Is rustproofing worth it?

[LandCruiser]

Im also in Denver, what carwash for sure does undercarriage?

Btw i was going to apply fluifilm soon before the snow. I never have before so im kinda late to the game (3rd gen) but well see what happens.

This is the first im hearing of a frame drain plug being potentially blocked.

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Most drive-throughs like King Soopers offer it as an option. If it's really cold that's what I do, if it's warm, I just go to the self-serve ones and blast it myself. That's the only way you can be sure you get all that garbage.

 

[Dalko43]

Hi,

I have a 2016 Limited and I live in Wisconsin. With the winters approaching, I am thinking about rustproofing my 4Runner. I won't be able to do paint or oil spray at home due to health reasons. Therefore, I have talked to couple of local rustproofing businesses and they are quoting between $500 to $600. Do you guys think it is worth spending $500 for getting rustproofing?


Thanks!
Sherry

There is no such thing as "rust proofing." Rust will show up on your vehicle, one way or another. The best you can do is mitigate it and/or clean up the spots that do start to rust.

The best product I've found so far for rust mitigation is called Fluid Film. It's basically an lubricating substance that you spray onto your vehicle's undercarriage and it creates an oily film that keeps the salt, snow and other crud from corroding the metal (hence the product's name). You can get a spray-on kit (it requires an air compressor) and 2 cans of this stuff for ~$100. Also this stuff requires hardly any prepp. You just essentially spray the undercarriage (just avoid spraying the brakes for obvious reasons). It will coat anything that's metal though the exhaust will burn off anything that you apply to it and gives off a weird smell for a week or two.

For cleaning up rust, your best bet is to get some wire brushes, angle grinders, primer and paint, and clean up/scrap off existing rust, prime it and then paint over it.

Applying the fluid film is easy enough, and realistically a shop shouldn't be charging more than $100-$150 to do that service.

Rust clean up and mitigation requires a bit more work and prep. $400-$500 seems more reasonable, but I highly doubt most shops are properly prepping the surface and scraping off existing rust spots. I honestly wouldn't trust most shops to do this job properly as it's real easy to cut corners on that type of work. I'd highly recommend researching the potential shops before giving any of them your money.

 

[Cheers!]

My 1992 integra bouggt brand new was oil sprayedwith krown when I used to live in Toronto. It still runs today after I drove her 250,000 kms and sold it to a co worker back in 2007.

90s Japanese cars rusted horribly in Canada.

My 2003 Subaru legacy GT that I sold in 2014 had also over 200k was ziebart oil sprayed when new. It still runs with no rust.
Also with both cars when they starting getting old and you are out of warranty and want to do repairs yourself. It means you don't snap bolts when unfastening them or need to deal with get the blue tip wrench out.

Now that I live in sunny California. I don't would spray. But if I was moving back to Toronto with my 4runner I would immediately get it oil sprayed.

 

[Hoop]

In the late '70s my parents bought a new Chevy that they had rust-proofed by Ziebart. At one point it was in an accident and had the rear quarter panel replaced. That was the only body panel that ever rusted on it while they owned it, over 10 years in Minnesota.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

So you just wash with the water and leave? i.e. no foam brush stuff?

No. Do NOT use those brushes. They are the worst thing you can do to your finish and 100% guarantee you will cause swirl marks all over.

Spray it off good and thorough with the soap through the wand and then rinse it well. Do not worry if it gets slopped up the minute you leave the car wash. The day after what they spray on the road gets diluted by the snow and ice enough that it is not near the disaster it is right after they spray it on (full strength for lack of better term) and the roads have started to dry out and whats left turn into a dust (which BTW has really bad affects on our streams and rivers).

The crap has been banned on many mountain roads because of the stream damage and fish kill it was causing. Also there have been documented cases of power transformers shorting out and starting wood power poles on fire due to the spray affect and conductivity of it.

Want to know if you have mag chloride on your vehicle? Look at the tailgate of your 4Runner after driving on a road. After about two hours of drying you will see a film that almost looks like a light misting of molasses. That's what you don't want and what the DOT does want because before an ice over that shit sticks to the road like, well, molasses. ;-)

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Does Colorado salt its roads? Or just that mag chrolride stuff?

It depends on who owns the road.

Colorado state roads (which are a lot of the major roads) use mag chloride almost exclusively.

Municipalities rarely use it for surface streets and for the most part, these days, rarely sand/salt except on trouble intersections.

A lot of us natives have the opinion of if you don't know how to drive on snow and ice, go back to where you came from. But we are becoming less the majority as a lot of people have moved here from warm states and are totally clueless in adverse weather and are either going 25 or 95 on the highways in a snow event.

Trust me, you drive here anymore and you get real used to watching your rear view mirror, pulling way over to give a clear path and getting out your bucket of popcorn to watch the show about to unfold. If it wasn't so crazy it would be funny.

 

[Victor_inox]

I live in Denver since 2000, none of my vehicles ever get any noticeable rust, so is my 4runner since Feb 2012.
I never specifically wash it in the winter, maybe once or twice.
modern vehicles protected way better that old. only piece that shows rust is exhaust tip, that supposedly chromed.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I live in Denver since 2000, none of my vehicles ever get any noticeable rust, so is my 4runner since Feb 2012.
I never specifically wash it in the winter, maybe once or twice.
modern vehicles protected way better that old. only piece that shows rust is exhaust tip, that supposedly chromed.

I'd like to see your vehicle and point out to you how wrong that is if you drive on mag chloride. ;-)

 

[T4R2014]

Go for it. Toyota isn't improving the corrosion resistance of their frames anytime soon and every little bit of prevention helps. Start by injecting the rails with wax.

 

[Victor_inox]

I'd like to see your vehicle and point out to you how wrong that is if you drive on mag chloride. ;-)

Don't bother.im fine.

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[amalik]

Go for it. Toyota isn't improving the corrosion resistance of their frames anytime soon and every little bit of prevention helps. Start by injecting the rails with wax.

Eh, I'm not so sure about that. They got pretty ****ed with the whole Tacoma frame ordeal. Head over to TacomaWorld, it's like everyone and their mom got new frames.

If I was Toyota management, I'd like to avoid that scenario again even if it took doing some extra frame-rust prevention.

A lot of us natives have the opinion of if you don't know how to drive on snow and ice, go back to where you came from. But we are becoming less the majority as a lot of people have moved here from warm states and are totally clueless in adverse weather and are either going 25 or 95 on the highways in a snow event.

Trust me, you drive here anymore and you get real used to watching your rear view mirror, pulling way over to give a clear path and getting out your bucket of popcorn to watch the show about to unfold. If it wasn't so crazy it would be funny.

God, the amount of new people in Denver is horrendous. I am 30 years old and I'm native. If I sample a random list of 10 people I know, at least 4 to 5 have moved here in recent years. Multiply that experience to basically every native and the math ends up that we've basically like doubled our freaking population with transplants, or at least it seems like it. Forget all the damn statistics, all I know is 2:30PM was *never* a rush hour in Denver when I was in HS or College, lol.

 

[LandCruiser]

The hills in Colo Springs weed out the transplant drivers with the first snow and ice storm of the year.

 

[Victor_inox]

Eh, I'm not so sure about that. They got pretty ****ed with the whole Tacoma frame ordeal. Head over to TacomaWorld, it's like everyone and their mom got new frames.

If I was Toyota management, I'd like to avoid that scenario again even if it took doing some extra frame-rust prevention.



God, the amount of new people in Denver is horrendous. I am 30 years old and I'm native. If I sample a random list of 10 people I know, at least 4 to 5 have moved here in recent years. Multiply that experience to basically every native and the math ends up that we've basically like doubled our freaking population with transplants, or at least it seems like it. Forget all the damn statistics, all I know is 2:30PM was *never* a rush hour in Denver when I was in HS or College, lol.

I agree last 2-3 years population exploded, now my house worth 2 times what I paid for it in 2003.on a negative side, it`s traffic all the time.

 

[RPS99SHO]

This was my 99 frame in Jan 2016. This truck spent its life in Ontario, Michigan, Wyoming, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and now Maryland. Whether you want to believe it or not, rust is a problem.

I PORed everything, and have (and will continue to) given it inside and out Fluid Film baths twice per year, fall and spring.

I have and will do the same for my 16 Trail.

 

[amalik]

This was my 99 frame in Jan 2016. This truck spent its life in Ontario, Michigan, Wyoming, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and now Maryland. Whether you want to believe it or not, rust is a problem.

I PORed everything, and have (and will continue to) given it inside and out Fluid Film baths twice per year, fall and spring.

I have and will do the same for my 16 Trail.

Your frame looks like shit

The problem is when living in the rust belt, you have to be preventative from Day 1, not Year 16

 

[CO-Cygnus]

After about two hours of drying you will see a film that almost looks like a light misting of molasses. That's what you don't want and what the DOT does want because before an ice over that shit sticks to the road like, well, molasses. ;-)

I wish it was just a light misting...

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I wish it was just a light misting...

LOL. Especially since you live in the ice box of Colorado....

 

[CO-Cygnus]

LOL. Especially since you live in the ice box of Colorado....

Right? Not this year though, frickin' 55 today and awesome in the sun. Everyone still has their bikes out. WP says opening day is 11/16, Weather channel says sunny and 50s through 11/9.

 

[Kmurt]

It depends on who owns the road.

Colorado state roads (which are a lot of the major roads) use mag chloride almost exclusively.

Municipalities rarely use it for surface streets and for the most part, these days, rarely sand/salt except on trouble intersections.

A lot of us natives have the opinion of if you don't know how to drive on snow and ice, go back to where you came from. But we are becoming less the majority as a lot of people have moved here from warm states and are totally clueless in adverse weather and are either going 25 or 95 on the highways in a snow event.

Trust me, you drive here anymore and you get real used to watching your rear view mirror, pulling way over to give a clear path and getting out your bucket of popcorn to watch the show about to unfold. If it wasn't so crazy it would be funny.

Yea I was always under the impression that Colorado vehicles are generally rust free because of the lack of salt and drier air.

I hear ya on the not knowing how to drive in the snow. I see it all the time in winter here in New Jersey too. Problem is, everytime they call for snow, the municipalities POUR salt and mag chloride everywhere. I cringe everytime i have to drive in it.

You're lucky to live in such a beautiful place that is Colorado. I can imagine why everyone is moving there, besides the weed of course. I was there last summer, absolutely amazing out there. Would love to be out there some day, if you natives don't mind

 

[Victor_inox]

4 winters with no rustproofing

while it doesn`t look brand new I bet it will be fine for another few until I trade it in for new one.

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