So I have a brand new (4 month old) Scion tC. Here in this part of Ontario, Canada the roads are very bad in terms of salt and rust.
I know the rust modules have gaurantees and will give you money back if your car produces any rust over a given amount of time but i've never tried one and it seems like a gimmick.
Oil sprays work and not work in my opinion. All you are doing is caking on oil and hoping for the best. It also creates a gross mess in the engine bay.
What do you guys think?
Being in the south, I'm not familiar with rust modules. i have seen a setup on bridges that used a large mass of a metal that is more corrosive than steel as a sacrificial annode (or cathode, can't remember) so it rusts instead of the bridge. Is it something similar?
ultraclyde wrote: Being in the south, I'm not familiar with rust modules. i have seen a setup on bridges that used a large mass of a metal that is more corrosive than steel as a sacrificial annode (or cathode, can't remember) so it rusts instead of the bridge. Is it something similar?
Yeah same idea. I have read of people scratching the paint off their car (by accident) and even after days of heavy rain, still no rust.
I know the bridge set up works pretty well, you see them on the coast here. The chemical concept is sound - rust is an ionic (electrical) chemical reaction, so mounting a chunk of metal in electrical contact with the steel that will be easier to oxidize WILL preserve the steel... We studied that in some chemical class I had at some point
Now, saying that the theory will work for an automotive application in the real world on the other hand.....
Hey, what do I know? I'm from Georgia.....
FWIW, old timer taught me one oil trick. Used motor oil thinned w/ kerosene, heat on stove (oil in coffee can in a large pan of water), apply liberally w/ garden sprayer. New oil won't stick, gotta be used. Undercarriage and body gotta be clean so don't spray over dirt. He had a 25 y/o Jeep PU w/o a speck of rust, faded paint yea, rust no. It's a yearly ritual but it worked... old school style. Newer vehicles have so many nooks this is probably not feasible... thought I'd just share it for old time sake.
I oil spray mine. I think you get a guarantee from crown too. A friend had one of those modules on her 02 civic. It doesn't look much different than any other 02 civic with rust on the hood, fender arches. My strategy for a new car is oil spray every three years. I will likely do mine every year though since I DIY it with used airplane oil and a hvlp paint gun.
Trust your education, you freakin' cracker!
(Mama grew up in Athens)
cheers,
ultraclyde wrote: I know the bridge set up works pretty well, you see them on the coast here. The chemical concept is sound - rust is an ionic (electrical) chemical reaction, so mounting a chunk of metal in electrical contact with the steel that will be easier to oxidize WILL preserve the steel... We studied that in some chemical class I had at some point Now, saying that the theory will work for an automotive application in the real world on the other hand..... Hey, what do I know? I'm from Georgia.....
LOL! My education I trust, My thoughts on road salt rusting, I do not!
(I'm a GT grad, but I won't hold an Athens connection against you)
/end threadjack
Buy a beater?
Ships have sacrificial anodes mounted near the rudder. I've been on one that had an active system. Huge 440V lines running to it, then to the hull. We didn't have anyone brave enough to turn it on.
Sure that wasn't the degaussing system Dr H? I was a shipboard engineer for a few years and was surprised at the number of sacrificial anodes when we went into drydock. They aren't just near the rudder- they're all over the damn place.
even small boats have the sacrificial anodies.. usually one clamped around the shaft and one on the rudder
I dunno. The engineers said it was an anti-rust system. Never heard of a degaussing system on the ships I was on. I sailed on tankers, supertankers, RoRo's, and box boats built from 1945-1980-something.
just drive it and wash it thoroughly every couple of weeks, with a really thorough cleaning in the spring. it will be long gone and in the hands of the 3rd or 4th owner by the time it starts to get any amount of serious rust on it.
Check to see if you void your warranty by oil spraying. I've heard (not first hand) that some manufacturers were voiding warranties because the oil spray can affect some electronics.
I'm about 30 mins SW of you, don't oil spray and never had a rusty car. New cars (except Mazda's) are pretty good.
I'm interested in this too. PA started using a salt brine or slurry and it's sticky. Things that didn't rust out before are rotting like mad. 
I've thought about the oil spray to try and protect the cars. The Krown stuff seemed interesting, but doesn't appear to be available down here. Wouldn't mind learning about some GRM'er proven stuff.
fasted58 wrote: FWIW, old timer taught me one oil trick. Used motor oil thinned w/ kerosene, heat on stove (oil in coffee can in a large pan of water), apply liberally w/ garden sprayer. New oil won't stick, gotta be used. Undercarriage and body gotta be clean so don't spray over dirt. He had a 25 y/o Jeep PU w/o a speck of rust, faded paint yea, rust no. It's a yearly ritual but it worked... old school style. Newer vehicles have so many nooks this is probably not feasible... thought I'd just share it for old time sake.
what ratio for oil to kerosene?
I've heard used oil and diesel, which sounds to be nearly identical to used oil and kerosene.
Oil sprays do work, but I don't know if I could bring myself to do it to a brand new car. They do make a mess and sometimes they even drill pinholes in places so that the spray penetrates into box sections and stuff (of course they won't do that if you ask them not to.) I think instead I'd buy a winter beater and oil spray that. I had good luck with Oil Gard on my old Toyotas & Mitsus, and my sister used them for years on her old Festiva which managed to stay really really solid.
CarKid1989 wrote:fasted58 wrote: FWIW, old timer taught me one oil trick. Used motor oil thinned w/ kerosene, heat on stove (oil in coffee can in a large pan of water), apply liberally w/ garden sprayer. New oil won't stick, gotta be used. Undercarriage and body gotta be clean so don't spray over dirt. He had a 25 y/o Jeep PU w/o a speck of rust, faded paint yea, rust no. It's a yearly ritual but it worked... old school style. Newer vehicles have so many nooks this is probably not feasible... thought I'd just share it for old time sake.what ratio for oil to kerosene?
Kero is just a thinner so the mixture can spray. Around 25% +/- kero to used oil to start, adjust ratio as necessary to spray. If you're not comfortable heating the mix, thin the oil more so it sprays cold, but I always liked to heat it.
A pneumatic engine cleaner wand w/ siphon will work well too, really shoots into the nooks and crannies. 60-80s vehicles had better access to inner panels than newer stuff.
Winter beater?
I seriously have no idea how you yankees drive cars that you allegedly like in all that E36 M3.
DILYSI Dave wrote: Winter beater? I seriously have no idea how you yankees drive cars that you allegedly like in all that E36 M3.
Many of us can't afford another beater due to the cost of living up here etc. We gotta buy us some oil y0.
Also if I didn't drive my car in that E36 M3 I'd only be able to drive it 6 months out of the year. 
Shhh Dave...we don't want them moving south and stealing all of our rust-free beaters. 
a big set of mudflaps seems to help too. Try to wrap them around inside the fender as well. I get big truck flaps and cut to fit. Being a new car though, you're just saving it for the next owner unless you keep it forever.
New cars are pretty resistant to rust and even have some sort of warranty against rust through, Just keep it washed. My 8 yr. old Liberty had no rust on the body and the original exhaust that didn't leak. Even my 10 year old ZX2SR had no body rust but it didn't get driven on the road in the winter for 5 years. Ice raced instead.
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