Now I Really Know Why Rustproofing Is A Big Deal In The North East U.S.

[Wrenchturner44]

OMG, and this car is only a 2015.

 

[supton]

Just remember: most any ad for this car would say "rust free".

When I think about buying a used car, my inspection starts underneath and I work my way up. Cars rot from the bottom up.

 

[2010Civic]

NY must be way harder on cars than Minnesota.

 

[supton]

NY must be way harder on cars than Minnesota.

I've long had the opinion that NY may well be worse than NH or ME. Reason being, rust is a chemical reaction. The colder the weather, the slower it goes. So it is bad every place that uses salt, but every day above freezing is a day for rust to do its thing. States that are freeze/thaw, freeze/thaw may well be worse off (for both rust and road conditions). Places that just freeze solid may have an upper hand.

Also: garages. Garages can trap heat. Snow melts off, drips down, then a puddle sits under the car. Since getting a house with a garage I've noticed rust is a bit faster on my cars than when they sat outside. Just my informal observation, w/o measurement.

 

[doublebase]

Thise rear subframes on Nissans tend to rot out, but yeah, rust proofing is very important in the northern states. I do treatments at least once per year, and most times twice (with occasional touch ups in between).

 

[Zack1978]

The word "rust proofing" is rather vague. The most effective way to keep rust away is to utilize an oil spray applied annually.

 

[2010Civic]

I fluid film all my cars every fall.

 

[AZjeff]

There's a reason we put up with the heat in the SW. I'm doing some paint sunburn repair on the plastic flares and rocker covers on the 2002 Wrangler we recently bought. I can break loose the little bolts with a wrench and turn the out with my fingers.

 

[K-Man]

Some states use a liquid road treatment in winter, supposedly derived from beets, that is worse than regular salt. That stuff eats cars, bridges, etc., etc.

The farm lobby at work.

 

[CharBaby]

Even though I live in Western NY State and we use an amount of salt in our winter that is too much to calculate, I have never had to replace a suspension part due to actually breaking apart in any vehicle that I have kept in excess of 15-18 years of everyday driving summer/winter. I have had to replace many suspension parts due to normal wear in those years mentioned.

Nissan currently has a campaign on these parts( 2013-18 Altima's and 2016-18 Maxima's ) as they new there is a problem with rust and NISSAN made the parts too cheap.

That 2015 Altima in the video has the same L & R REAR lateral links(control arms) that NISSAN just had replaced for my 2015 Altima in my signature under a NISSAN campaign. NISSAN is warranting these parts for 120 months with NO Mileage Limit from the original date of purchase. I doesn't matter how many owners the vehicle had. The campaign covers 2013-18 Altima's and 2016-18 Maxima's including towing. NISSAN even covered my $168 towing charge. Even though NISSAN said that I was responsible for the cost of the bolts, alignment and anything else that was involved in the repair, I never had to pay anything(NOTHING). The dealer said everything was covered. This was in March 2023.

Coincidentally...My 2004 Altima, YES, 2004 had its whole rear suspension replaced under a recall(not a campaign) in 2008-09 for a similar issue on the 2002-06 Altima(3rd gen Altima).

 

[CDX825]

Some states use a liquid road treatment in winter, supposedly derived from beets, that is worse than regular salt. That stuff eats cars, bridges, etc., etc.

The farm lobby at work.

Even worse they use the waste water from gas and oil production that is high salinity and full of other nasty crap.

 

[doublebase]

Even though I live in Western NY State and we use an amount of salt in our winter that is too much to calculate, I have never had to replace a suspension part due to actually breaking apart in any vehicle that I have kept in excess of 15-18 years of everyday driving summer/winter. I have had to replace many suspension parts due to normal wear in those years mentioned.

Nissan currently has a campaign on these parts( 2013-18 Altima's and 2016-18 Maxima's ) as they new there is a problem with rust and NISSAN made the parts too cheap.

That 2015 Altima in the video has the same L & R REAR lateral links(control arms) that NISSAN just had replaced for my 2015 Altima in my signature under a NISSAN campaign. NISSAN is warranting these parts for 120 months with NO Mileage Limit from the original date of purchase. I doesn't matter how many owners the vehicle had. The campaign covers 2013-18 Altima's and 2016-18 Maxima's including towing. NISSAN even covered my $168 towing charge. Even though NISSAN said that I was responsible for the cost of the bolts, alignment and anything else that was involved in the repair, I never had to pay anything(NOTHING). The dealer said everything was covered. This was in March 2023.

Coincidentally...My 2004 Altima, YES, 2004 had its whole rear suspension replaced under a recall(not a campaign) in 2008-09 for a similar issue on the 2002-06 Altima(3rd gen Altima).

Yes, you’re right, the Nissan brand had/has issues with corrosion. That rear piece/subframe is a problem. And although your control arms were replaced for free (in its entirety), for some people receiving the free control arms would also mean several hours labor removing and installing new bolts, an alignment, sway bar links, etc. Those bolts are not going to come out, they’re going to have to be cut out. Same for the links. And everything else attached to those control arms, it’s time consuming. Even the springs, once they get that control arm off there’s rubber insulators that could need replacement - heck, the spring itself could need replacement.

You’re very lucky that your dealer did everything for free. That’s really cool. And I can understand why Nissan is being somewhat accommodating to customers regarding this whole thing - this is a safety hazard - and manufacturers don’t want that in the news.

 

[doublebase]

There's a reason we put up with the heat in the SW. I'm doing some paint sunburn repair on the plastic flares and rocker covers on the 2002 Wrangler we recently bought. I can break loose the little bolts with a wrench and turn the out with my fingers.

You should the faces on techs in the North East when we see a vehicle come in that’s from the south...we all call each other over, smiles a mile wide and say, look at this thing! It’s clean! There’s no rust! Have ever seen anything like this!!?? On a vehicle that’s six years old!!??

It’s as if Santa drove in on his sleigh and asked for an alignment, or soemthing.

 

[JTK]

I watched that video this AM. You really have to love Eric O. I don't live too far from him, but I know of zero shops who would offer to locate and install a good used rear cradle assembly. Based on the scope of the jobs he does, his prices are probably very good as well.

 

[doublebase]

The word "rust proofing" is rather vague. The most effective way to keep rust away is to utilize an oil spray applied annually.

Honestly, I dont think there’s many other options out there any more (aside from the wet treatments like fluid film/Krown/NH oil). I do know of one place that applies this wax like treatment now, and I forget what it’s called - it’s not cosmoline - but it’s something like a cross between that and the wax GM puts on their frames. And it’s twice the price of the Fluid Film treatments.

I think it’s pretty easy to buy a gallon of Fluid Film (or equivalent) and spray it on. Takes maybe an hour. And $47 bucks. A gallon can usually treat two vehicles for me. To get two vehicles treated would cost me $400 bucks where I am. Maybe a little more.

 

[doublebase]

I watched that video this AM. You really have to love Eric O. I don't live too far from him, but I know of zero shops who would offer to located and install a good used rear cradle assembly. Based on the scope of the jobs he does, his prices are probably very good as well.

If I lived near him I’d certainly get my vehicles repaired there - well, I work on my own stuff so maybe I wouldn’t - but if I couldn’t repair vehicles I’d definitely recommend this guy. He’s pretty good at diagnostics, and he is very careful when repairing vehicles. His experience is very evident, along with his professionalism.

Guys like this are hard to find today.

 

[SaberOne]

Living here in the desert southwest, rain/snow is more of a theory than anything else. Even so, when I purchased my Chevy, SS Sedan I wanted to tame down the road noise. Likewise, untreated SS cars have exhibited oxidation on the aluminum frame that reside in dry climates.

Aside from adding gobs of mass-loaded insulation, I was also sold into SecondSkin sound deadening spray, that essentially is undercoating. It’s water-based so theoretically it could be removed with high pressure. It did make a subtle difference in noise, and protection against road salts.

 

[John105]

Does anybody think an automatic car wash with some "undercarriage" added feature works at all?

I know firsthand with my 1998 Maxima SE purchased new, in upstate NY then moved to Phila in 1.5 years.....the lower rad support completely collapsed around 2010-2011. And it was a common issue on the forum.

On my wife's GM SUV, I was able to install a Draw Tite hitch when it was 10 years old. It was so rusted I wasn't sure I could. Had to use lots of penetrating oil, and the actual bolts, slowly, over and over. Then I chased the threads. White car, all orange underneath. It's sad to think one would buy something brand new, keep it, and 10 years later looks like that....

Personally I would definitely seek a used car from an area that's not salted, even if 3-5 y.o......

My 2006 LS purchased in 2016, has been here in Phila 2016-2023, couldn't really tell you how much it degraded after coming up from FLA. in 2016. Back then, an indie shop commented that it didn't look typical of a 2006 from around here with the lack of corrosion (car being covered underneath makes it hard to tell imho what's actually going on)...

 

[ssamaroo01]

It depends on which part of NY you’re in too. I lived downstate, closer to the city, and the rust isnt as bad as upstate. My parents still live downstate and they have 2008 Fords and neither have rust on the bodies and only have surface rust underneath. My parents don’t particularly take care of their cars either, meaning they dont take it to car washes. Those cars will be lucky if they get hosed off underneath in the spring. Admittedly, i did the same thing for my cars for most of their lives. I only started using fluid film about 2 years ago. My wife bought her Escape in Minneapolis when she was living out there in 2012 and brought it here to NY when she moved in 2015. That vehicle had more rust on it then, after 3 years, than my Fusion has after 8 years in NY. And she swears up and down that she had taken it to a car wash weekly to wash off the salt underneath as she only lived 2 blocks from a carwash at the time.

 

[jeepman3071]

Just remember: most any ad for this car would say "rust free".

When I think about buying a used car, my inspection starts underneath and I work my way up. Cars rot from the bottom up.

My inspections start with buying cars in AZ or CA. It simply isn't worth the hassle trying to buy anything around here. I've seen it all, repainted frames that are crusty on the inside, spray foam in rocker panels, you name it. My '98 Wrangler is from California, and it was cheaper to buy it and have it shipped here than the "not as rusty" crap in my area.