@dagosa - I don’t trade my vehicles. I drive them into the ground. My son is still driving my 99 Accord with 207,000 miles (and yes it is starting to rust but it is a 15 year old car in the snow belt). I sold my 94 Previa with 220,000 miles on it seven years ago and I still see it driving around the neighborhood, slightly rusty, with over 300,000 miles on it. None of these vehicles have been rust proofed.
I don’t take care of my vehicles so other people can have a nice car when I am done with it. I take care of them so they are safe, clean and reliable for me and my family. Rust proofing, even in the snow belt of New York, has never factored in that. Sorry if that does not jive with your philosophy but we can agree to disagree since it appears that we each have a philosophy that works for us.
I don’t think we disagree. But, driving a car " into the ground for me" is 20 plus years, not 10 to 15. I turned a Corolla over to my son son after ten years, he drove it for ten more and to 275k miles. The gave him money for it and it still ran like a top with no rust what so ever. It was a safe rust free car for twenty years and still got a decent trade in for it, The friend who has show cars and antiques who showed me this, is still driving cars he has owned into the ground, 40 years later With 200 to 400 k miles. So, if you really want to "drive cars into the ground, rust prevention still applies. Sorry, I don’t believe in free rides. Body maintenance is as easy as changing the oil in your car and any non mechanically inclined person can do it. Now, in my state, severe rust holes mean it won’t pass inspection. Maybe rust perforation is different in your state as an inspection item. Rust holes here, and the car can be un inspect able. I figured that I pay myself nearly $150 to $200 a year for twenty minutes work doing rust preventative measures on my car with the increased longevity. Sometimes people drive their cars into the ground because they are worthless and no one will buy them or give them value earned for them. A rusted car is not a safe car and will not conform to crash tests once the unibody structure has started to rust. That includes fenders, rockers and quarters. There is no such thing as a rusted car as safe as if it were not
The only difference between us is, your son would be driving a 99 Accord that was completely rust free at this time. Then he has more options and much more money in his pocket should he choose.
In my experience, the undercoaters and rust-proofers are the low men on the automotive service totem pole…Lower than the lube-rack guys…They just don’t do the job right, it’s one of the nastiest jobs there is…Also, your car is 5 years old, even though you can’t see it yet, the rusting process has already started in the overlaps, spot welds, hidden seams and joints…Road-salt has penetrated everywhere…Spraying undercoating or rustproofing over the top of the visible undercarriage will not provide any protection…The time to do this is when the car is brand-new and has never been exposed to road-salt…
You can greatly extend the life of your car by maintaining it and keeping it clean but you can’t make it last forever…
When I lived in Delaware, I would take my car through the automatic car wash after each snow. They had the under body spray to rinse off the salt. My car never rusted and this was a 1971 Olds Cutlass. The cars didn’t have the rust proofing we have now. I sure miss that car!
@Caddyman
It absolutely depends on two things. The competence of the person doing it and the material you use. Oil based material like linseed oil and biodegradable “G” oil are excellent choices. A mixture of paraffin wax broken down and mixed with oil makes an excellent longer term frame treatment. Bottom line though, you use nothing that clogs drain holes, hardens and exacerbates the problem. That’s why biodegradable oil base, along with grease on exposed surfaces are environmental safe and repeatable every two to three years and are the only proven long term solution. The idea is simple. Twenty minutes every two to three years and any part you can reach will not rust but must be repeated as after a few years, dies wash away. Free flowing oil allows you to contact any areas salt brine can reach through drain holes with a garden sprayer. Believing cars in salted areas don’t need rust treatment is akin to the belief that Xander Bogaerts is having a great rookie season for the Sox…all hype, no substance.
Delaware ?
I’ve been using aerosol LPS wax based rust inhibitor for years. It sprays on and leaves a coating that feels like oil. I pay particular attention to brake & fuel lines and engine subframes. It seems to have good staying power. I also drill holes from the inside if necessary to get inside body panels. So far so good.
Farmers spray their equipment, including the undersides of their pick-ups, with drain oil…Those living in an urban or suburban environment do not have this option…
I m with you dag, I want my car to last 40 yrs. I know you don’t like jeeps, but my 1990 Cherokee seems to have been well rust proofed. I bought new wheel well inserts to help it last. now I just have to install them before winter… I am gonna do inside the doors and such as you suggest also. right now I have some leaky oil seals so my under carriage is self greasing… but when I get the leaks fixed I ll coat it with grease too
There are some pretty good approaches and products on the market that you can use as a rust inhibitor that are safe and effective. @my2cents mentions one; LPS wax based inhibitor. A reason why it is reasonable is, it only lastly a couple of years. This is a definite indication it has flow properties to reach areas salt brine will and will not clog drain holes. There are several assertions I make to my friends and acquaintances when we work on their cars. First, it will help stop rusting but only for a couple years beyond application and only in areas you can actually get to. In practice, it lasted, seemed to, to five years without reapplication on my son’s car…just wouldn’t depend upon it lasting that long ordinarily.
I’m not sure rustproofing is needed anymore. But 20+ years ago it was essential in the Great Lakes rust belt region (which North-Eastern Ohio is part of). But not today. I’ve seen very few vehicles rust out anymore like they use to.
. In heavily salted areas that I live in and have traveled to, I see rust holes in cars. Cars that in some cases with holes around fenders, less then ten years old. To say that is acceptable when you are going to trade it in 8 to ten years and like seat covers, don’t care to provide a good car for the next guy, completely neglects to consider the difference between a car in good condition and poor condition or one that can’t pass inspection having difference values.
The difference in value is significant. And yet, we keep hearing, it’s unnecessary. It may be unnecessary if you don’t live in salted areas as the rust time table is stretched out dramatically. Seems like people don’t mind literally, throwing away hundreds to thousands of dollars come trade in time.
I live in Minnesota. And I don’t see rust on vehicles as I use to see years ago.
The wife has a 97 Accord with one rust hole above the right rear wheel well. This rust hole was created when the original owner was in an accident that scrapped the paint down to bare metal. But instead of taking the insurance money and repair the damage, they just pocketed the money an did nothing about the damage. He would pull into work and I would see the surface rust growing larger and larger. I even offered to repair the damage at a very reasonable price since they were a co-worker. But they weren’t interested.
They eventually sold the vehicle to me at a very reasonable price. Because I serviced the vehicle since it was new, and because they knew that small rust hole wouldn’t bother me. And if it did I would fix it.
The vehicle was purchased four years ago. And there’s no other rust on the body. Just that one rust hole above the wheel well.
Finding somebody that can do it properly is one problem (others are doing it with something that helps, and doing it before rust starts). So few cars are treated these days, how to know whether somebody knows how to do it right would be difficult.
Was just at the Hyundai garage, and coincidentally, there was a recall on my car; “DURING WINTER MONTHS, LARGE QUANTITIES OF SALT ARE USED TO DE-ICE ROADS IN THE SALT BELT STATES. ROAD SALT MAY RESULT IN INTERNAL CORROSION OF THE FRONT SUB-FRAME THAT IS PROGRESSIVE AND MAY RESULT IN THINNING OR PERFORATION OF THE SUB-FRAME STEEL. THE CORROSION IS FREQUENTLY INVISIBLE AND OFTEN UNDISCOVERED DURING INSPECTION OR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. YOU MAY ALSO HEAR NOISES OR NOTICE TIRE MISALIGNMENT AND STEERING PULL. IF THESE SIGNALS ARE UNDETECTED OR UNHEEDED, THE CORROSION MAY PROGRESS AND THE FORWARD MOUNTING OF THE LOWER CONTROL ARM MAY DETACH FROM THE SUB-FRAME. IF THAT HAPPENS, THE VEHICLE MAY LOSE DRIVER POWER TO THE WHEELS. THE FRONT WHEEL MAY MAKE CONTACT WITH THE FENDER OR WHEEL WELL.” What did they do? Put some rust inhibitor on and some black stuff that looks like tar or undercoating to me in the area where the issue was.
So few cars are treated these days, how to know whether somebody knows how to do it right would be difficult.
And that was the major problem back in the 70’s and early 80’s. Far too many doing shoddy jobs that gave the industry a bad name. Ziebart is the only company I know that is still around from that era (although completely restructured). One Ziebart franchise in upstate NY is still around. Has been in business for over 30 years. Great reputation. And the technicians are properly trained.
I’ve seen vehicles that were properly undercoated/rustproofed that showed little or no sign or rust - while the same vehicle without the undercoating/rustproofing rusted to the point is wasn’t drivable after just 7 years. I’ve also seen vehicles that were poorly done that the vehicle rusted out sooner.
I used to buy LPS at my local hardware store which went out of business when Home Depot came to town. Amazon.com sells it. Do a search for “LPS rust inhibitor” You might be able to find it at larger hardware stores.