Salt belt... Rust proofing?

[Techmonkey]

This is my first brand new car. I live in the Chicago area. Within a couple of months the roads will be thick with salt. Ideally, I'd like to keep the car as nice as possible. This includes the undercarriage. I know most cars are rustproof from the manufacturers nowadays, but I'm curious if there's benefit to 3rd party rustproofing applications. When the warranty is up in a few years, it's be nice to to work on a car with an undercarriage that doesn't look like it spent a few years on the bottom of the ocean. (i.e. all my previous cars I've worked on)

 

[RedrumRH]

Nooo!!

Don't do 3rd party coating. The factory process is very good and all 3rd party process will do is allow dirt grime salt etc to get trapped between the undercarriage and the extra 3rd party coat.

 

[Mr.Alex]

I was going to put it on a lift and throw a rubberized coating.

 

[jasonweremy]

I would suggest to wash your car every so often and that will clear the salt off. Like others posted not to put any 3rd party protection on it. It's not worth it, you're wasting your money.

 

[Bender1]

Wash your car FREQUENTLY in the winter!

Let it dry in doors if possible.

 

[jasonweremy]

Wash your car FREQUENTLY in the winter!

Let it dry in doors if possible.

If you're worried about this you could always go to...oh can't believe I am going to type this...touchless carwash lol...DON'T FLAME FOR THAT LOL. It's just a suggestion though.

 

[plat]

Wash your car FREQUENTLY in the winter!

Let it dry in doors if possible.

And, make sure the wheel wells and the perimeter undercarriage gets a good blast or spray of water. This minimizes the roadsalts that tend to accumulate underneath the chassis. After winter, take it to a detailer and have them give the underchassis a nice cleaning.

 

[Keithuk]

The best rust preventative you can apply is old engine oil. I've always sprayed all my cars with it. Its not that good under the wheel arches as it can get washed of slowly with road water so I use a waxoil under there. Over the years you may get the odd rust patch occuring around the edges but under the car will be sound as a pound. Oil is very searching so it will find its own path into hard to get places the nooks and crannies. A good oil spray just before winter will last for 12 months easily.

 

[formul8]

Don't waste your money. The factory gives a 12yr perforation warranty anyways.

 

[pvivino]

I had rust at the bottom edge of the front fenders just at the top of the arch on my 2000 Jetta. It took 8-9 years and 200k miles to show up. When i traded it in they replaced the 2 fenders before re-selling it. My wife's 2001 Cabrio has a little bit of rust just showing at the rear edge of the front fender. We get heavy salt where I live because of frequent icing conditions. I am also near the ocean which I think speeds the rust process.

Overall my VW's rust much less than my GMC trucks. My old 1986 Alfa GTV6 almost dissolved in New England salt after a few winters.

I don't think any aftermarket product helps. If I knew of something that worked, I would put it on my next truck frame, but I wouldn't use it on the GTI

 

[Tailwagger]

I'd suggest that you have someone put your car up on a lift and take a look. The factory did a pretty good job on the undercarriage. Lots of nice aluminum pieces. You really, really, really dont want to spray crap all over it.

 

[Mr.Alex]

^Reasoning?

 

[J-Cooz]

As others have said, I wouldn't do it. Oil sprays are messy. Just power wash frequently in the winter.

 

[grambles423]

12 Year/Unlimited mile rust warranty :thumbsup:

 

[koolgreen]

Don't waste your money. The factory gives a 12yr perforation warranty anyways.

Has anyone ever taken vw up on this?
and if so, how bad does it have to be to get it fixed by them?
When I hear perforation, does that mean the rust has to burn a hole right through the panel before they will fix it??

I have some surface rust and they weren't willing to fix it..