Not sure if this is the right forum but I wanted to get comments on rustproofing. I just bought a 2000 Blazer & was thinking of getting it rustproofed at the local Krown Rust Control centre. Does anyone else get the yearly rustproofing? Thanks for the input. H.

ive never heard of "yearly rustproofing". what do they do?

There are a few different companies here in Canada that offer yearly rustproofing. They spray the underside of your car/truck and inside the doors, fenders etc. I went to Krown rustproofing today after talking to a few people that have used them in the past.
Here's the link if you're interested. www.krown.com I don't think they are in the U.S.A. but there must be other companies offering the same services...

My view on rust-proofing/undercoating is that if you didn't do it when the vehicle was BRAND new, then don't bother with it. The problems that arrise are areas where water can collect that would normally drain through small drain holes that the undercoating covers over. The water will end up rusting it from the inside out much faster than it would have if it was just left alone. I have seen too many people here in NY that have had their car undercoated when bought used and then had rusting problems 3-4 years later where they basically had to junk the whole car because the unibody had rusted from the inside out.

Its your call. I had a '94 Intrepid that was a NY car from day 1. It had NO rust on the underside of it after 9 NY winters and 167k miles and I never thought about rustproofing it when I bought it in 1999 with 94k miles on it (sold it in 2003).

Hmmm...I never really thought about it like that. I was about to go and get mine done for the winter, but I may reconsider. Wait, my truck is already a rusty bitch, so mayeb a bit more wouldn't make a difference:D

ORIGINAL: hdlogistics

Does anyone else get the yearly rustproofing?


I used to, but after what swart said, I might not. Though, living in the Toronto area, they put a ****LOAD of salt on the roads (pussy southerners!), so it still might be a good idea for that reason alone. When I was in the north end of the province where SAND is the road-dumping material of choice, it wasn't as big of an issue with rusting as it is down here with these big babies that have no idea how to drive in the winter. Seriously. We go through it every year, and they STILL can't figure it out?![:@]

Well, I can hardly say Toronto winters are WINTER after what I grew up with, but at least I still see SOME snow, although I wish there were more. :(

move to saskatoon, you'll be drivin' through 3 feet on main roads

Here in Ontario there is a ton of salt used on the roads every winter. I've had all my vehicles rustproofed. Even my '91 Grand Marquis still has very little rust because of this. For the sake of 100 bucks, I think it's worth it if you plan on keeping your vehicle a long time. You tend to get a bit more money at sale time as well.

I just caution EVERYONE that is considering this to do your homework! Check out a few places that you may consider going to and, if possible, watch them work on someone elses car. Pay close attention to the process they go through to clean the underside of your vehicle prior to laying down the undercoating.

With the primer that is being used on newer vehicles, it takes scraps on the underbody (through the paint and primer) before rust can even start. Not to mention that many of the rust prone areas on newer vehicles are not in areas where undercoating will even touch. Heck, my Bonneville has plastic inner fenders. The most rust prone area of a vehicle being right behind the wheels, is plastic on all 4 corners. The best defense for that (given steel in these areas) is a good set of mud flaps ($15-30 per set).

Hmmm...I never thought of mud flaps. Good idea. Wouldn't getting undercoating help with sustaining the life of your exhaust as well though?

If you are referring to undercoating your exhaust... DO NOT do it. The exhaust is much hotter than the temperatures at which the rust proofing is intended to be used at. Not to mention the use of heat sheilds on the undersides of most newer vehicles, which should not be undercoated either. I have seen many vehicles that have been undercoated and they just go nuts with the stuff, coating everything from fuel filter and fuel/brake lines themselves. Good luck if you ever have to replace something.

Typically, exhaust will rust from the inside out which is why you really don't know you have a bad exhaust system until it literally falls off.

There are two schools of thought with undercoating. The ones that think its the best thing since sliced bread and have done it on all of their vehicles for ever and a day, and then there are people like me that look at it objectively. I see way too many cons to very little pros. Take it for what you will.

well, like I said earlier, my truck's a rusty bitch anyway, so I will probably not do it, since there's not much hope for her at this point:D

If you have rust already, then your best bet would be a rust inhibitor/encapsulator like POR15. POR15 is a GREAT product. I've got a small spot on a seam in the engine bay of my Bonneville that I will be treating with POR15 as soon as we have some crappy enough days that I can pull the b'ville apart while driving the Bravada. POR15 typically comes with a rust dissolver that is used to clean the surfaces, then a rust encapsulator that will keep any rust that isn't cleaned off from doing much of anything, then the final coating is a rust inhibitor that will keep new rust from forming.

At Krown Rustproofing you can watch them spray your vehicle. They don't spray the exhaust but some of the stuff does drip then burns off in the first few miles of driving. Beware that the vehicle will "drip" for a few days and can make a bit of a mess on your driveway. Its does wash off but I park over at the mall for a few days to spare the mess. There are some places that use a non-drip formula but I heard it doesn't protect as well. Anyway Swartlkk has made a few good points about the do's and don'ts...

for some reason i noticed the blazers i have owned , the body has held up amazingly the 95 i drive now has an almost perfect body

Viciouss, glad to hear you say that... I've got a 2000 and I was taking a peek under the truck yesterday and I see a little bit of rust but I was thinking that when I bring it into the body shop for a few other minor things I might have them look at that too.

My blazer has a lot of rust underneath. Matter of fact, I was going to have it rustproofed, or treated, but as soon as i saw this, im not going to anymore. I'd rather have some rust, than have 2 junk the car.

i know were talking about underbody here but i still think the biggest problem with ppl is that they dont wash there car enough. i live in minnesota and we get loads of salt and i hate it. all you have to do is wash your car often and it does wonders i wash my car on avg twice a week sometimes more i cant stand seeing dust dirt and especially salt on any car. my feeling on the subject is washing and waxing regularly on the body is best. as for what kyle said i agree, i wouldnt underbody coat it unless it was brand brand new, also alot of ppl think mud flaps look stupid or tacky who cares it saves the car in my opinion.

I actually think mud flaps look nice and that they do help. I have a GM set of four brand new in their packages. I have never installed them because i want to have my rear bumper painted at the body shop, and the mudflaps go on the inside of the rear side bumper. I can't wait to paint it so i can put them on. And i really wanted to get rid of the rust because since it's a truck, it's high and you can see the rust underneath. My solution to this cosmetic problem is that im going to get running boards which will give the truck a better look, will allow me to get into it easier, and most importantly, cover up and hide the rusted area underneath the truck.