What have you done for rust protection?

In hidden vital areas, if electronic systems don't work then it is too late when you notice anyway. That is one reason why I don't trust it.

Application type coatings do get blasted off as you mention, but those areas are usually fairly easily treated with a spray recoat. These types often crack and allow moisture, salt water, to enter but is unseen and so the tin worm eats but isn't always seen. Some areas do benefit from a deadening protective coating.

I prefer Lanolin because when sprayed under a vehicle at all lap and spot welded areas, the Lanolin soaks into and wicks along where other sprays don't protect. Once in there it stops water entering which is a good idea. The Lanolin stays there. It is easly sprayed into chassis rails, essential to do that, if seriously interested in trying to prevent rust. With a cross drilled nozzle the chassis can be treated from end to end. Then it won't rust out from the inside like some Navaras have.

Unlike older vehicles of past eras, the modern ones don't seem to rust out and so unless the body panels are to be underwater the insides of bodywork should be ok.

I had a HJ61 LC for 25 years and Lanolin seemed ok and I couldn't find rust in it apart from some spots on the roof where paint was thin.

Electronic rust protection? Its your money, but WA gov have declared then to be a rip off. Takes a bit of evidence, or lack there of for a department to go that far. https://www.mynrma.com.au/cars-and-driving/buying-a-car/features/shonky-rust-reduction-devices-debunked

Most move their vehicle on before the tin worm rears its head, so can't really comment on if they work or not. I had a 1980 Sigma that had no visiable rust at the 10 year mark. Wish I could say the same at 12 years.

I went chemical, can't beat grease. Rust forms where there are moisture traps. Modern vehicle design and coatings have eliminated most of them, but someone with greasy/waxy concoction and a gun to spray it into the nooks and crannies is the way to go.

I did mine myself as I couldn't find a professional that was still applying the proper gear as those selling the box with a flashing LED had put them out of business. I had access to a supply of corrosion preventative and a degreaser gun to fog it through the cavities.

I treated a Sierra I bought new in 95. Got Facebook stalked by the woman that has it now. No rust, so Tectyl must work.

I also work on aircraft. On a $50mil aircraft the corrosion protection is tectyl, wax spray, wd40, grease, keeping the paint in good condition and washing it regularly. No electronic Hocus Pocus, just protecting the metal from moisture and electrolytes.

arod how long will you be roughly keeping the new vehicle would determine on what you may want to do. If you trade them in every few yrs don't waste money on rustproofing even if you keep it for 10yrs you still shouldn't see any signs of rust. My old GQ was 20yrs old before if started to get some spots of rust so a new vehicle with todays tech shouldn't really need any thing but definitely don't spend money on electronic ones because they don't work on cars and have been in trouble since the mid 90's in America for false claims. As mentioned if you need something stick with the old gear that has been proven over time to help like lanolin, fish oil tectyl etc something that creates a visible barrier not an imaginary electronic one. Still can't believe their allowed to sell them a work mate was unfortunately conned into getting one fitted to a new vehicle this yr such a waste of money.

We use tectyl thinned with kero through a low pressure gun for chassis, under body (don’t get it on the exhaust) and trailers. On the outside the towbars, bullbars and bright work gets a spray of penetrol to keep it shiny and rust free. We spray lanolin on the suspension and all rubber bushes to keep the old salt water rubber squeaks at bay. I also concur that electronic pseudo cathodic protection cannot work unless you keep you car in a bucket of water.

Try and find an electronic system backed up with actual scientific testing.

Modern vehicle don't corrode anything like the vehicles of 30 years ago.

Vastly improved panel treatment, enlarged drain holes and the removal of blind hole "traps" in the build, have ensured corrosion problems are minimal today.

The greatest source of corrosion potential today is surface corrosion in thin paints, and water-based paints.
The water-based paints are crap, they turn to chalk with age.

What governs a vehicles life today is electrics, wiring and electronics - and cooling system corrosion.

Vehicles of today die an electronic death around 20-25 years on average, as once your vehicle develops a major electronic fault at 20 years of age, it's off to the scrapper.

What amazes me also is the number of people who worry about body and panel corrosion - yet who let their cooling system deteriorate to the point, where they end up with a major cooling system fault, through metal corrosion.

Cheers, Ron.

Sell it and buy a new one or ignore it till it's falling apart and then get another one.
It's a 4wd not a fashion statement.

Hi
Another option is "do nothing" in terms of application; But just be sure to high pressure wash after beach driving.

It is a serious option; electric proofing may or may not be effective, and applications may even trap sand in nooks and crannies.

I believe to keep the underside free of any application, and then simply wash thoroughly. As said before, modern cars will die due to other reasons well before rust will become a factor.

I have done this with all my cars with several beach and salt environment holidays (Qld coast, Fraser Isle, northern West Coast), and kept them between 10 and 14 years, and rust did not show on any of them.

HI
Experience with Tectyl
First spoke to importers and there are far far better products produced by Tectyl but are not imported to OZZY .
Tectyl is a soft setting light duty coating more suited to tool packaging . There are more durable wax type coatings on the market . Tectyl comes of with wax and grease remover easily and is 100% gone once a pressure washer is used . The wax imported cars used to come in to OZZY was tough requiring a number of wax remover coatings followed by pressure cleaner.

Many rust preventer products also only come in 200lts

Fuchs oils do a big range although never tried .

An alternative "treatment" not mentioned by others is to move away from the coast. In a drier climate, there'd be 30+ years protection in the original coating used by manufacturers, so no treatment needed.
Also, continued polishing of the duco removes some of the protective coating, exposing the undercoats to the elements, washing and polishing is a highly over-rated pastime by people without enough to do (putting on foil hat and hiding!)

My old FJ40 I had in the 80s was a rust bucket. Every 4X4 I have had since then has not shown any signs of rust. The manufacturing methods have improved and modern 4X4s are rust resistant. In other words I wouldn't bother with rust proofing unless you drive your 4X4 into the sea. Even then if you immediately give it a good wash underneath you should be okay.

From my personal experience...
For underbody treatment a good quality body deadener thinned down with either thinners, ensis fluid or WD lube (I havn't used fish oil with this as yet) and sprayed on thin to penetrate the fine spaces. Then a second thick coat on top will last a considerable time. It will wear off in some exposed places but most areas will be fine.
For long term protection - if the vehicle is a keeper... my answer ONLY really applies if you are restoring and keeping one of the classic bullet proof (ie non throwaway) 4X4s.For inside body panels. Use an air splatter gun using Tectyl thinned down with Ensis fluid (penetrating fluid - was a Shell product) this was an original formula once used by many Qld rustproofers. It takes a lot of dedication to get into all the cavities but there are plenty of access points in most vehicles.

Doing the inside/underbody panels properly is a big messy job to do yourself. You will need personal protective gear. Preferably a respirator (rather than just a dust mask), eye protection and overalls.
There is really no easy way to do it properly.
I realised I would be keeping my GQ Patrol for many years (due to its field servicability and mechanical specifics which appealed to me) I rustproofed this vehicle thoroughly back in 2001. It has been a Qld vehicle most of its life - so lots of rain/humidity and has seen a lot of beach and deep river crossing work over the years. After 27 years (Yes! the GQs are now that old) bottom of doors and lower panels are fine, only has minor spot rust on stone chips and recently removed some rust from roof gutter and around rear door window seals and found areas where the rust was - had been missed in my original application due to lack of access up that high in the rear doors. The other hard to get to area is the inside roof perimeter behind the roof liner - condensation accumulates on roof and drains down to the edges. The easiest solution is a series of tiny holes in the roof liner and a thin nozzle to insert - dare I say it fish oil - the smell does go after a few days but the protection will last quite a while. Periodic use of fish oil inside wheel arches/flairs will help keep them in good condition.
Not necessary for everyone but these methods actually work.

One product I've had good rust protection success with (and the principle behind it is proven), is Exit-Rust.

The principle behind Exit-Rust is the chemical reaction between Iron Tannate and Magnetite, whereby these chemical compounds are involved in chelation (pronounced "kel-lation") of the rust.

Chelation is a process involving organic chemistry whereby a chemical compound reacts with iron compounds, to bond with the iron compounds and convert them into a stable compound that forms a barrier to corrosion. The organic chemicals involved are called Ligands.

You can see this reaction occurring naturally from sap from trees that contain a high level of tannins.
Poplar trees are noted for their high tannin content, and their tannins leaching into water bodies such as lakes and ponds, produce naturally-occurring, rust-reducing bodies of water.

You might have seen the totally-submerged WW2 Russian tank dragged from a poplar-lined pond in Eastern Europe, around the early 2000's.
It was amazingly corrosion-free, despite being sunk in the pond since 1945, and the tannins from the poplar trees were the reason for that.



Exit-Rust can be brushed on or sprayed on, or you can dip your item in it.
It forms the classic blue-black iron tannate coating that acts to prevent corrosion.

I've done the inside of the chassis box-section on a Series 3 Landrover wagon in 1995, and the chassis is still rust-free today.
As most of you would probably know, corrosion inside the box-section chassis of Landrovers is a major problem in the old Landies.

Cheers, Ron.