"Rust Check" Product on Used Car

[Maritimer]

I'm not sure about the States, but there is a rust protection treatment called Rust Check here in Canada. It's not a tar or grease type coating. It's quite viscous, and they spray it into panels and around tight spots and up around the innards underneath. There's a second treatment more like the undercoat and a bit thicker that they do extra on the bottom. It's best on a new car, but it is supposed to penetrate existing rust on old cars and stop it from going deeper. Does anyone have experience with doing this to a used and already rusty vehicle?

For a 2001 in Canada my 4Runner is in fairly spectacular rust shape right now, and I want to keep it this way for a long time. It would make southerners cringe, but it's fine. It had the traditional grease/rubbery rust coatings every year since 2001 I guess. I want to prevent things such as the rear quarter panel from rusting from the inside around the wheels like my 2002 CR-V is doing right now (was never rust treated in any way). I also want to keep all the attachments and pieces and bolts and whatnot from getting any worse underneath.

 

[theizzardking]

best thing you can do it take down to bare steel and remove any rust, then add a layer of rust encapsulator followed by an rust inhibitor and then apply any seasonal coatings you may use up there. i haven't heard of that particular brand of spray on stuff but have friends in alaska who do the oil trick on their undercarriages during the winter, to be honest i don;t really see how that would penetrate the rust to the bare steel level and encapsulate it and it certainly wouldn't be better then doing it right, beyond that though it all comes down to time effort and budget, the spray on stuff would be better then nothing, i would imagine.

 

[fightman80]

I'm a fellow Canadian and also have winters and road salt to contend with. My rigs a 98, and the body still has it's rust free original paint! I have mentionned this before, and have taken alot of flack for it, but I simply re-use my recycled Motor Oil and spray the undercarriage, inner doors, fenders, rocker panels, and quarter panels with it. Alot, and I mean alot of people have been telling me that it's useless, even harmful......but I'll tell you this much, I've done it to every vehicle I've ever owned, and everyone of them was in phenominal rust free shape!

My Runner was never undercoated by the previous owner, and when I bought it, I did have to have some touch ups done. It's been over 6 years, and the body is solid, the undercarriage rust that was already there, hasn't gotten any worse, and everyone who sees my rig, can't believe the age of the truck!

My 2 cents....

 

[Maritimer]

theizzardking, you hit the nail on the head with the time, effort and money comment. What I'm imagining to get it 100% would take a lot of my time, some parts money, and lots of elbow grease. Maybe it's my summer project for next year. I do have to save the bumpers this year, though.

fightman80, that's a six-year-old non-treated car that you got into preserved shape with used motor oil? Wow!

 

[fightman80]

Thanks for the compliment man!

Just a little addition....if you have the chrome bumpers, try polishing them in the summer months with Autosol (I think that's what it's called, and I think you can get it at NAPA Auto Parts), maybe even wax them after with Nu Finish (You can get it at Canadian Tire) it's cheap car polish that really works! It's all I use to wax my rig.

During the winter months, I take a can of WD40 to all the chrome, surface of the rocker panels, and lower edge of the doors. I find it helps to prevent surface rust in those areas. I even spray my ever not so popular Nerf Bars with the WD40. There are so many people around town driving with rusted out Nerf Bars, and mine still shine and are about 4-5 years old now. Make sure to re-apply a couple of times during the winter. The cool thing is, come spring, it's easy to wash off!

 

[driffter33]

I used to live in north east Washington and went to Canada often to ski Red Mountain. I had a 75 IH Scoutt2 rust bucket I used Quest rust killer and it worked great. One warning DO NOT get this stuff on your skin. Here is a link i'm not sure if this is the same formulation as what I used turned all the rust black before it dried into its protective coating I did not paint over it and the rust was dead in its tracks.

Quest Chemical Corporation: Product Categories

I believe this is the very same stuff here is another link

http://www.logisticssupply.com/Chem...Quest_Chemical/Industrial_Maintenance/RESTORE

 

[XJeepguy]

What part of the country are you in ?

Thanks for the compliment man!

Just a little addition....if you have the chrome bumpers, try polishing them in the summer months with Autosol (I think that's what it's called, and I think you can get it at NAPA Auto Parts), maybe even wax them after with Nu Finish (You can get it at Canadian Tire) it's cheap car polish that really works! It's all I use to wax my rig.

During the winter months, I take a can of WD40 to all the chrome, surface of the rocker panels, and lower edge of the doors. I find it helps to prevent surface rust in those areas. I even spray my ever not so popular Nerf Bars with the WD40. There are so many people around town driving with rusted out Nerf Bars, and mine still shine and are about 4-5 years old now. Make sure to re-apply a couple of times during the winter. The cool thing is, come spring, it's easy to wash off!

 

[johnny c]

Rust Check is a spectacular product, Ive used it on many new and used cars. My wife just bought a new car this year and I plan on getting it done soon. Not only does it creep and penetrate deep into seems and other tight spots it smells good too! Just do it once a year, (late summer is best) and you wont have to scrape and what not in order to maintain your vehicles condition. If your vehicle is 3 years old or newer, they will warranty it forever (from rust through) as long as you apply once a year (approx $100) I have worked at a dealership (part time back in high school) and the stuff most of they sell is crap. Go with Rust Check and you wont be sorry.

 

[fightman80]

What part of the country are you in ?

Northern Ontario:

 

[theizzardking]

but I simply re-use my recycled Motor Oil and spray the undercarriage, inner doors, fenders, rocker panels, and quarter panels with it.

one of the oldest tricks in the book and still going strong, i know plenty of people who have been doing this for 40 years or so and have had it work, the only flack you should be getting is environmental concerns because it does work
the other products are copying this same basic idea but are more earth friendly, personaly if you pack it in pack it out and leave no trace on the trails i could care less about what you do to your truck i just don't want any pollution above past the trail head or above the roads it certainly cant be worse the all of the crap that leaks out when people just ditch cars in these places and start shooting holes in them

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I find it hard to believe that in this day and age with as much as we know about pollution and how what we each do can positively or negatively affect the environment that somebody would actually spray used motor oil on the bottom of their car.

One quart of oil contaminates 500,000 gallons of water. ;-)

Where do you think the used oil you spray all over the bottom of your car goes? Into the water supply which you, your kids and I have to drink.

<Insert shaking head icon here>

 

[fightman80]

I find it hard to believe that in this day and age with as much as we know about pollution and how what we each do can positively or negatively affect the environment that somebody would actually spray used motor oil on the bottom of their car.

One quart of oil contaminates 500,000 gallons of water. ;-)

Where do you think the used oil you spray all over the bottom of your car goes? Into the water supply which you, your kids and I have to drink.

<Insert shaking head icon here>

When I spray, I make sure to place a large plastic tarp on the garage floor, to catch the dripping. Once the truck is finished dripping, I take it for a drive up and down a dirt road to get some dust to adhere to the oil, and dry it out a bit. Then I bring it back into the garage, to make sure it's done dripping. By the time I'm done, I saved 3 maybe 4 jugs of old oil from going to the dump, and have saved myself a minimum of $60.00. Like I said in my original post, alot of people don't like this method, site many other issues, other than Environmental, but after trying other alternatives, and not being impressed by any of them, I'M GOING TO CONTINUE WITH THIS ROUTE.

 

[SkidPalace]

I just finished re-coating my undercarriage with Fluid Film, which I understand is another Canadian product.
It apparently works on the same motor oil/ grease theory, only is made from natural Lanolin. Totally safe for any surfaces and the environment.
In fact, this time around I used it on the exterior of the truck as well. This stuff works better than Armor All on my plastic and painted parts, restoring all the faded gray to a deep black on my door/window trim, rock chip protectors on my rear wheel flares, tow hitch, roof racks, rear wing, etc.

 

[Nelsonmd]

I am trying FluidFilm as well. I am applying it as a strip rust off, and over rust I can't reach. We'll see how it does this winter.

 

[Autoknow]

Rust Coatings

Rust Check and Krown seem to be the most popular in Canada. Atlantic Canada,"The Rust Capital Of The World" is s great place to test undercoating.
Rust Check sems to work best here. It is virtually pollution free, as a matter I guess the best way to judge if it is a pollutant is to consider this:What is the WHIMIS Data? Rust Check is so harmless it is not even WHIMIS controlled.
Krown is almost the same, a great product as well.
Rust Check works best for me, I have never had an issue with either having any negative effects with my vehicles componets.