My wife's Forester is 14 years old next month and has no rust. Admittedly it isn't driven a lot -- only 56,000 miles on it -- and we don't get a lot of snow in Virginia, but it does snow here from time to time and when it does, the streets are heavily salted and the Forester is the car we drive. Then we put it back in the heated garage, which as you know is the worst thing you can do for rust. And there's not a speck of rust on it.
It's my belief that aftermarket rustproofing is a waste of money.
Exhausts must be made of stainless steel or something nowadays because they never need replacement. The last exhaust I had to replace was on a 1985 Honda Civic.
Clarification - the oilsoaks into the crystaline structure of any surface rust, and sticks to the rest.
Nothing like a good coat of wax every couple of months. Some of the polimer paint sealers were worth while too - although overpriced. Poli-Shine and Poly-Glycoat were 2 that were decent. If the dealer sold it for $200 in 1996 the material cost was about $30, and the labour to properly install to a mid-sized car (like a Camry or Cressida) was about $70 .That left $100 to split between the salesman, the dealership, and the warranty company - If I remember the warranty was built into the material cost, ( without the warranty the material was closer to $7) so the dealership and the salesman made $100 on the deal. Just from my memory back when I was service manager.
We also did Waxoil rustproofing. I think it was closer to $300 - with material running about $30 for the average vehicle, installation was about 2 to 3 hours with the right equipment (about $200 for the kit?), and something like $50 for the warranty or "insurance policy". The rest was profit. The annual checkup to validate the warranty was a good way to make sure the car got back to the dealer at least once a year - which was not a problem at the dealership I worked at - we had a VERY good retention rate. Even without the rustproofing check.
Only 56,000 miles in 14 years, is the definition of a pampered car. :) That's only 32% of the average mileage of a North American car (approximately 20,000 km/year, or 12,500 miles/year), according to insurance companies.
How many snowfalls does Virginia get in a winter? Is it one or two? It melts the next day too, right? The salt gets washed away. Up here, the regular form of precipitation is in some frozen form. The frozen precipitation rarely or never melts either until the winter is over, so any salt that was added remains recirculating on the streets pretty much all winter, and they just keep adding more salt throughout the winter, which also stays until winter ends.
We *got* the weather that can rust stainless steel. :)
I had to replace an extender pipe in 2009, and again later in 2009 when that failed too. Then earlier this year, I had to replace the muffler. These all started out as stainless steel components.
GENERALLY what fails on stainless systems is the joints or couplings - the welds are not done with proper stainless technique, and often the flanges are not stainless. I had to replace the muffler on my 2002 PT a couple weeks ago -, and when we bought the 96 Mistyque someone had replaced the stainless system with mild steel - likely because of a bad joint. I had a stainless system made for it in 2002 and it is still there - going to scrap next week.
GENERALLY what fails on stainless systems is the joints or couplings - the welds are not done with proper stainless technique, and often the flanges are not stainless. I had to replace the muffler on my 2002 PT a couple weeks ago -, and when we bought the 96 Mistyque someone had replaced the stainless system with mild steel - likely because of a bad joint. I had a stainless system made for it in 2002 and it is still there - going to scrap next week.
It varies. Some winters are like that. Last winter was, but it was unusually mild. Two years ago three major snowstorms dumped a total of over 30 inches of snow on us in one week. A month later my lawn was still covered with several inches of snow.
I had a 1973 240Z bought new in southern New Jersey and moved here to northern Virginia. These areas have similar climates. I kept it for 12 years and by 10 years it was rusting through in the usual places where 240Zs rusted through -- wheel wells and rocker panels
-- and the driver's side floorboard to boot. It had more miles on it that the 14-year-old Forester, but like the Forester it was always garaged.
There was a lot of improvement in the 25 years between the Z and the Forester.
If you live in the country and drive on gravel roads where stones may be kicked up and damage the zinc layer of galvanized parts and penetrate other factory-applied coatings, you may need aftermarket rust protection, but if you only drive on paved roads in the city I still think you're wasting your money.
We don't get as much snow and it was very light last winter but I saw more salt on the roads than snow and it persists longer.
But, I do recall when I lived in Cleveland, Ohio rusting was a far more serious problem than here in Delaware. It tested the mettle of the manufacturers. Some cars were rusting out at the top of the fender where a bubble formed in the rust proofing dip and missed getting coated.
I neglected to include this quote from the article:
Several companies market electronic corrosion control devices for automobiles and trucks. The systems are not effective[33] and in 1996, the FTC in the USA fined David McCready and ordered him to pay $200,000 in consumer redress and stop marketing and selling his ?Rust Evader" electronic corrosion control for cars[34]. Systems marketed since that time are no more effective.[35][36]
We don't have to live in the country to get gravel. Up here they usually add a ton of gravel and sand to the salt as well. In the spring they are sweeping up all of these stones and sand.
I had factory underside sound coatings on my 77 280z. It never pealed and try to take it off. I kept up with rust prevention by cleaning, and repainting. Bought new in ca., spent most time in pa with only one winter driving. Sold great condition in 2009. You just got to get under there often, and clean.
My 2007 avalanche had some kind of coating on the frame. All pealed, and rusting underneath parts of acting still on.
My 93 Dakota had zeibart treatment. Those coatings start to crack open in
3-4 years and need resealed.
Inside door and panel coating last longer. I do some of my own coatings with an old jc Whitney coating kit, with sprayer, from an Ohio company. The stuff is the best I've seen in an oil based product.
I intend on treating my 2001 cavalier frame parts, especially near the engine, which had parts replaced, and new brake lines. Going to use coroseal converter on current rusted parts, then paint. Same with avalanche. My new 1999 outback is going to get a look over. Have not got registration yet. Body panels are clean at 100k. There are plastic covers on holes around inside doors. Somebodies treatment or OEM ? I get those plastic hole covers with the rustproofing kit.
I got an outback in my driveway, and I can't wait to drive it.
However, the car developed very little rust despite being in New England all it's life, in fact, the only rust on the car was behind the driver's side wheel where the fender meets the plastic bumper cover, and where ALL Honda's rust. You mean I coulda got my $375 back?
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