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Rust Proofing Questions

R

RayoVac

GUEST
What does everyone think of Rust Proofing their new vehicles. I am talking about the Ziebart kind of stuff.... The gooey black undercoating, paint protection, fabric protection and the ice-tea looking stuff they spray inside the doors etc.

We had this done to both of my wifes previous Explorers. I guess I really like the undercoating... but not really sure if it is not just hiding the rust??? I did not have it done on my current Expedition because it is a lease.

In my area, this treatment usually cost's around $600 and requires yearly "checks" to re-apply undercoating, the paint protection and any other touchups. Of course the "No Rust" warranty is only good if you do the yearly checkups.

Any feedback, good or bad... would be greatly appreciated. Trying to decide whether I should do this when I get my new AV 03.

Thanks,

RayoVac
 
For the most part, with the advent of longer vehicle warranties and the general demand for higher quality; I believe that the automakers have improved their own rustproofing treatments to the point that aftermarket treatments are somewhat obsolete. Back in the '70's, I always had cars undercoated, but not recently.

I do know that you have to be somewhat careful in undercoating so as not to create pockets that could hold water, block drain holes, etc. - in which case you can do more damage than good.

Now, I'll admit that living in dry Colorado is not the same as living in humid areas with heavy road salting; so I will defer my judgement to those with more recent experience in demanding areas.
 
I dunno....Since there is no salt on the roads in New Orleans I have no need....But like said above it could block a lot of the drain holes.
 
My father had Ziebarted his 85' chevy silverado....he said he loved it and never did rust from the undercarriage.....but I don't know if I would do it to my Av......seems as though GM has done a good job of protecting it from the elements....although salt is a concern around these parts during the winter season... :B:
 
i rust proofed mine about a month after i got it because i saw my friend 2000 zr-2 s-10 doors rusting already! I wanted some extra protection.
 
Does anyone know if this has any sound proofing properties to cut down on road noise? Just curious...
 
I use to own a 2001 Dodge Ram and put a Ravin Exhaust system on it. The cab noise led me to undercoating the truck to deaden the sound. It worked well. Still had some noise but I'd say it cut about 65% of it out!
 
Some 'experts' claim the rustproofing/sound deadener will actually HOLD IN moisture CAUSING rust.
I had Rusty Jones in the day and Ziebart once...I would never waste my money on either of those places again but...I guess it depends somewhat on who actually does the spraying. Good luck with your choice. :B: ;D
 
I agree with those who are not sure of the worth of added undercoating, especially with today's factory warranties.

:0: Another consideration is the added weight to an already heavy vehicle. I Ziebarted by 1986 Bronco 2 and it added about 250 to 300 lbs to the vehicle weight. :0:

Here in southern MS it's not snow/road salt that is the problem, its the salt in the air. :C:

:B: :B: AvZee :B: :B:
 
Dear RayOvac,
Being from Canada, I know a little bit about rustproofing. Stay away from undercoatings like Ziebart because although they are great for soundproofing, once a stone chips some of the coating off and scratches the undersurface, rust will start and creep under the undercoating. I have seen chunks of this stuff fall off the undercarriage and reveal horror stories. Also stay away from places who shoot their undercarriage and body panels with petroleum based oil like motor oil (new or old). this stuff will eat away at any rubber bushings on your truck and it is messy and leaks like crazy when it's hot outside and your body panels heat up to 130 or more degrees. The best way to go is with a product like the one we call Rust Check. This is a synthetic oil that is harmless to paint or rubber. It is clear and has the consistency of watery Vaseline (use your imagination) and coats and creeps over the metal on your undercarriage and inside body panels and does wonders for protecting your electrical system from humidity and corrosion as well as rust of course. It is sprayed in all your body panels and wheel wells and underbody. the most important thing is that it doesn't seal in moisture. Remember, oily metal doesn't rust. The unfortunate part is I'm not aware of a particular retailer who does this in the U.S. Your always welcome to drive up north.
Best of luck.
 
For what it's worth, I did get Ziebart and I'll keep
the forum informed of any future developments.
I got the soundtreatment/undercoating as well
as the rust proofing in the doors.

I notice with the soundproofing (just thicker undercoat)
the truck is nearly silent except for the wind. The
AC fan is the loudest noise I hear with the radio
off.

Having grown up in Maine where a lot of salt
was used in the winter, I've seen new cars
reduced to dust in a few years. I've Ziebarted
previous trucks/Jeeps and up to 200,000 miles
have never had a rust repair. I've had SAAB's
I've not Ziebarted hit the junker at 100,000 miles
since the fenders and doors were rusted off.

I guess it is personal preference and 'buyer beware'.
I'm sure the expertise of the applicator does have
some influence on the outcome.

Emery
 
Not sure if undercoating works to slow rust (and personally, I don't think it does), but since you put it on, you may want to thoroughly check your undercarriage after winter. Just one small pocket of winter salt trapped by the coating and you will rust faster than you can imagine. I would also verify your drain holes are still open.
 
This afternoon I watched the TNN program "Trucks" and noticed that on one of their project vehicles they used Line-X for the undercoating and in the engine compartment. Line-X is one of those spray-on truck bedliner materials. However they mentioned on the show that Line-X is the best. Used by CIA, FBI, and the military. I have no personal experience with the product.

CA-AV
 
As far as rustproofing goes, the "New Vehicle Limited Warranty" for my '02 AVY stated:

""Rust-Through Corrosion Protection: Chevrolets are designed and built to resist corrosion. All body sheet-metal components are warranted against rust-through for 6 years/100,000 miles (whichever comes first). Application of additional rust-inhibiting materials is not required and none is recommended. See your Chevrolet dealer for terms of this limited warranty.""

I sent an email to GM questioning why my dealer was trying to sell me rustproofing if it wasn't recommended and thier response was that indeed it was not recommended, but that they basically could not control the dealers in this aspect. I did the undercoating, paint protection and leather protection, but specifically instructed the dealer not to do the rustproofing.

 
I could be wrong here, but I believe the anti corrosion protection offered by the manufacturer only applies to corrosion that occurs from within, and not what starts on the outside. If that's the case and you live where there is judicious use of road salt, I would definitely have an undercoating of some type applied. I wouldn't go for the whole enchilada, i.e. the drilling holes in the doors, etc and spraying the inner panels, but anything that stops rust from starting on the outside has to help.
 
Yes that was my concern.. the "drilling" of the holes. I knew the paint protection and undercoating would help. Another thing to remember is that the panels of our AVY's are galvanized.. that has to be of some benefit.
 
I don't think undercoating will help stop rust from starting on the outside of the panels. This is a function on how good we are on taking care of our paint and keeping the chips fixed so moisture and contaminants can not get under the paint.

However, I think undercoating will help a lot inside/behind panels. Here is some of my exp. with/without undercoating. I had a 89 Silverado that had the galvanized panels like the Av. It was great for seven years, no rust visible. Then all of a sudden the rust popped out from the inside all over the truck. The paint was still in great shape almost loooked new! I could never get a hold of the rust except for replacing panels. I then undercoated my new 98 Silverado myself. Had that for four years withno signs of rust (I am kind of uptight so I was checking it).

I also had a 2001 silverado I undercoated myself with good results. My Av is also undercoated inside every panel and the underneath of the body.

What I a getting at is I think uc is a good thing if done correctly, using the correct material, and doing a thourough job. My Av took me about a half day, two gallons of material at a cost of 50 dollars. IM me if you would like any info on the material I used.



My .02.. ;)
 
I thought that the body panels were galvanized. Surface rust should not be a problem if they are. I could be wrong.
 
:C:i hate rust . living in upstate ny cant beli. the salt
ha peej have a number of the place in canada always
ready for a road trip
if it helps their sure it will help me
thanks
 
These companies that offer this kind of service are all about getting in you pocket. There is NOTHING they can add to extend the life of the vehicle. In fact, in order to apply this protection, they have to drill holes in the sheet metal for application, guess what this gets you after a couple of years. The corrosion warranties are 6years and 100,000 miles.The in plant processes of phosphate baths, e-coat dips, prime applications and double sided galvanized sheet metal panels deem it useless to waste money on after market gimmicks. This also includes the so called "Paint Protection Packages ".Lots of money in thier pockets, No value to you or the vehichle.
 
I'm new here... but not new to issues relating to protecting the underbody or metal on a truck. I had a Silverado 2001.. had it undercoated and rust protected using a gooey yellow substance (which is wax based). The problem with getting it done .. is that they hire kids to do it and you have to be vigilant in checking it afterwards. In my case.. I went back... took the gun from the kid... and asked him to hold the container... it took me close to 2 hours to completely rust protect my pickup. As far as the undercoating.. I touched it up myslef after having intimidated the "kid" sufficiently that by then he was ready to be my slave.

Afterall, I am paying for it...

Anyway.. you need additional protection in Canada.. we have the worst road salt mixed with gravel.. etc... it is a mess.

My Silverado never developped even a freckle of rust... I suppose that's why it was stolen after almost 3 years of use. (seems I'm not the only one who thought I did a great job of protecting it).

I'm new because I've seen the Avalanche .. drove it for a weekend (dealer supplied) .. and took it for a test drive to my cottage in the mountains on those slippery ice roads going uphill all the way. It performed great .. so I'm buying it.

BTW... I got it SBO MII.. Z71 1SD. I'm buying my step bars (tubular platinum) from WESTIN.. because they are $200 cheaper.. and are warrantied for life. (that's what I had on my Silverado as well.. so I know them). I'm also getting the matching grill/guard.

Anyway... This time around.. I'm going with the electronic rust protection for the rust-proofing component.. (still getting the undercoating). They guarantee the vehicle for a lifetime and the module is portable.. (you can take it to your next vehicle).

The electronic rust protection.. chages the body of the vehicle so that the outer layer of the steel's atom will pick up the electrons from the charge rather than coupling up with the Oxygen from the water or salty solutions.. not to mention the air. It is also warrantied against damage by acid rain and UV.

For those of you who know chemistry... Rust is FeO2 Iron mixing with Oxygen. By preventing this.... we stop rust... >:D


P.S. Always undercoat with a substance that doesn't dry up... It stays gooey.. so as to cover and prevent water or salt from lodging between the application and the metal. Undercoating with tar based is better because it has an oil content and stays flexible and gooey.

Long post eh ?

Regards,
CK
 
My husband and myself have been in the rustproofing business for 16 years in Canada were the salt is plentifull in the winter months. Oiltrell is the name of our company and we use an oil based synthetic rust inhibitor that will actually penetrate the metal, get into the seams and pinch welds and create a barrier so rust will not start. We have seen it works.
The wax base rustproofings that are out there are NOT effective because it doesn't get into the pinch welds and seams of the vehicle which is were the salt sits and corrodes the metal. Eventually the wax will dry out and crack, then the salt and moisture get under the wax rustproofing and is trapped, then the metal corrodes, eventually the wax will come off and you then get to see the effects that are underneath. VERY RUSTY METAL.
 
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