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From: gvcormack@watdaisy.UUCP (Gordon V. Cormack)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: rustproofing-undercoating-paint sealant-should i?
Message-ID: <7279@watdaisy.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 25-May-85 00:18:08 EDT
Article-I.D.: watdaisy.7279
Posted: Sat May 25 00:18:08 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 25-May-85 09:12:25 EDT
References: <1183@phoenix.UUCP>
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 35

> i can have rustproofing and undercoating done by the dealer (toyota)
> for $189.  or i can go out to ziebart or some such place and have it
> done there (i haven't got a price from them yet).
> 
> any recommendations?

Permanent rustproofing is useless (sometimes it contributes to rust).
Have your rocker panels, doors, etc. drilled and sprayed with oil
EVERY year.  Here in Waterloo, this costs $20 CDN and $5 extra for
the initial drilling.

There are a number of high-priced brand-name companies that do 
essentially the same thing for 3 or 4 times the price.  In my
opinion, the best of these is Rust Check, as their "oil" does not
seem to make as much mess as regular crankcase oil.  Also, they
give a 1 year warranty with each treatment renewable ad infinitum
with annual treatments.

A quick rationale is in order.  Rust always forms in seams and enclosed
areas that stay damp.  Oil must be thin enough to creep into the 
same places that water would.  The oil gets there first and repels
the water.  Any oil thin enough to do the job will evaporate/run off/
get washed off in the summer, and so needs to be re-applied.

Solid and tarry compounds are awful because they form a "skin" on
the metal.  Eventually, water will get under the skin and will be
trapped there.  Hence such treatments can easily be worse than
nothing.

In conclusion, if you oil your car every year, the body should last
essentially forever.  Even if your car is not new, oiling it will
stop any rust in its tracks.
-- 
Gordon V. Cormack      CS Department, University of Waterloo
   gvcormack@watdaisy.uucp     gvcormack%watdaisy@waterloo.csnet