nearly every storm regardless and not because of their lesser snow amounts.
Otherwise, my snow blower would be rusting if only snow was a factor…which it isn’t with reasonable maintenance including key components being given grease and oil, not expensive Rusty Jones treatments.