Rust again, aluminum Ford the answer?

[ray66v]

The holes drilled for rust proofing plugs cause rust, because the created bare metal, sits under a cap that causes capillary action. Any moisture that gets near the cap, is drawn under it, where the bare metal is. And, held there.

Taking the time to coat the plugs with a sealant, completely eliminates the problem. I've had to rustproof the repairs on a lot of vehicles over the years. I have drilled countless holes for rustproofing, that used to be the standard. I sealed the plugs. None of them ever rusted.

Sadly, the rustproofers either didn't care, or never figured out they needed to use a sealant. Now, they have to work twice as hard, because people won't let them drill holes.

There is confusion over the terms rustproofing, and undercoating. They are two different products, for two different uses.

Rustproofing, is generally a wax based, or petroleum based product, for coating the inside of panels. It is thin, so it can be sprayed easily. And, never hardens.

Undercoating, is an asphalt based product. It's for use on the underside of the vehicle where it is exposed to the elements. It's is fairly thick, and usually becomes hard, or better, firm to the touch.

Once the solvents in the undercoating evaporate, a week or two, it generally is not to smelly.

Rustproofing, off gases for a much longer period of time.

If you want to keep the odor level down, the fall is a good time to have it done. This is because, the heat of the sun speeds up driving solvents out of it, and those solvents generally go into the vehicle. If you wait for cool weather, it's much more tolerable.

 

[drizler]

The answer is buy a Nissan, Toyota or Honda. American brands still haven't figured out how to prevent rust despite decades of trying.

I would say quite the contrary. They achieved exactly what they wanted. A truck that typically will fall apart within 10-12 years. Funny a unit body will stay pretty much stable on a car yet that special hardened garbage they use on the rear half of the truck frames from the gas tank back turns to tinfoil.
Then there is their wonderous GM door hinges. As long as ive been driving those junk hinges wore out the bushings. Unless uou catch them right when they began to wear they egg out the hinge which guarantees the next bushings will wear out in short order and the process repeats. So what do they do but come up with a new style that I agree is easier to change. Now there's 4 bushings to do the exact same thing just as before in the same time frame. Worse , along the way they started welding and now gluing the hinges to the frame so they can't be easily or I expensively replaced. I once again can't begin to believe they are that ignorant at GM to have done either of these things for that period of time unintentionally. Oh, then there is the cuel pumps that neRly all fail within 70,000 miles..............way to go GM. I won't even go onto the cheO braKe and fuel lines that turn to dust. The cheesey slime can't even be bothered to toss a coat of paint on them let alone primer.

 

[JJZ 109]

A properly setup carwash will not grab a OEM antenna, nor will a "touch free" carwash...

Aaron Z

Agreed. I pay a monthly fee at one of the local car washes. I can go once a day, every day of the month if I wanted to. My trucks have been in there dozens of times without removing the antenna. So has my Mustang. Never had an issue so far. But I guess it would only take one time.

 

[DK35vince]

Do you think rustproofing is something new? It's been around since the early 70's.

Does it help? It can, if it's done right. I've cut open thousands of cars that were rustproofed, It is almost never is done properly. You also have to be willing to put up with the toxic odor.

Nothing works every time, or forever.

I've also had to touch up a lot of cars were the only rust they had, was ironically around the holes drilled for the rustproofing plugs.

There is another problem you don't seem to be aware of. Many areas in modern vehicles, cannot be rustproofed properly, either because of the way they are built internally, or by virtue of the fact that they used foam to fill the cavities. That foam is a huge problem in salt states, and the manufacturers have been aware of it for decades. They all still choose to use it.

I oil my under my pickup truck and car every year. Makes a HUGE difference.
My truck is a 1991. Been through a couple dozen + winters and no rust.
They use plenty of salt and calcium on the roads here in western, Pa.. Enough to junk a car/truck in a matter of years if not oiled.