Rust Prevention (Krown, etc)
- Thread starter espo4442
- Start date
Accumulator
Well-known member
espo4442- Welcome to Autopia!
Just make sure that whoever rustproofs it is both competent in general (easy for me to say...gee, how to verify?!?) and familiar with the `17 F150.
IMO the biggest risk is that they`ll leave "pockets", voids in the application that can retain moisture/salt/etc. and lead to corrosion that wouldn`t have even occurred otherwise.
Wonder how the aluminum stuff on F150s factors in?!?
Just make sure that whoever rustproofs it is both competent in general (easy for me to say...gee, how to verify?!?) and familiar with the `17 F150.
IMO the biggest risk is that they`ll leave "pockets", voids in the application that can retain moisture/salt/etc. and lead to corrosion that wouldn`t have even occurred otherwise.
Wonder how the aluminum stuff on F150s factors in?!?
GearHead_1
Long Time Member
You have far less to worrry about with this truck than other vehicles when it comes to rust. The current model F150 is an aluminum body, even things like control arms are aluminum. You can of course still take action on the drive line, rear end and a variety of under carriage and suspension pieces (paint) but unless I lived in the rust belt I`d probably leave it alone. My 2016 isn`t driven much but shows virtually no rust after a year and a half.
dcjredline
New member
Aluminum still corrodes that ugly white caked on stuff when it meets up with salt etc. I`ve already seen a new Ford with white corrosion popping through the paint.
GearHead_1
Long Time Member
Of course aluminum oxidizes but I`ve yet to see it coming through the paint on a Ford truck. Utah uses some pretty nasty road salts in the winter and there are a ton of these trucks in my area. The factory does use an electrostatic treatment on the aluminum where it is exposed. May be some areas with a zinc coating on it too, I`m spit balling here. I honestly can`t say how long it might last. If you look at it you can tell that it isn`t just raw aluminum under these trucks.
I definitely would not go to the trouble of undercoating one of these trucks. Many of the tar (heavy black petroleum based) undercoats are really products of yesteryear. 20 years ago we used to sell this as a service at our shops ($100 out the door). I use to put it on all of my vehicles but it isn`t as great in the real world as it might be in therory. I was very meticulous in my application of the product. I could spray this to give a very flat appearance. The stuff we used was made by Chevron. In my opinion these products hold as much moisture in as they ever kept out. If your set on one of these type products and want to apply it yourself, CARWELL is a name you might look at.
There are products like Ziebart, I just haven`t known anyone to use their whole system on an aluminum truck. I`m thinking of their Rust Protection Packages (inside of doors, seams and what not) and not their traditional Undercoating here. Perhaps they have a special treatment for these trucks, a call to them might be a good idea. There are also products like Fluid Film that will offer protection but the application has to be repeated at least a couple of times a year, it isn`t permanent. It would be very easy to maintain and something you could do by yourself. I really like Fluid Film for a variety of uses and it might be the ticket the application you mentioned. I am not suggesting this as coverage for the entire underside of your truck just the areas where moisture might like to stay. I`ve said too much for a tail so short.
dcjredline
New member
Places like wheel wells, pinch welds and any other place the back side of the panel is exposed to any type of weather/salt etc will rust from the back (2000 and up Bonneville near the gas door for example), no amount of wax will prevent that sorry to say. I have a general idea of how wax works and have lived in the salt belt for 40 of my 45 years on the planet.
From Ottawa: Krown, annually. One just sucks up the cost (about CAN$130) and does it. Best time is apparently late spring when the increasingly warm temps start to team up with residual salts on the car`s undersides and devour steel.
It definitely ain`t "rustproofing", more like rust "slowing."
People love to debate the merits of various types/frequency/application methods/etc., of rust products. Here Krown franchises are everywhere, it`s a simple fact of life.
Is it the best? I have no idea, despite having read all the same studies and forum you have.
But it does do what it claims.
It definitely ain`t "rustproofing", more like rust "slowing."
People love to debate the merits of various types/frequency/application methods/etc., of rust products. Here Krown franchises are everywhere, it`s a simple fact of life.
Is it the best? I have no idea, despite having read all the same studies and forum you have.
But it does do what it claims.
I`m from the Toronto area and see lots of brine. I faithfully applied Krown to a 1990 all-steel Japanese vehicle and later in its life I was getting complements from mechanics on how it was still easy to work on. However, a giant rust blister came out from under the windshield trim, somewhere Krown never got near, and started to eat the roof. Furthermore, Krown seems to affect different kinds of rubber in many different ways - hardening some, softening some, and making some swell. Hood seals would suddenly be drooping from the hood, plastic trim attachment hooks would tear out of the wind seals they were holding etc....
Since 2001 I`ve been driving German cars with increasing amounts of aluminum. I`ve also been doing more DIY. Now I`ll usually get under my car, remove all the cover panels, and use a spray can of Krown or something else and spray seams, bolts, and any components that look like they`d be attacked by rust. I had a 1998 BMW until 2012 when it was totaled and it was only starting to feel like a slow inevitable battle against rust attacking seams and the like from the bottom up. I had not the slightest hint of body panel rust though.
I would echo caution against "coatings" that can attract and hold dirt, salt and water against sensitive areas instead of allowing them to be cleaned away. Wurth made a really great product called "Body Cavity Protection Spray" for use inside doors, panels and "service areas" like under the trunk liner. It made the panel look a little hazy and it repelled water like crazy. Haven`t seen that stuff around in the last few years.
Another approach is to just get under there in the spring and thoroughly wash everything off before temperatures climb.
I`m not sure there`s a magic answer. Aluminum helps
Since 2001 I`ve been driving German cars with increasing amounts of aluminum. I`ve also been doing more DIY. Now I`ll usually get under my car, remove all the cover panels, and use a spray can of Krown or something else and spray seams, bolts, and any components that look like they`d be attacked by rust. I had a 1998 BMW until 2012 when it was totaled and it was only starting to feel like a slow inevitable battle against rust attacking seams and the like from the bottom up. I had not the slightest hint of body panel rust though.
I would echo caution against "coatings" that can attract and hold dirt, salt and water against sensitive areas instead of allowing them to be cleaned away. Wurth made a really great product called "Body Cavity Protection Spray" for use inside doors, panels and "service areas" like under the trunk liner. It made the panel look a little hazy and it repelled water like crazy. Haven`t seen that stuff around in the last few years.
Another approach is to just get under there in the spring and thoroughly wash everything off before temperatures climb.
I`m not sure there`s a magic answer. Aluminum helps
Accumulator
Well-known member
AFAIK Wurth still makes the Body Cavity Protection. It`s OK for somewhat old-school stuff; does the job *BUT* it doesn`t wick/seep *nor* neutralize existing rust as well as some more modern formulations. And IME it`s somewhat prone to the "voids" issue. That could just be user-error, but when such a product isn`t 100% Accumulator-proof then I`d expect other people to have some real issues that could simply be avoided by choosing better stuff.
Not *hating* on it really, but I`d only use if I had a specific reason to, such as it being the best match for the oe cavity wax on certain German cars.
When I needed to stop/retard/prevent rust in a door seam via an aerosol spray can, I chose KBS Coatings` Cavity Coater instead and was completely satisfied, which is more than I can say for the other aerosol ones I`ve tried.
I`d probably choose the ValuGard aerosol instead of Wurth too, though I like their stuff best through a proper undercoating gun (under HIGH pressure for better atomization).
Not *hating* on it really, but I`d only use if I had a specific reason to, such as it being the best match for the oe cavity wax on certain German cars.
When I needed to stop/retard/prevent rust in a door seam via an aerosol spray can, I chose KBS Coatings` Cavity Coater instead and was completely satisfied, which is more than I can say for the other aerosol ones I`ve tried.
I`d probably choose the ValuGard aerosol instead of Wurth too, though I like their stuff best through a proper undercoating gun (under HIGH pressure for better atomization).
John U
Member
I had that on a Lexus windshield frame. After the first windshield was replaced and the surface got scratched from replacing it. The watery winter salt solution sat under the rubber and rusted the frame out. I fiberglassed it in before windshield #2 was installed a few years later which was when the damage was discovered.
Accumulator
Well-known member
Yeah, that happened with one of ours too...lesson learned, now I stand there and watch while windshields get replaced, and if anything goes haywire it all comes to a screeching halt so the damage can be corrected.