El Rojo(my car) died today :(, and I’m without car until mid to late September. I’m almost positive I’ll buy a new car then, a 2002 Honda Civic like I did 13 years ago.
Question is, should I get rustproofing on it? I live in Wisconsin, so we have salt and snow on the ground from November till March usually. It will be garaged.
I always read in car guides and talk shows how it’s a waste of money, just something the dealer pushes. back in '88 I did get it, I think it was something like $250. My car didn’t really get any rust on the outside at all, but in the underneath part-you bet.
Any car experts out there with suggestions?? Is it a waste of money or not? I know the dealer is gonna give me such a look if I say no, I want to have some facts, confidence or something to feel comfortable saying it.
Most modern cars are sufficiently protected from rust. Since you live in an area that will have salted winter roads, it’s best to make sure you wash off the crud from the underside of your car as soon as you’re off the road. This may be a pain, but it’ll save your car in the long run. Don’t forget to get EVERY nook and cranny. It has been known to happen that when aftermarket undercoatings have been applied, some drain holes get plugged causing rain water to accumulate inside the body, rusting it from the inside out.
Waste of money? Eh. Hard to say. It probably won’t hurt. Remember, they usually have to drill holes to spray that crap in. Something I’m never hot to do, especially on a brand new car.
I live in Northern Alberta, Canada. I get lots of snow up here. I have never had a car rustproofed. I just keep them clean. Even my 79 Datsun 280ZX didn’t rust out.
Don’t waste your money. I used to work for a paint manufacturer who supplied all of the paint for Chrysler cars and trucks. The body panels are first treated for rust by dipping, and then they are e-coated for paint application. You can’t possibly do a better job than the manufacturer (although I only know that the domestic companies rust-proof, I don’t know much about the foreign companies). Also, according to my sister who is an electrical engineer at General Motors’ proving ground in Milford MI, post-production rust-proofing can actually be harmful (don’t ask for a cite 'cause that’s the best I’ve got).
Anyway, your warranty should cover any rust unless it is a scratch or ding that actually causes the loss of integrity of the body panel. For that to happen it would have to be a scratch or dent that penetrates the through the clear coat, the paint, the e-coat, and pass the rust-proofing. In other words: a VERY deep scratch.
This is why you don’t see very many vehicles rusted out like you used to.
Oh and I’m from MI, so my best anti-rust/anti-salt advice is: frequent winter washings.
My dad (only an expert in the sense that dads know everything) used to say that in the winter, it’s best not to garage your car. The theory is that in the attached garage (usually above-freezing even if unheated), all the salty ice and snow will melt, causing salty, corrosive water to seep into all your car’s nooks and crannies. If you keep your car outside, the ice and snow will likely freeze solid overnight, reducing your car’s exposure to corrosive liquid salt water. But that does mean you’ll have to scrape the frost off your windows in the morning.
I also heard ('aint hearsay grand?) that for rustproofing to be effective, it needs to be applied periodically, not just once when you buy the car. I guess that depends on the product used.
In any case, if you want rustproofing, it’s probably cheaper and just as good to go to an aftermarket rustproofing specialist, rather than letting your car dealer gouge you.
Don’t waste your money. Most new cars make extensive use of galvanized steel and rustproofing processes like Mr. Blue Sky said. To tell the truth, you don’t need it. The best thing to do is wash the car frequently making sure to get the crud out of the wheelwells and underside.
As for the rust underneath El Rojo, it was probably just surface corrosion. If the car had serious underbody rust, you would have known it when it broke in two after you crossed a set of railroad tracks.
The Australian Consumer Association in Australia did a large survey on this once (too long ago for me to still have the magazine and a cite, sorry). Their conclusion was that rust-proofed cars rusted more. The findings were of course rather controversial. The rust proofing companies went ballistic and raised a whole load of theories as to why the survey results were biased. For example they suggested that perhaps a disproportionate number of people whose vehicles had a high corrosion risk such as off road vehicles (used on the beach in Australia quite often) and/or who lived within salt-spray distance of the sea tended to have their cars rust-proofed. The ACA published the test results leaving out seaside addresses and off road vehicles. Same result. More screaming from the rust-proofing industry, threats of defamation suits etc. The ACA had an independant survey company re-survey. Same result. Even the ACA auto experts were surprised by just how clear the results were.
As to why, the ACA and other commentators proposed the same theories as other posters have mentioned above, although they reached no firm conclusions. To rust proof you have to drill holes, which may let water in. The rust proofing spray is gluggy and may block drain holes.
I had a prior car Z-Barted (I think that’s the name). They had a lifetime warranty on the rust-proofing, but the catch is that you have to bring it back each year for a touch-up. This was free, but you had to do it if you wanted to keep your warranty.
Now that I think about it… Since the car is already painted, do they just go over the paint? I doubt it. Why would they spray this stuff, assuming its a spray, over the paint job. They must just do the underside of the car?
Now keeping the car outside, now that’s interesting, and who can argue with dad.
I also think I remember commecials for something called Ziebart, that might be that Z-Bart you were thinking about barbitu8…
That’s pretty close to what my dad used to say. He meant that on a cold dry winter day the worst place to put your car is in a garage. Especially if it’s only for a few hours! The reasoning is that the car is cold, and going into a damp less-cold garage will cause water to condense in places where you don’t want water! He claimed that the best place to park a car is under a car-port. That way you don’t expose the car to much condensation, while at the same time drastically reduce the amount of window-scraping!
Thinking about it I realize that kamandis father also had a point.
Maybe from now on I’ll start believeing in fathers. (Also because I’ll soon be one myself…)
I bought a Hyundai Accent yesterday. Passed on the Honda civic because this one is $8,000 less and seems almost as good, time will tell. Also a hatchback so I can toss teh bike in the hatchback. I’m sure a Honda is better, but $18,000 compared to $10,000?? I’ll keep the eight large, thank you.
The guy was kinda in a hurry it seemed, so he just glossed over the add-ons, i just shook my head at the rustproofing and he never mentioned it again! He also said it was smart of me to wait until the end of the month, but who knows what was buttering up and what was truth.
