Hi all! I live in Hawaii, about a few miles from the ocean, and I just bought a new Highlander. I park it in a parking structure both at home and at work. Still trying to decide whether or not I should rustproof my vehicle. Yea or nay??
Modern vehicles don’t need rust proofing.
There is no after market one time rust proofing that works as well as routine maintenance. This includes frequent washing and inspection of critiical areas by an in dependent service garage or body shop that is willing to oil or grease particular areas suseptable to rust. Cars are designed to a particular working life with the body engineered to deteriorate as well. If you plan on keeping your car for fewer then 8 to 10 years and don’t care about trade in value, just wash it occasionally. For most owners, this is along with touch up painting all they need to do.
These after market rust proofing are never worth it as drain holes in body panels may become clogged in the process which can accelerate rust. Using light oils inside body panels is the only safe way to cut off oxygen to potential rust areas and not clog holes. This is a yearly endeavor but too messy for 99.9% of car owners, and too expensive to hire out every year. Car companies have us by the pocket book. Short answer…don’t bother !
One more thing about drain holes. Look to make sure the door drain plugs have been removed. I have seen cars come into my shop with plugs in the door drains.
MikeInNH. “modern vehicles don’t need rust proofing” you are right as far as after market…
But they still need rust prevention maintenance.
In less then 10 years, they all show rust in floor boards, running boards, rear quarters and wheel wells. All the usual places and first apparent in the rust belt. Newer cars use a little more plastic cladding so rust is a little harder to detect. They ( modern vehicles ) will all rust…you can take that to the bank. None are made of stainless steel and/or aluminum. But, this slight disagreement will be mute in 8 to 10 years if few uf us are around to say “I told you so”.
Every new model year, car makers always make claims their cars are more rust resistant then before because of some exotic treatment…low and behold, they rust. The only improvement I can see over the years, is in paint application and a little improvement in drainage…very little, very reluctantly. Rust is their friend.
Keep it waxed and don’t expose it to salt spray…If you park it at the beach and there is a good sea-breeze blowing, be sure to wash it ASAP…
MikeInNH. "modern vehicles don't need rust proofing" you are right as far as after market...But they still need rust prevention maintenance.
What kind of maintenance in Hawaii is there?? Washing a car is about it in Hawaii as far as I can see. But I don’t consider that any special rust prevention maintenance.
Yea I agree here in NH there’s a lot one can do. Wax helps protect the paint…so indirectly it well help prevent it from rusting by keeping the paint on the car. But as long as there’s paint on the car no matter what the condition…it’ll prevent any surface rust.
No rust proofing needed, nor is it advised. Badly done it can cause more problems than it solves.
Do you see rusty cars driving around? I don’t remember seeing them when we were there. Aside from 20 year old heaps, of course…
as everybody has said keep it clean and keep an eye on the under carrage.
If the car is exposed to salt air which is allowed to condense on windows and run into the doors, I guarantee that no amount of washing will prevent the doors from rusting from the inside. One or two paint bubbles and a used car, even from Hawaii is worth thousands, I repeat, thousands less then a solid car. Dealers are reluctant to accept any car which shows interior rust. All cars rust…deal with it.
Oil and grease are the only accepted ways of dealing with rust in the these internal areas.
Thanks for your input everyone! It’s greatly appreciated. I think I shall keep my car as is, and just make sure I keep
up with a thorough exterior wash and wax!
Rustproofing the underbody is for people who live where it snows. When you live near the beach, you just need to wax your vehicle more often than you would otherwise.
Cars up north rust from the bottom up. Cars at the beach rust from the top down.
@Whitey ; I agree; When last in Saudi Arabia, I saw a number of cars, mostly GM, that had rusted out roofs and trunk lids, while the bottom was still unscathed. I was told the condenstaion and sea air played havoc with paint jobs, as well as the intense daytime heat.
Occaisional dust storms can’t help, either…
How many rust buckets do you see in Hawaii anyway? They don’t salt their roads there.
I would rust proof it near the ocean like HI. That is, if you plan to keep it and keep it safe and nice. The hard part is finding someone to do it right. After seeing the clean metal on my 42 year old VW when I peeled and re-undercoated it, I believe in it.
A 42 year old car is not the best example for needing to undercoat. Modern cars are very well protected against corrosion.