Undercoating surface rust

[2016lc]

So been a few questions on this and I figured I would share. I took some after pictures of my wife's 2007 4Runner. Came out great. Used rustoleam rust solver and chassis saver after some wire brushing. Did about 4 months ago. Did notice some spots that need to be touched up but very easy and cheap

 

[ceb]

Here is a caution about aftermarket undercoating - especially when it is applied to an older car.

Unless the surface is perfectly prepared, the "rustproofing" traps dirt and moisture leading to more rapid rusting under the undercoating. Additionally, it is very easy to clog up drains - which leads to all sorts of other issues. All reasons why most manufacturers will warn against aftermarket rustproofing.

Modern cars are galvanized and have rustproofing applied to hollow areas at the factory. What you will normally see is surface rust which makes little difference. What IS important is cleaning your car - including the underside - to remove any trace of salt or chemicals that is used to treat the roadway. Excess mud will also trap moisture and allow rust to grow.

If you drive a modern car and keep the chassis clean then you won't see rust for many years.

The $10 you spend weekly during the winter to drive your car through a "no touch" carwash with the high pressure undercarriage wash is far cheaper and more effective than undercoating.

 

[2016lc]

I agree but the paint I used was rust resolver that is supposed to stop rust and convert it to a paintable surface. I then used chassis saver over it.

Plus now the truck is ten years old. So if I get another ten years out of her I will be very excited.

I will keep an eye out on the truck and keep after her. I did clean it before with a wire brush and all purpose cleaner before using any coating.

 

[Markuson]

I agree but the paint I used was rust resolver that is supposed to stop rust and convert it to a paintable surface. I then used chassis saver over it.

Plus now the truck is ten years old. So if I get another ten years out of her I will be very excited.

I will keep an eye out on the truck and keep after her. I did clean it before with a wire brush and all purpose cleaner before using any coating.

Could you occasionally tap on the painted surface, checking for rust?
-I would think if there was rust forming under paint, it would "crush" in if not solid under there, etc.
What do you think?

 

[ceb]

Could you occasionally tap on the painted surface, checking for rust?
-I would think if there was rust forming under paint, it would "crush" in if not solid under there, etc.
What do you think?

Sure. When I was in Germany, the annual car inspections where quite thorough and the inspector would be looking for rust. Anything that looked suspicious would be attacked with a punch and hammer. If it went through then there were issues. A dime sized hole would fail inspection

 

[chilibit]

Another advantage of Fluid Film. You can see what is happening and to be honest, you don't have to do much prep either. It is not a one time and no more worries. It needs reapplication every year or so. And we need to spend some time inspecting anyway. It is very quick. Most of the time is just looking at places from different angles in order to be thorough. Not hiding a problem under a hard coating is a good thing IMHO. I use it on farm tractors, grader blades, the steel fittings on aluminum race trailers. I bought a Porsche while in Germany and the dealer was insulted that I wanted to re-undercoat as it left the dealer. I understand his attitude completely. They do a better job than Toyota frankly. Even though I hear the 200s are double sided galvanize on the body panels, they seem to think north Australia and the Middle East are their main markets. The undercarriages need some TLC.

 

[ceb]

Another advantage of Fluid Film. You can see what is happening and to be honest, you don't have to do much prep either. It is not a one time and no more worries. It needs reapplication every year or so. And we need to spend some time inspecting anyway. It is very quick. Most of the time is just looking at places from different angles in order to be thorough. Not hiding a problem under a hard coating is a good thing IMHO. I use it on farm tractors, grader blades, the steel fittings on aluminum race trailers. I bought a Porsche while in Germany and the dealer was insulted that I wanted to re-undercoat as it left the dealer. I understand his attitude completely. They do a better job than Toyota frankly. Even though I hear the 200s are double sided galvanize on the body panels, they seem to think north Australia and the Middle East are their main markets. The undercarriages need some TLC.

Australia and the Middle East ARE their main markets. North America is an afterthought.

 

[chilibit]

Australia and the Middle East ARE their main markets. North America is an afterthought.

I guess I should have pressed my tongue more firmly in my cheek. Actually, while they do not kowtow to American thinking---I find their thoughtfulness and engineering to be exemplary. No offense to the LX'ers among us, but the LX seems more of an Americanized Land Cruiser. So maybe Americans are listened to. But 3000+ sales is not very much. There might be single dealerships somewhere that approach that number.

 

[ceb]

I guess I should have pressed my tongue more firmly in my cheek. Actually, while they do not kowtow to American thinking---I find their thoughtfulness and engineering to be exemplary. No offense to the LX'ers among us, but the LX seems more of an Americanized Land Cruiser. So maybe Americans are listened to. But 3000+ sales is not very much. There might be single dealerships somewhere that approach that number.