Classic rust action on my mazda3

[Ccrew]

Get it rustrpoofed and get into the habit of cleaning out all the dirt/salt/etc. in those areas so the new one doesn`t rust out the same way. That rust in the wells/around the lips is from not keeping those surfaces clean.

Not always. Sometimes it`s inherent in the design. The same Challenger of mine that I referenced earlier was Ziebart rustproofed at delivery in addition to being new enough to have e-coat anticorrosion. The Challenger issue is injected foam they use in the sound deadening process. Jump in about 23:20 here, they`re amazingly proud of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiVMvV_d1eY
There`s also the issue of rustproofing applications actually clogging the factory drain holes. Everyone except car and rustproofing salesmen will tell you these days that rustproofing is nothing more than a profit engine.

[Accumulator]

Not always. Sometimes it`s inherent in the design..

Yeah, that *can* happen. The front passenger door and the hood of my MPV both rusted out and I later found out it was a manufacturing issue that Mazda simply refused to recognize.

..There`s also the issue of rustproofing applications actually clogging the factory drain holes...

Well, I *was* assuming they`d do things properly IMO that`d be a pretty awful job if they plugged up the drain holes (I`ve sure never done that). It might be like wetsanding...don`t want `em to botch it up or things`ll be worse instead of better.

Everyone except car and rustproofing salesmen will tell you these days that rustproofing is nothing more than a profit engine.

Well, not quite everyone- Ron Ketcham..?!?where is he anyway?!?.. and I had some good discussions about the whole thing from products to procedures.

Some areas of some vehicles (e.g., the rear "barn doors" of my Tahoe) are in dire need of a good product that`ll wick into the seams in areas like the bottoms of doors; untreated, salty water will collect there and lead to the oh-so-common rusted out lower doors. With proper treatment the water just flows (over the product) to the drain holes rather than soaking into the seams.

I`d be OK with one of the shops that does the ValuGard rustproofing (there might be other good ones, but I only know about the VG stuff), assuming again that I could ascertain that they do it right, the way they`re supposedly trained to by the VG people.

I can say that I`ve been quite satisfied with all the rustproofing work I`ve done, but then maybe I`m a bit more careful than the typical guy doing the work.

But yeah, just letting a salesman/shop sell the undercoating without the proper research/etc. would be like taking a car to an unknown "detailer"/bodyshop/etc. and blindly hoping for the best- good chance things might not turn out well.

[MiVor]

There`s also the issue of rustproofing applications actually clogging the factory drain holes.

Well hopefully it`s done right. I had mine undercoated in the winter. I was pretty religious about power washing underneath and noticed the undercoating peeling. I had them redo it in the spring (no charge) after I pressure washed the heck out of it.

Everyone except car and rustproofing salesmen will tell you these days that rustproofing is nothing more than a profit engine.

I couldn`t disagree more. I`ve lived in the northeast of upstate NY all of my 60+ years. Undercoating/rustproofing is not an option, it`s a requirement unless you`re gonna dump the ride after a few years. I live on a hill a few miles from a salt mine!!! You can bet the roads around here get a fair amount of salt in winter...then there`s a thaw and salt water spray is everywhere.
Any intention of keeping a vehicle means due diligence. This goes beyond paint protection and must include rust prevention and routine maintenance.


As to the advice, I`ve come around to buying `almost new` vehicles. My Buick lived it`s first 12k miles as a Hertz rental car out of Atlanta. In great shape, I bought it for 10k less than a new one (with a lot of 5yr/50k warranty left). My 2013 truck (again excellent condition) had 30k miles and I bought it for about 15k+ less than a new one. So I`m convinced that buying pre-owned almost new is the way to go. I had to buy some extended warranty on this one, but still a better deal than new.
Now there`s two schools of thought. Buy new (or nearly new), take good care of it and keep it forever. OR, lease a vehicle so you have a new one every 3 years (after all, if you buy with a loan and trade in every few years, you never really own anyway!)
The choice is up to you....just like make and model.

[Accumulator]

MiVor- I thought of you when posting to this thread.

[MiVor]

MiVor- I thought of you when posting to this thread.

I guess it depends on where you live and your life experience. I prolly wouldn`t think twice about rustproofing/undercoating either if I lived down south or in California. But here in the northeast, it just makes sense...at least until they produce vehicles that just don`t rust...either alloys or treated. I see too many rusty buckets not to take rust prevention seriously.

I heard tales of some electronic rust prevention gizmo but after a fair amount of googling, it seems it`s right up there with tonics and snake oil!

[Accumulator]

MiVor- Yeah, Ron Ketcham once gave a detailed explanation about why the electro. approach simply cannot work on motor vehicles. Some folks still, uhm...want to believe