Rust proof

[Mynewvibe]

Hello to everybody. With the summer coming to an end . I was thinking of doing a rust proof on my new Vibe. Now it is some electronic device claiming will prevent your car of starting or slowing down rust process. Or I will do it the old style way. Oil or silicon liquids. What would be the best way , on your experience Thank you .

[star_deceiver]

Have you checked the reviews on the electronic thingy? Personally, I'm a little skeptical!If you go for the oil, wait until a little later in the year like late October.How much rusty is your undercarriage?

[Mynewvibe]

I do not have any rust on my car,just try to prevent it from rusting. I did check same info about electronic protector, lot of theory about it but there is not any concrete feed back, is all about what it supposes to do, not what it did as resultant. I will wait till later in the Fall to do it. I wander if members have done rust proofing, and they seen the benefits or not. I have not done it to any of my previous cars, so I was wandering if is worth it.

[star_deceiver]

How much is the oiling kit?

[09Vibe]

Personally I believe the two main rust product dealers in Canada (Rust Check or Krown Rust control) have the best products. I prefer Rust Check over Krown because the product is more viscous and gets into seams better. I have friends who prefer the stickier quality of Krown. Rust Check now offers a Gell Coating for the underbody (clear) along with the rust spray product. It gets done only once and touched up when needed. The Rust Control product is sprayed annually. I have been using the same location for 20 years, same owner there too. With the amount of salt they throw down on Toronto area roads during winter I think this is a must. The underbody of my 11 year old Jeep TJ for example looks brand new. Most of those vechicles rot out completely within 10 years! Then again - most people don't keep vehicles anymore for more then 6-7 years right? If you intend to - its the best form of protection against that salt for sure. I love how on the really hot days we've had recently that our Vibe still has fluid creeping out body seams - easily washes off of course. I go every October just before putting on the winter wheels for our vehicles (no winter tires needed for the Jeep!). There is also an 03, and 05 vehicle in the family that gets the same process yearly. On both of them, brake lines, fuel lines and frame areas all look like new still - no rot anywhere. I've seen 5 year old cars with lower door skin corrosion already - does not take long around here. If you want to check out the location I use, it's the Rust Check in North Mississauga near Dixie & Shawson Drive. Owners name is James, he also does all our window tinting and I buy other accessories through him as well. And yeah - he will sell you the electronic one as well if you want (they install them for dealers actually), but of course they believe more in the tried tested and true main product. Hope this helps,Cheers...

[Mynewvibe]

Thank you guys. I will have to go to a Garage places for this . I think I have to do this process every year! But I hope will be worth it . By the way what will the price be for this, or what type of package would be a good one? I will got to one of those (Rust Check or Krown Rust Control) .

[jake75]

For half the price of that electronic thing I will extend my arms over your Vibe and cast a magic rust resisting spell that I guarantee will work just as well.

[09Vibe]

Yeah you want to stick to the 2 applicators who have each been in the business almost forever ... their results clearly speak for themselves and most locations take underbody photos of their long standing customers, kind of cool to look at while you are there. Don't get fooled into the $50 one you see in some gas stations or local garages. They spray an asphalt based coating on the underbody and elsewhere - it actually traps moisture and makes a mess, mechanics love it. Good for covering up that rotted out frame that is already there mind you, but thats about it. Both Rust Check and Krown usually charge $99 annually I think. Some locations might be cheaper during the pre-season rush as well ( like this month or next ).

[jake75]

I was under the impression that the conventional wisdom was that all rust proofing did as much harm as good.

[09Vibe]

Because there are so many different products on the market that sort of 'evolved' ? from the tried tested and true products that were applied to farm equipment and in other heavy industry for eons, there are so many opinions. Generally the two out in Canada that have been in business for literally 'eons' speak for themselves. They don't trap moisture like an asphalt based product does, or simply cover up areas already infected with rust. If you do it when the vehicle is new, and annually as suggested - well - you'd have to be in the shop when some of the clients roll in there with 20 year old cars that are driven every winter to see what I mean. I know most late 90's Jeep Wranglers are total rust buckets now - mine is like new underneath and those exterior door skins and exposed hinges, no rot. You'd have to live in our area where salt gets applied to the roads you might as well be driving on gravel sometimes. That stuff just rots the hell out vehicles. I find the application a very small price to pay for keeping our vehicles entirely rust free for the most part. To each their own of course, most people scrap or sell 7-10 year old cars but at least you have the option if you take care with rust protection. Two guys at work each own 2000 Ford Windstars. One guy gets his van rustchecked yearly... the other has never had it done. Guess which one of them has complete door skin separation on the drivers side, and basically complete rocker panel failure on both sides - especially under one sliding door, its brutal to see that on a vehicle with 120,000 kilometres. He's had quotes from $3500 to $5K to fix that properly - sub frame corrosion also looks bleak in the body mount areas. The other guys van looks like new, doors are solid, no rust on the underbody anywhere. It has over 200K on it.

[j42.snyder]

I strongly agree that Krown or Rust Check are the way to go. I've known the local guys that run the Krown outlet here for many years, and can attest that it makes a HUGE difference in how the car lasts in Southern Ontario.I buy the material in 20L pails and apply it myself - but it's very challenging to get into all the areas they do with their wands. They'll drill a few holes for access - but they will put grease on the plugs to prevent those exposed areas from rusting. Any professional shop will do this - it's nearly impossible to get inside everywhere without making the holes - as they're not going to want to disassemble your car.Keep in mind that it WILL drip for a few days afterwards. If you can't park outdoors (or have a very nice driveway) - find some cardboard like a fridge box to park over for that time. Newspaper works too - but it's a little trickier to spread evenly.I know that Krown charges $109.95 for cars - but I haven't checked into Rust Check recently. I would suspect it to be competitive. Watch for local coupons for either.I wouldn't necessarily wait until closer to winter. With the amount of humidity we have around here, I've seen things corrode quickly even in the summer months if left unprotected - especially if you're parked near water. Rust is a chemical reaction that is accelerated with heat and moisture. The main threat in winter around here is the salt when the temperature is between 0C and 4C. Of course that often describes much of our winter weather around here too. To me there's no such thing as "too soon".I previously owned a 2002 Sunfire which my brother in law still drives daily. I had that car sprayed by Krown the day I bought it, and I did it every year since. The car still has no visible rust on any body panel, and underneath looks excellent. All brake and fuel lines are still solid. I've seen some examples of those cars 2 years newer with holes rotted through the quarter panels already around here - so it definitely makes a difference. My old '02 is over 260,000km now - so it's not like it's babied either. Always kept outdoors.Considering what some of my friends at work have spent getting all of their fuel and brake lines replaced on various vehicles by the time they're about 10 years old - even if the only thing the oil spray did was prevent that - it would already pay for itself. Having a solid rust-free car is another nice bonus. I hope to keep mine going for at least 15 years/500,000km - if it survives my kids when they start driving! Fortunately that's not for at least 6 more years...John

[j42.snyder]

It's a very different type of material - but I see that there's a Ziebart in Miami. It's more of a coating than an oil spray though. I know of some people that swear by it here though - and I'm sure it's definitely better than doing nothing about it - especially if you're anywhere close to the coast!Maybe there are different environmental laws there about products that can drip - as many of the products offered here don't appear to be marketed there. It may also be a "supply and demand" thing if rust isn't a large concern there overall. From what I've seen, your cars seem to rust the opposite ways ours do. Ours rust from the bottom up, where yours seem to go from the top down! I would think that this would make the job rather challenging compared to here...John