Cosmoline?

You may want to look into waxy oils, like 3M's Sealwax or Finnegan's Waxoyl, which are sprayed into body panels at the factory to prevent rust. Some cars have it in the lower 6" of the door interiors. Another thing that helps stop corrosion is cold galvanizing spray, which is at least 90% zinc powder. It seems to work even when applied over paint.

Then there's this, in a spray can:

Chain Wax

Chain and Cable Lube

Contains no CFC's!

Maxima Chain Wax is a superior power spray lubricant designed for all chain care needs. It?s special ParaFilm? formula creates a waxy film similar to Cosmoline, offering long term protection especially in water and high humidity environments. Maxima Chain Wax is formulated with heavy duty, anti-wear, and extreme pressure additives that provide superior lubrication for all chains, cables, and sprockets. Maxima Chain Wax penetrates deeply, lubricating non accessible areas, reducing chain stretch and wear. Chain Wax is simply the best choice for all chain and cable care needs.

I'm not sure if the stuff on the cars was actually Cosmoline, but it was very similar, with a waxy-greasy texture. I remember giving a tour of the port facility to the then-chairman after he had signed the NUMMI agreement, and he wanted to see the "de-waxing" operation. As the only Japanese-speaking employee in northern CA, I didn't have someone to translate for me and it took me a moment to figure out that he wanted to see our special car wash that used kerosene instead of soap to remove the cosmoline.

TeGGer swears by Rust-Check or Kronos, sold in Canada, and he tends to be right a lot more than he is wrong.

Officially, Toyota recommends not applying any additional rust-proofing, and to be honest, most of the rust I had to look at were right around the holes that were drilled by places like Ziebart.

The cars seem to be a lot more rust-proof lately, our '97 Avalon does not have any exterior rust, even though it has been to the body shop 3 times and has not been waxed since I took delivery 10 years ago.

As a happy medium, perhaps you want to apply Cosmoline or some other rust-preventative along seams where panels are hemmed and welded. Do not apply to any surface that is damp or you'll just trap the moisture. Keep away from seat belts and wiring harnesses, especially connectors. Avoid any stuff that is tarry or rubbery. Tegger likes stuff that is drippy, I respect his judgment, or else use something that is waxy, or be lazy like me and do nothing and still not have rust 10 years later.

I found the Waxoyl while looking up 'rustproof', and found a Waxoyl dealer about 30 miles from my home.

Thanks for the tip on Sealwax, I'll have to look that up. Since it's 3M, I can probably order it locally.

Ands just what you and Ray described, 6" of the lower door interiors and seams and weld points.

Thanks for the tips!

My thought is, I'm glad I don't live in that part of the country where I have to worry about such things.

LOL....me too.

My trips into that country as short and few....

It is BEAUTIFUL in Florida now and all year...

I knew a mecahnic (er, Technician) who was from N.C. He moved up here because his wife was from here. After three years he moved back to N.C. His boss said he just couldn't stand working on Rust Buckets anymore!

It is a big deal here. I don't know if this car was parked on the coast or driven on the beach, because corrosion has started ALREADY, and it looks like Salt Water. I'm going to have to get some of that GM stuff and spray all the bolts on the car!

Believe it or not, I made it thru the summer with NO AIR!

The fact that I have a pool helped a lot.

It can be done, and it really was not too bad....

Once they started using galvanized steel, it seems that most of the problems were solved.

A 10 year old car in my area used to be Swiss cheese. Now, my wife's '94 is just starting to show some rust bubbling up the paint around the wheel wells. My '98 has no visible rust damage at all.

I know people that have their cars sprayed with used oil every Fall. They swear by it.

Toyota uses stuff called gavannealed (SP?) steel. Galvanized steel would have a flaky finish like a galvanized bucket.

I've seen used motor oil and used ATF. Motor oil is more likely to ruin rubber gaskets so ATF was slightly more popular in New England. You could tell which cars had that stuff sprayed because it would drip out and stain the paint.

An aside, which I am known for, about Cosmoline.

I became heir to a Remington-Rand .45 1911A1 a few years ago. Been in the family since late 50's maybe early 60s. A DCM 12.50 gun! It was wrapped in an oily rag and slide was stuck. Looked rust free so I "WD'd" it and let it soak. Loosened in minutes - stripped it and there was good quanity of cosmoline around recoil spring. I used acetone (I think) to cut it. Oiled it up and it shoots fine. Oh yea, made in 1943 and appears to been fired little and all is original (some shiney holster wear). But cosmoline was still viable but gooey after at least 40 years and possibly more.

Ron (not from California today cause of the stupid ass gun laws).

Used oil can be corrosive! I have my car sprayed with new hydraulic oil, but it's messy! I had the LHS done 2 years ago, and it still drips from the door handle!

That's why I asked about Cosmoline, because it's like Waxoyl, and actually a lot like petroleum jelly. It will stick where you brush it, but it does run at 135 degrees F, so hot summer days will make it melt.

LOL! See my reply to Stuart! On a WHITE LHS, no less!

But that car came from GA, and didn't even see a NE Winter, so when I got it I had it oiled thoroughly! Always looked dirty...

When I first moved to New England, it took me a while to figure out why country cars had stuff dripping from them, while it wasn't so common in Boston. Way different from Sunny CA, where even gang bangers keep their cars polished and waxed to a high sheen!

I was thinking today, with the cxars I *like* toi drive, I need to live in CA or AZ...

Ya, I'm near Los Angeles and none of my 30+ years worth of cars had any rust problems. When it does rain though look out. Rain can lift oils back out of roads and be like black ice.

I had a car done with Waxoyl and it rusted just like any other car.

Consumers Reports used to recommend against undercoating. They had found that it just cost you money and didn't really protect your car.

I can say that Cosmoline remains sticky for over 50 years, so maybe it would work better than some other things. :-)

Speaking of that kind of thing...

When I was recently in Vegas I kept seeing guys having their tennis shoes done at the shoeshine stands.

It seemed really strange because when I was a kid and you got new tennis shoes, the first thing you did was get them dirty. All of your friends would come over and step on them and get dirt on them.

I even have a pair of dirty white bucks somewhere that came "pre-dirtied." (I got them for $5 at a surplus place and wear them occasionally on Halloween along with other '50s style clothing.) :-)

My 1985 Celica was oiled with hydraulic oil every year for the 5 years the original owner had it. He did it himself with a compressor and a sandblasting gun. It didn't start to rust until I parked it last year on the grass...

The reason I want to use Cosmoline or Waxoyl is that I can do it myself in the areas I know the car is going to rust, and then do it again every year I own the car. Most of what your paying for by having it done is Warranty, labor and 'expertise'.

Since I know Toyotas and where they rust, I can pay particular attention to those areas, and 'touch up' every year or two.

But then again the gu that oiled my LHS only charges $50, and LOADS the car with oil! Sprays everything. He's a mechanic to boot, so he sprays all the bolts, nuts, etc to keep them from corroding. The only problem is, it's a MESS! Two years later my White LHS still had 'shadows' on it, even with regular washing!