Todays new cars are all rustproofed from new which I imagine is taken for granted by our younger car buyers but a lot of us on this forum remember when this was not always the case.
My first new car in 1975 was a Ford Cortina 1600XL Est.(Iloved that car, it was purple velvet in colour,cost £1950, £50 more than I had at he time until I won the £50 on "ernie"!)
Well getting back to the point,I had this car rustproofed by a rustproofing franchise called Ziebart including the fitting of Lokari wing liners, these were made of aluminium.Most cars at the time did not even have wheel arch protection.
This was not without problems as underneath the car where they did not expect anybody to look they spiked the holes in, ripping the metal in the process instead of drilling the holes as they did elsewhere and sealing them with plastic grommets.
I refused to pay claiming they had damaged my car by not drilling the holes as stated in their literature.
All the holes that were spiked developed rust in those areas.
Mal.
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I had a N reg Mini Clubman which had been treated when new with some underbody sealant - thick tarry stuff almost like bitumen
I got rid of the car when it was about ten years old - I'd gone to jack it up to change a wheel, the sealant on the outside of the sills was intact, but the sills underneath were rotted to lace.
I think the undersealant just prevented any water draining down and kept it where it would do most damage. Also (you'd think i'd learn) bought a Saab 96 treated with the same, only to find rusted gashes running the length of the passenger compartment where the passenger compartment floorpan meets the sills..
Now i'm trying to remember who i sold the car too..
I have to grow old - but I don't have to grow up
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My brother had a Cavalier SRi that had been ziebarted, it rusted everywhere it had been drilled to apply the treatment. I stick with waxoyl and only put it where access already exists.
Freight Rover vans used to have some kind of underbody wax, seemed really good - lasted well.
Steve.
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As I recall Ziebart went bust in 1982 (at least that's what I read in Auto Express a couple of months back in their "10/20/30 years ago this week..." column).
Speaking of rustproofing companies, is it still worthwhile getting this done today? I ask because my dear old mum will be in the market for a new supermini in the not-too-distant future, and will be keeping the car for 10 years or so. Her current car is a 92J Rover Metro 1.1S she's had from almost new - although it's got only 40k on the clock and is always garaged, it's beginning to get frilly around the edges and has had the rear wheelarches repaired two or three times.
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Thats because Metros are probably the most rustprone cars going!!
I wouldn't worry about a modern car at 10 years.
I notice the new Lupo is fully galvanised. Are others galvanised e.g. the Yaris?
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If dear old mum is buying a new car it will most likely have a warranty/guarantee against rusting from the inside outover and this will be invalidated if you add any more rustproofing material to it.
Mal.
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All fiats are galvanised.
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All fiats are galvanised.
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To make up for their past reputation!!!.
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Ditto all Skodas, mine has a 10-year corrosion warranty.
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Dave, there are so many diesel Skodas being used for taxis now do you think that was what Skoda had in mind when they designed and marketed it?.
They must be a real godsend for the taxi business.
And of course a damm good car for the money they are, snobbery would not cloud my eyes if I was looking for another car.
Mal.
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I had a Mini estate: bought when 5 years and 32k miles old. Waxoiled it: but sills were already rusty.. so they rusted out.. but I welded them.. lasted for 10 years from purchase and still a good runner when we sold it. (I used Lokari shields on the front wings which rusted through where the shields rubbed!)
Modern cars: I only worry about pipes and radiators. Bodies are very well protected.. But the number of 4-5 year old cars with corroded radiators.. especiialy Peugeot 106s - is amazing!
madf
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When you do an oil change, stick the old stuff in a plant sprayer and squirt it all over the underside of the car.
But do it in Tesco's car park rather than your own drive.
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Ah! The old sump oil routine! I used to do this on a regular basis. It doesn't last long, though, and I remember motoring magazines in the 70s warning you not to do this because there are harmful acids in the waste oil. You've also got to watch out for rubber bushes etc - the oil can destroy them.
Graeme (other one!)
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"But the number of 4-5 year old cars with corroded radiators.."
Indeed. The problem is (mostly) not the aluminium cores, but the steel clips used to hold the plastic end tanks on. Not only are the clips spring steel, which rust particularly well, but it is in contact with a dissimilar metal, accelerating the process still further! So much for thoughtful modern design, unless, of course, it's intentional. A good spray of the areas (but not the bit in the middle, obviously) with thinned Waxoil, or Duck oil or even old sump oil is worth doing, but only if the rot has yet to set in.
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