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It's cheaper to buy a galanised and properly built car than any of that cheap German rubbish GB drives - and a lot less messy.
:-)
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It's cheaper to buy a galanised and properly built car than any of that cheap German rubbish GB drives - and a lot less messy.
:-)
I'll have you know that cheap German rubbish needs regular TLC at my indy so...er where was i going with that..oh i know, it's definately not cheap to own.
Edited by gordonbennet on 26/04/2015 at 18:30
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So, what do you drive - Subaru? :-)
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I don't think it's something I'd want to be doing for a living, sorry ORB.
Sobs.. My moggy needs tlc and I,m even more old and decrepit than she is.
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I don't think it's something I'd want to be doing for a living, sorry ORB.
What's wrong with you? Just stick yourself in a bath of turps at the end of the day to get rid of the residue, and you'll be right as rain.
My Australian work mate said that back at home they used to use fish oil as a cheap alternative :)
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I don't think it's something I'd want to be doing for a living, sorry ORB.
What's wrong with you? Just stick yourself in a bath of turps at the end of the day to get rid of the residue, and you'll be right as rain.
My Australian work mate said that back at home they used to use fish oil as a cheap alternative :)
I have heard of them using fishoilene in Oz but, never seen any for sale here in the UK.
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I have heard of them using fishoilene in Oz but, never seen any for sale here in the UK.
What do they smell like going doen the road on a hot day.?
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You could try it on your moggy ORB. What type and age of moggy is it? The only one I'd really like is a very early low light one.
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ORB it's easier than you think, if you spent some extra dosh on BH's aerosols of underbody and cavity waxes, with a bit of sensible wire brushing and cleaning down before application, you might be surprised what a good job you can make over a sunny weekend.
Wackyracer is doing some sensible cost cutting by spraying on the bulk bought packs, and i don't blame him, but even if you go way overboard on prep and painting of the most obvious rusting parts (subframes on Subaru, rear live axle and chassis welds on Landcruisers...everything in sight on Landrovers) and buy BH's aerosols you will still have fully and effectively rustproofed as well as the pros for around a third of the price they would charge...the probes and sprays are so far advanced and effective compared to Waxoyl's nail jammed in the end of a pipe (i'm deadly serious thats exactly what their applicator probe is) that they are incomparable.
I'm not in the first flush of youth either, many years bent over bonnets in all weathers and pounding up and down car transporter decks now see me not up to the jobs i once was.
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I forgot to ask how the Toyota's rustproofing is going GB.
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Haven't started yet, got another week off next month, so weather permitting.
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GB
When I said decrepit I meant it..
Bad fall sking in Zernatt on ice in summer many years ago, over the top of a horse at speed the following year, cycling, motorcycling, dinghy sailing, fell running, and long distance walking have taken their toll, but it has been fun,
Now you know why i want a comfy car...
maybe it's me that needs rustproofing, but a moderate glass of a nice malt helps.
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I heard on the radio a guy from a major car airo dynamics design company and his view is that under seal is minimal on all car these days. Relying on the Zinc coating which of course is total depleted in a few years.
Wax is good, bit I have heard of ppl using silicon spray that works really well too.
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You made be feel guilty WR, and i'm a glutton for punishment, still have 3 large cavity wax aerosols in the garage, so just ordered another couple of those and 6 x 750ml underbody wax canisters of BH's finest UB compound from Bilt Hamber's website.
Week off next week so, weather permitting, a full underbody wire brushing/sanding (got some wire wheels for my angle grinder), then treat the rear live axle and chassis seams with S80 rust converter, then paint the exposed areas with epoxy 2 pack, then a final serious covering both internal and external chassis and underbody with the specific cavity and underbody waxes...thats how i did the subframes on the Scooby and its looking good down there.
Fortunately the Landcruiser 90 series bodies are not susceptible to corrosion being comprehensively treated at production and they are high off the ground, but i'll blast some cavity wax in the lower sections, particularly inside the body sills.
Me back's not really up to it so reckon i'll be feeling like ORB by the end of the week, be glad to get back to work for a rest..:-)
Thats the plan, so guaranteed it'll rain all week.
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I'm sure you'll do a good job GB. I did use a cup brush on the angle grinder to clean up the suspension and the spare wheel rack before priming and painting it.
The UB wax has now dried just a bit tacky to the touch.
I'm going to be waiting until the warmer weather to do the other car.
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OK, the job is done on the 95 series Landcruiser...known in UK as Colorado, rest of the world Prado.
Took me around 12 hours work, and it covered quicker than i expected, the high ground clearance plus putting one end on ramps then the other meant it was almost as good as being on a lift...i didn't fancy lifting the whole thing removing all wheels and blocking it up (we me underneath for hours), so did one end at a time for safety, only removing the wheels a pair at a time to finish off round the suspension and inner arches.
Hammerite blacked the under engine protection plate.
Useful opportunity to bleed the brakes through too with SWMBO doing the footwork.
It's near enough touch dry now underbody, and i've actually polished it too, so she's looking her best in fetching dark green and feeling cared for now, funny how motors that get regular TLC seem to wag their tails and run all the better for it...that's been my experience with lorries too over nearly 40 years, care and mechanical sympathy pays.
Cost me about £200 altogther in materials (bought 12 750 ml cans of UB wax and used the lot), i've probably done it nearly as well as the pros, but you can see why they charge £450+ for doing a motor that size.
As you will have noticed when doing yours WR the whole vehicle is quieter now.
Yet again the Bilt Hamber aerosols proved trouble free, no blockages and as usual they provided enough long probes and medium spray extensions to do the job thoroughly, the probes proved excellent for coating the inside of the ladder chassis with cavity waxes, and just right for putting a generous squirt into the body sills.
Edited by gordonbennet on 16/05/2015 at 17:13
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Great job gb. The pro's charge a lot for doing the same but it must be a lot easier with a four post lift.
Short of using an endoscope, how do you know that the wax has got to where it needs to go in the chassis cavities? I suppose that you must test the nozzle first to see how well it sprays.
I think that Dinitrol is superior to Waxoyl - it's lasted a lot longer on the bits I've done with it, and the can I have is years old. I will have to give Bilt Hamber a try next time I get underneath.
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Short of using an endoscope, how do you know that the wax has got to where it needs to go in the chassis cavities? I suppose that you must test the nozzle first to see how well it sprays.
I think that Dinitrol is superior to Waxoyl - it's lasted a lot longer on the bits I've done with it, and the can I have is years old. I will have to give Bilt Hamber a try next time I get underneath.
By sound basically, yes testing the spray from the probe proves a good spray pattern, you can hear where the spray is inside the chassis and sills, and see the mist and sometimes a squirt appear out of any holes as it passes by, i gave a couple of passes each time with the probe at a different angle to be sure...obviously warmer weather helps.
The chassis is dotted with holes and cut outs, so often covered the same section from a different direction, in some sections the chassis is double skinned...giving some clue why the 70 series we had before didn't flinch when SWMBO took out some railings/armco complete with concrete blocks from underneath, and then reversed out through the debris.
There's a round cross member linking both sides of the chassis thats hollow just in front of and above the rear wheels, so it was interesting to watch the spray silhouetted aginst the light from the other end.
On a really hot day when i've got nothing to do i might just shove another couple of cans of cavity wax through the chassis, just in case.
I've never tried Dinitrol, the ease of application of BH's products and the coverage has converted me.
If i was ten years younger i'd invest in a scissor lift for all my cars work, but somehow i can't see me doing these jobs in another ten years.
I'll have to pressure wash the block paving again..oops..but at least it won't rust, and the k****** isn't messed up by me heating up cans of waxoyl any more in boiling water in the Mrs' best large saucepans...never complains she's a diamond..:-)
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I'm sure you did a job as good (if not better) than the pros GB. You were luckier than me in that you had a vehicle with better ground clearance. I also did it one end at a time by getting it high up on tall axle stands and removing the wheels a pair at a time.
When I do the other car I'm going to put it on ramps at the front and get it level with axle stands at the rear. That way I should be able to do the whole underside in one go and then I can do the front wheel arches later on their own.
I even thought of taking the whole exhaust off to save masking it up but, then I know I'll end up cleaning it all up and painting it while it's off. I always tend to find many extra things to do whenever I do any work on my own cars.
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gb, you're the rustproofing guru, how about the best way to do the brake pipes that run along the chassis? And best stuff to use?
Every year I rustproof them (after learning the hard way) where they come out from underneath the chassis and join to the flexible pipe - the bracket is bare metal and a potential rust trap.
They seem to be mostly plastic coated apart from these areas, so is it worth it, the worst areas for the plastic splitting being where it forms a bend.
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gb, you're the rustproofing guru, how about the best way to do the brake pipes that run along the chassis? And best stuff to use?
Guru my foot.
For brake pipes i reckon you can do worse than Castrol CL waterproof grease, our old mate and much missed mate Oilrag of this parish was a fan and put me onto the stuff, it does coat brake pipes very well, can work it under any clips, easy recoat if it's looking thin but is very weatherproof, and you can always give it a blast of brake cleaner to shift it if you need to get to the pipe joints for any reason.
I paint it on with a 1" brush.
There are some pipes on the Merc that go right over the rear subframe, are known to be a nightmare to change (talk of dropping subframe on forums, yuk), impossible to paint grease on so i always give those a blast with aerosol grease whenever i have need to remove the back wheels, wet weather abrasion isn't a problem there so any aerosol grease, even chain lube, will help.
Anything oily/greasy is better than nothing.
Expat, 25 years is good going (nope 35 years, excellent, no computers and minimal electronics to go wrong on the car too, envious), do they use salt in the winters where you are, that's what makes our cars rust...though bone idle owners with presumably too much money could mitigate much of that if they bothered to wash the muck off underneath now and again.
Edited by gordonbennet on 30/05/2015 at 17:02
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I paint it on with a 1" brush.
Yes, thats probably the best way - it's hard to get the aerosol can in the right position to spray some of the pipes properly, but useful when you can't get your hand in some areas.
Thanks.
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When I fishoiled the Holden many years ago it smelt like a prawn trawler for about a week but after that it was ok. I got 25 years out that car with no body rust and it is still going ok with the new owner ten years on so I reckon fish oil is the goods. Mind you we get a lot less rain out here but cars still rust eventually.
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>>do they use salt in the winters where you are, that's what makes our cars rust...
No salt on the roads here in the West. We never see any snow or ice. It might go down to about 0'C overnight in mid winter. That is the worst we get. Not much rain either where I am.
They might use salt in the East. Perhaps in the mountains of Victoria where they have skiing in the winter.
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No salt on the roads here in the West. We never see any snow or ice. It might go down to about 0'C overnight in mid winter. That is the worst we get. Not much rain either where I am.
I'll bet those used Japanese imports you get by the boatload last for ever with that climate and no salt.
Our politicians (and German car makers) would need therapy if cars lasted that long here.
Is there still Brit type attitude about marques and having a new car (by necessity with some makes) when the warranty expires or are people a bit more laid back about such things, less company/lease car mentality? I ask because i know Australians tend to have a more common sense attitude to servicing (most other things come to mention it), which at least with Toyota is reflected in the service regime the maker specifies, if cars don't rust away in 10/15 years then it would make sense to maintain for long life too.
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No salt on the roads here in the West. We never see any snow or ice. It might go down to about 0'C overnight in mid winter. That is the worst we get. Not much rain either where I am.
I'll bet those used Japanese imports you get by the boatload last for ever with that climate and no salt.
Our politicians (and German car makers) would need therapy if cars lasted that long here.
Is there still Brit type attitude about marques and having a new car (by necessity with some makes) when the warranty expires or are people a bit more laid back about such things, less company/lease car mentality? I ask because i know Australians tend to have a more common sense attitude to servicing (most other things come to mention it), which at least with Toyota is reflected in the service regime the maker specifies, if cars don't rust away in 10/15 years then it would make sense to maintain for long life too.
Jap used imports finished up about twenty years ago. The politicians changed the rules to make it not worth while after you had jumped through all the hoops they put in place.
Most people around here seem to keep cars about ten years or so. Changing them every three years is a UK thing probably based on social perceptions of status. Company cars are not common. My philosophy is keep them till expensive things start going wrong or when you feel you can't depend on them for a long trip. As for what the neighbours think - that is their problem not mine. The same goes for white vans in the drive way. I see them as the mark of a respectable working tradesman and a badge of honour. The problem suburbs are ones where nobody is working.
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Thanks Expat, concur with your outlook, all three of our cars are the oldest hereabouts apart from a lovely Toyota Starlet just round the corner...which i'll buy should i find the lady wants to sell.
We run older cars, we buy as well looked after as possible when the right car comes along, then because of the UK's salt fetish some serious rustproofing gets done then we run them as long as possible.
Sad the used Japanese market has been 'politicianed' ( i understand NZ still buy lots) that possibly explains why there are so many for sale on the Trade Car View site, somewhere i may well source a specific vehicle i want in another couple of years...always assuming the government, or the one who's tune they and we dance to in Brussels, doesn't ban it.
We've returned to Japanese cars, after many years running mainly Merc W124's only one of which we still have, it's been a pleasure to work on cars designed to last and be worked on and fixed in the field again quite apart from the engineering of the marques involved.
The 3 year UK change isn't just for image/status, the massive shift to Diesel has in recent years caused huge expense to many owners after warranty (not long after for some) due to poor design, possibly combined with use the designs can't cope with...the howler in all this is that somehow the buyers are being at least partly blamed (by other buyers as well hows that for successful propaganda) for not using the vehicles ''correctly''...when it's poor designs and implimentation of unrealistic emission targets that is the problem, not helped by buyers falling for the frankly idiotic long life service regimes.
Edited by gordonbennet on 01/06/2015 at 08:41
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>>the massive shift to Diesel has in recent years caused huge expense to many owners after warranty
Diesel hasn't really taken off in Australia despite being pushed by the motoring journalists. The fuel costs 20 cents a litre more than unleaded petrol which undermines the economy argument. I have a 2003 Ford Falcon station wagon with the 4lt 6 cylinder motor, which I bought 10 years ago and drives beautifully. For long country roads you can't beat a big car with a big engine for comfort and easy cruising. I converted it to LPG when I bought it and gas costs me 68 cents a litre. That means it costs less to run than a Corolla and it is even low emission also. I have had no problems with the LPG and it was one of the best things I ever did.
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Diesel hasn't really taken off in Australia despite being pushed by the motoring journalists.
I have had no problems with the LPG and it was one of the best things I ever did.
Aussies not doing as they're told, good for them :-)
Likewise, we have the W124 and a Subaru Outback H6 on LPG, agree with you best thing we ever did even though they were both old cars when converted, half the price of petrol currently and in some places, unfortunately not close enough to use regularly, quite a bit below that, no running issues at all from either.
Am still unsure whether to convert the (as you will know it) 95 series Prado, Prado (Landcruiser Colorado) doesn't lend itself to straighforward conversion (unlike 80 and 100 series Amazon) unless you're prepared to have the tank inside the boot, the existing fuel tank sits tight in front of the rear bumper so a good conversion wihtout eating into the boot space means replacing the existing 90 litre petrol tank with a 25 litre jobbie and mounting a barrel LPG tank in beside it....that's going to be an expensive conversion on a already 15 year old vehicle.
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I finally gave the car the full Bilt Hamber treatment, Dynax S50 in all cavities and 2 good coats of Dynax UB on the underside and in wheel arches.
Probably imagining it but, it seems a bit quieter than before. I've used approx 4 litres of UB and 2.5 litres of S50. The stuff sprayed wonderfully in the SG18 gun after being warmed for some time in a bucket of hot water. I thinned the S50 with a little white spirit with the hope it would 'creep' a bit better in the cavities.
I was so impressed by the Bilt hamber stuff that I bought a tin of their Auto Balm to give the paint work some protection ready for the winter.
Many thanks for the recommendation GB, I really appreciate it.
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When I bought the fabia estate to add to our fleet, it was still summer. I decided to strip off the alloy wheels to paint the rear drums, and then in a fit of OCD decided to go a lot further. As the suspension was still factory fresh, I could see the welds were poorly painted and generally everything very thinly coated. The exhaust rear box was already rust stained. As I know from experience, all vag cars rapidly end up with shabby rusty suspension and brake work, not covered under warranty.
So I spent an afternoon with a can of black industrial spray paint from toolstation (about £3) and sprayed over everything that was easy to get at and several times over welds etc. With it being black, it looked as good as a factory finish. I also sprayed copius amounts of MO2 penetrating oil on the exhaust system and wiped it thoroughly to get it back to shiny shiny.
Next day, was the turn of the silicone spray, obviously taking care to avoid discs or places that could contaminate discs from run off etc. I also sprayed the insides of the alloys, the plastic liners, and various underbody bits including bolt heads etc. ( but NOT wheel bolts). Also plastic front grillwork and engine compartment plastic bits. Wiping to polish and remove excess, you soon feel how slippy the surfaces becomes
35000 miles later, the suspension, though not perfect, is a lot cleaner and tidier than our other untreated fabia. The silicone spray, stops a lot of mud/dirt sticking, so wheels/liners etc stay cleaner longer and wash off very easily. Probably need to reapply soon.
I love silicone spray. Not suitable for everywhere but less messy than wax to which dirt/mud readily sticks.
Edited by brum on 24/10/2015 at 14:14
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I've said it before-dilute Waxoil with white spirit till it can be sprayed in a paraffin gun-the disavantage is the time you need to allow the white spirit to evaporate.
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I finally gave the car the full Bilt Hamber treatment, Dynax S50 in all cavities and 2 good coats of Dynax UB on the underside and in wheel arches.
Well done and not a moment too soon before winter, see you'll all end up as daft as me yet.:-)
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The UB wax has another use, it has incriminated the MOT man. When I took a look underneath after taking it for the MOT, there are 2 impressions of the jack pads they use for raising the car for testing wheel bearing etc.
The irritating thing is, these marks are on a part of the car floor which is not a jacking point and is not strong enough to be jacked on either. Last year I questioned why it was bent and was told they didn't do it. Obviously they did this year.. can I be bothered to go back and argue though?
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