wmahmud

Hey Guys,

I haven't seen much discussion on Rust Proofing - I have a 2009 TL I got in Sept.2009, did not do anything the first year.

I live in Toronto - so yes we get snow, slush, salt, etc. between Dec - March, should I be rust proofing every year on this car?

Or are the cars these days now good enough to go on for a good 10 years without any of this required?

I get mixed messages on all forums - thought I'd ask other TL owners their thoughts and suggestions.

And mine is in WDP - so if it did ever rust it be worse then any other colour, but it seems the TL has good strong paint compared on lower end cars.

Any help would be great

Aman

I'd look into investing in some underbody spray at least, because snowbelt regions are notorious for rust down there. In fact, you might start seeing a little bit of surface rust down there already. I don't think it'll damage anything, but it makes the car a hell of a lot harder to work on and a pain to look at while on the lift.

As far as exterior rusting, I think as long as you wash and wax regularly you should be fine. My

cjTL

iTrader: (2)

Do something on the underbody. I don't live in Canada, but we do get quite enough snow here in Indiana during the winter. My car is 5 years old and the bottom of it has so much surface rust. The break calipers and edges of the rotors have surface rust also. So imagine what your car will look like in a few years...

Don1

My wife's 2000 Honda Civic is rust free (without rust proofing) next door to you in Brampton. I usually trade my TLs within 5 years.

Kingmeow

No, no, no! Not needed unless you plan to keep your car for 20 years. Modern day cars don't need any extra rust proofing. My previous car was a '97 Maxima, driven in the NYC metro area where there's a lot of salt used. I gave it away last year and it has ZERO rust, 270k highway miles. Original exhaust (everything!) and original rotors. Don't ask me how that's possible with the rotors as I don't even believe it myself. All brake jobs was at the dealer so I'm sure they cut them each time. I also don't wash my car that often.

All that was 1997(!) technology. Think what they are doing in 2010.

jspagna1

No need for any rust proofing. It's like the old days when car dealerships always tried to sell you rust proofing. And back then the rust proofing they offered actually trapped the moisture so the car would rust.
Cars of today have so much plastic and aluminum for weight savings that they will last a lot longer. We're not talking about my Mustang (Rustang) here!

TJ Zooker

well you can get this from your local cappy tire...

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en

RadioNeal

For what it's worth: I used to work for a company in New York that marketed rust preventative to car dealers. It is a profit center for them, nothing more. Rust proofing and undercoating chemicals often cause problems, such as clogging the weep holes in rocker panels, preventing water from draining, Etc. Best way to prevent rust? Take the money that you would have wasted on rust proofing and have your car's undercarriage *Gently* washed down periodically during the winter months to flush away road salt and sand. *Never* pressure wash, just use a hose without a nozzle to flush away the contamination without forcing it deep into cracks and crevices. If you're doing it yourself, you can fabricate a wand from a bit of copper tubing to make it easy to reach the underside. If possible, avoid putting a car with slushy road crud on it in the garage without first washing the under carriage. The engine will warm the garage and the warmth melts the slush and speeds any chemical (rusting) activity. My experience with Japanese cars was that they held up very well and did not rust, even after years of exposure to the elements. --Another reason I drive one!

jspagna1

Good information, new member from Sunny Florida!

Aman

I've seen the opposite, at least when it comes to Hondas. They seem very reliable, and can run for many years. They seem to rust early, though. In fact, many original Honda owners had to retire their old cars simply because of rust buildup, nothing more.

jspagna1

I wash my cars a lot even in the winter months. Obviously I detail much more in the Summer months but in Winter months just going to the car wash and cleaning the car weekly and getting all the dirt and road salt off the car will extend the life of the body.

Mr Marco

Aman

Going to the carwash, even the touchless ones, would strip any protection you have on your paint. Just a simple rinse every now and then would do for the winter months, IMO.