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Rustproofing / Undercoating

SUV2NV

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Brampton
Year, Model & Trim Level
2011 Limited
Hi all, I was just wondering what you guys think about the rust proofing module that Ford offers when you purchased the Explorer. What are your opinions and if you don't mind " how much did you pay for it!! Thank you in advance for your answers!!
 



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Waste of money... just take care of damage to your paint if/when it happens.
 






It all depnds on where you live. If you live in an environment where you see alot of salt put on the roads in the winter & you want this car to last then YES, absolutely YES get it rustproofed. Here in Pittsburgh salt gets thrown on roads for a dusting of snow, noone knows how to drive once they see a snow flake. If you make a living underneath cars as I do, then you want protection. If you live in southern states or areas where corrosive salts and sprays are not used then save your money. It works, trust me I see it every day. If you dont want to pay Ford, you can find someone else who does it.
 






Waste of money. Wash the truck more in the winter.
 






Complete waste of money. Modern paint/clear coats if you maintain them are more than enough to remain rust free for the life of ownership. Dealer add on's are total BS.
 






Make sure you get the splash guards. I have guards on all my vehicles. My chev silverado, (which are famous for the rocker panels rusting out) had guards on the back but none on the front. It is over 10 yrs old. The front is rusted out, however the back which had guards on it are in pristine condition. Being from Canada, our roads are layered with salt all winter, they are now starting to use the liquid stuff on the roads here as well. That stuff is murder on vehicles. I would suggest rust proofing if you live in the rust belt ( Great Lakes area all the way to Maine/Nova Scotia.) Like the old saying goes " an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

Like I was saying put the guards on they will protect your paint job from chips and knicks, which eventually lead to rust, and keep er clean.
 






Spray your door seams, under the rockers, and wheel well lips with gear lube/oil. The previous owner of my Ex did that, and I have no rust in any of those areas for an Ohio/Michigan truck. Amazing, and very cheap.
 






Vehicles are built rust inhibitors in the paint and metal process, as well designed not to trap the salts and dirt of yesteryear. I have owned a lot of vehicles and lived in the mid-west and now in the south-west, and do not see any need to any sort of rust proofing. When was the last time you seen a rusty vehicle? Maybe something from the 70-80's... but nothing withint the past 15-20 years. Save your money for mods!
 






Vehicles are built rust inhibitors in the paint and metal process, as well designed not to trap the salts and dirt of yesteryear. I have owned a lot of vehicles and lived in the mid-west and now in the south-west, and do not see any need to any sort of rust proofing. When was the last time you seen a rusty vehicle? Maybe something from the 70-80's... but nothing withint the past 15-20 years. Save your money for mods!

Ahhhh, I have a 2002 sitting in the driveway that is full of rust, rocker panels, quarter panels. If the paint gets chipped and exposes the sheet metal, oh ohhhhhh. Protect the paint job and there shoudn't be any trouble. I was just in the dealership last week and there was a pretty irate F 250 owner reeming out the dealer because he had rust on his 2010. Vehicles still rust. Unless you live in sunshineville. Which I see SLB8SNK is from.
 






Yeah, it depends on the salt. It doesn't matter the age of the vehicle, they rust up here.
 






Ummm guys, I lived in MI for over 45 years... and had several dozen vehicles and NOT ONE had rust, with simple car washes and basic maintenance! So the few years I have lived in NV is not my life experience! If anyone has rust in the mid-west or cold weather climate in this day and age, either it is a one off, or they just plain did not do the basic stuff. Heck I think your warranty even has a rust free clause these days! TO each his own, but rust proofing is a thing of old... and just not necessary on todays vehicles.
 






When was the last time you seen a rusty vehicle? Maybe something from the 70-80's... but nothing withint the past 15-20 years.


Uhhh, I could point to you more vehicles around here that are rusty than arent. Even 2005-2006 vehicles, rockers rusted themselves away, wheel wells rusted to hell, tailgates that have the botton 6" gone from rust...
 






Guys not sure what to tell you, I lived about 15 miles north of Monroe, little further from Grand Rapid for sure, and in the past 20 years living there I never had one vehicle with rust... Heck I had a three hour daily commute to work! Drove snowy highways, hunted back woods, and still nothing. Sorry to hear you are having such issues, so I guess for guys like you, rust proof away!..
 






If it were me personally, I would have a place like Ziebart do the undercarriage rust proofing. (Not really sure what its called, but its some kind of spray they get EVERYTHING all the nooks and crannys on the undercarriage and its supposed to rust proof for like 20+ years. (Its been a year or 2 since I last read about it so it might have changed now)
 












Hi all, I was just wondering what you guys think about the rust proofing module that Ford offers when you purchased the Explorer. What are your opinions and if you don't mind " how much did you pay for it!! Thank you in advance for your answers!!


My dealer only offered either undercoating or the electronic gizmo.

Undercoating is the black stuff they spray underneath that hardens and attempts to seal every nook and cranny under the vehicle.

Rust proofing is the oil based stuff that gets sprayed in every nook and cranny to inhibit rust.

The problem I see with undercoating is that it will eventually crack or split somewhere which just ends up sealing in moisture that gets into the crack or split.

Even the electronic gizmo is still a controversy wether it does anything. I understand the chemistry but not really sure you can relate what works on a boat to what will work on a vehicle.

I personally have the electronic gizmo and I take my vehicles to KROWN every year. But this is in Northern Ontario where rustproofing is a must if you want your vehicle to last or maintain resale value.
 






We have a 2001 Toyota and 2003 VW in Toronto area (lots of salt on the roads). No rustproofing, I wash the cars once a year in the spring, there is no rust on either car. In today's vehicles rustproofing is a wonderful scam to part folks from their money. But hey - it is your money if you want to spend some.
 






Just because some of you think you dont have rust, does not mean it isnt there. The European vehicles seem to be the only ones that come from the factory made to withstand harsh environments, however I have seen my fair share of them rust out as well. This week alone I have 2 jobs sitting here that need frames welded (00 & up); I dont know why some cars rust and some dont, but thats how it works out. Last fall I did 3 99-01 Grand Cherokees that the front seat floor mounts rusted through; my fatrher in law (who takes no care at all) has a 99 grand with 200k that has no rust on it. I could tell you tons of stories of "new" vehicles rotting out, i dont have time. Bottom line is rust happens if you live in corrosive environments. PERIOD. It is up to the consumer whether they want the added piece of mind and benefit of a quality rustproofing, its their call. But please dont misinform them by telling its a useless waste of money...
 



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Just because some of you think you dont have rust, does not mean it isnt there. The European vehicles seem to be the only ones that come from the factory made to withstand harsh environments, however I have seen my fair share of them rust out as well. This week alone I have 2 jobs sitting here that need frames welded (00 & up); I dont know why some cars rust and some dont, but thats how it works out. Last fall I did 3 99-01 Grand Cherokees that the front seat floor mounts rusted through; my fatrher in law (who takes no care at all) has a 99 grand with 200k that has no rust on it. I could tell you tons of stories of "new" vehicles rotting out, i dont have time. Bottom line is rust happens if you live in corrosive environments. PERIOD. It is up to the consumer whether they want the added piece of mind and benefit of a quality rustproofing, its their call. But please dont misinform them by telling its a useless waste of money...

As I said - every one is free to spend his money as one pleases. You want to rustproof your car - go right ahead.

I agree that European (German for example, I am not sure about Fiat) cars seem to hold up quite well without rust. But even Japanese cars - which I always thought to be rust magnets - can do quite well - we have in our extended family a 2001 Rav4 and 1999 Camry - that have had no aftermarket rust protection, have lived their whole lives on cold, wet Ontario roads with all the salt, and have no rust. I should say no visible signs on rust - including the entire area under the car, wheel-wells, doors etc.
So yes - in my personal opinion - if you intend to use a car for 0-12 years as I usually do - rustproofing is a waste of money. That opinion has incidentally been backed by Consumer Reports for a number of years. If you are planning to keep your car 15-25 years I might see wisdom in it - but most people don't.
 






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