FYI; Zeibart quoted me 309.00 to rustproof from the glass down. They can do it same day if left in the morn, but they recommend it be left overnight because of the dripping.

 

INteresting - I never thought about doing this; maybe I should? What is the risk on a newer car, rustwise? Does this keep the exhaust and other stainless steel parts...looking cherry? Any heat retention issues with a thick coating? Any negatives? How easy it is to remove in the spring?

 

Your SRT-4 warranty covers rust holes. When I was in Germany, I took my new german ford fiesta to the dealer to have it rustproofed. He advised against it citing the fact that the coating would trap any moisture and/or salt already in/on the car. I don't know if he was BSing me or not, but I found the best rust proofing to be a healthy spray of fresh water from the local car wash every few days.....and it keeps your car looking cleaner to boot.

Dusty

 

That was my feeling, exactly. Well put.

 

Good question hope those who really know post. My uneducated understanding is Rust proofing became obsolete years back. Dealers even 10 plus years ago were offering underbody coating not even Rust proofing. Manufacturing advances I thought made it unnecessary. The quality of the metal used is much improved over 20 years ago. The quality of paints and protective coatings is much improved. Also because of weight reduction much less metal to rust. Dusty’s suggestion to rinse the car sounds good to me, get rid of the salt. I have heard that parking a car in a heated garage increases the chance for rust and other seasonal type problem’s. If you drive all day and collect snow and salt on your car then park your car in 65 degree garage it will melt salt and snow. That will increase the likelihood of penetration also increased temp accelerates chemical reactions which rust is. Extreme temperature fluctuations not good. Wash it, wax it, rinse it.

Did any of you pay extra for Scotch Gard on your Upholstery? (Ripp-Off) [:@]

 

My feeling about it is it works and for 300 bucks is very worthwhile. You do not ever take it off as much of it is permanently sprayed in places you could never get to anyway. They actually drill holes and spray inside boxed areas like doors, rocker panels, door jambs etc. The only drawback I can really think of would be a minor weight penalty and the small possibility of blocking a drain hole that is really needed. I will try to get some dirt from Ziebart for more specifics on what thier whole process is specifically for the Neon. As far as the new cars having some better rust immunity, I do not buy that at all. I have seen some pretty rusty first gen neons around here. Sure, a lot of that has to do with individual owners upkeep.

 

I'm pretty sure federal law requires maker to give a 5 mile/50,000 mile "rust through" warranty. What your basic rustproofing does is drill holes in the factory coatings, allowing the corrosion access to the unprotected metal. Not one manufacturer recommmends such, only dealers wanting profit. And of course, companies like Zeibart, who franchise rustproofing systems.

As an aviation maintianence tech, I got a damn good education in corrosion and how it works. A clean, well-kept, paint system is all you need.

 

Yeah, galvanic, intragranular, pitting, uniform etch. I are an aviation mechanic too. As such, I still believe in the the ability of the rust proofing to do some good. As an aircraft mechanic, you more than most, should be aware of the great lenghts we in the field have to go to prevent corrosion. Not the least of which is washing. But we go a lot farther than any auto manufacturer does as a matter of routine. Not only is the metal chemically treated with alodine, to inhibit corrosion by making the metal less reactive, it is then painted with a corrosion preventing primer like zinc chromate then if outside, a couple coats of Imron or if internal, sprayed with a very Zeibart like undercoating goo such as LPS-3 or equivalent. So......if it's good enough for my airplane, it's good enough for my car. I have spent a quite few hours of my life "preventing corrosion" on many different aircraft. I only wish my car could be so well built and maintained. Hence, my enthusiasm for doing the factory "one better".

 

Id rather take my chances on the factory applied stuff over a guy with a drill and a wand. As I said, hes not only punching holes in the metal, but you have no way of knowing how well he actually coated the spaces.

 

The problem is that you don't know until after you have about ten years on the car, and even then, because you have no comparison, you don't know whether it made a differnce or not. There was a time I Ziebarted, but there's a reason that the business of rustproofing, which bloomed in the seveties and then died out, isn't around any more. People couldn't tell a difference and factory rust prevention got better. The rust warranties helped inspire confidence, too, I think. Here's one thing to consider: Whatever rust warranty the manufacturer has will be voided by letting Mr Ziebart in there with his goop.

That said, I have a friend who had his Boss 302 Ziebarted (this back in 1970 when such things were just daily drivers, like, say, SRT-4s are today) and he actually had penetration rust. He had to twist arms, but he got his car fixed--his way. One way that Ziebart gigs you on their warranty, however, is that you have to keep up with their inspection/touch up service. Most people don't and that lets Ziebart off the hook.

That said, I don't Ziebart anymore, but then, I don't live in the Chicago area anymore either. Here in PA they use cinders with enough salt to keep it from freezing up.

And yeah, heated garages are good only if you never take the car out except on dry days. Otherwise, let it stay cold. Keep it clean as possible, especially underneath. Mr Carwash is your friend.