Oil as undercoating to slow down rust

[Bailes1992]

I've been using Lanogaurd for the last 2 years. I imagine it's very similar to Woolwax.

Imagine it would be reasonably straight forward for you to get in France, even with Brexit!

 

[Carburetor1]

Woolwax spray kit sticks to the frame if prep is good. Also fluid film is ok and can lubricate hinges although it is much thinner. Just from my experience

 

[KrisZ]

If no dedicated rust proofing solution are available, or are hard to obtain I know that regular bearing grease, brushed onto the surface works really well and will not wash off. Did that many times.

For cavities and areas where that are not exposed to spray water, or at least high speed spray water, regular oil will work just fine.
Chainsaw bar oil is also good and can be thinned out with wd40 or kerosene.

Those would be my go to home brews if nothing dedicated was readily available.

 

[KrisZ]

The thing is now to find a product similar to Krown or FF in my country.

Yes, most products in Europe seem to be just black tar undercoatings. Oil based rustproofing products are rare. Maybe try looking at heavy construction equipment or farm equipment solutions instead of automotive specific. You will probably have more luck there.

Or make something yourself like I mentioned above.

 

[Braapdaddy]

Have used bar and chain oil thinned out for use on my snow plow truck and applied in the correct areas in the summer when the frame and body is hot from the ambient temps it will spread better
Wait a few days .......... detail the body and wipe any drippy places with a swab brush if needed

Have also tried cheapest 2 stroke same way one year

Tried boiled linseed oil one year

The key to using any of these home brews or even the name brand manufactured stuff is 50% of the effectiveness is on the person applying it and where they are applying it

My only reason to stick with the home brews is they DO actually "wash " off when and if your ready and some of the dyed black Woolwax is not so easy to clean up

 

[Donald]

In France we seldom use road salt, especially in the west of the country where I live but my W124 comes from belgium and I have a rusty jacking point and rust in one wheel arch to fix which is a classic on older Mercedes. Other than that, the car is solid, I had a good poke around with a screwdriver and I can only find surface rust underneath the car. I'd like to keep it from rusting even more by spraying something oily and I'd like to avoid anything rubbery that can trap moisture if cut/hit by rocks.

Here are the (cheap) options I found so far:

- WD40 : seems way too thin, I think it would evaporate in hours.
- New motor oil : still too thin to cling for a long term, bad for motorbikes if it drips all over the road.
- Used motor oil : same problems, even worse for my health and the environment but free.
- Chainsaw oil : seems like the best option, would definitely cling. A bit too thick to seep in every crevices. What about mixing it with something like mineral spirit or kerosene to spray it? If the lighter components evaporate while leaving the thick oil everywhere, this would be a nice and cheap solution. Seems to work as well as Fluid Film or Krown for many people.

I don't want to spent too much money on other products as I like to tinker and try and I'm cheap. I don't mind if it's a tacky mess under my car, I hate rust.

Buy the proper product as it will get behind rust and creep.

And don't use used motor oil. It needs to be returned to a recycle container.

 

[doitmyself]

A few comments:
- NH Oil Rustproofing has both clear and black coatings as mentioned in the video above: https://nhoilundercoating.com/
- My vehicle, approaching 10 years old is doing excellent with Krown applications. I finally found a superb Krown facility in southwest Michigan if anyone is interested.
- After doing some preventive maintenance work last week (sway bar bushings, serpentine belt components change) I have to admit that it is VERY messy working under the car. Touched my hair against the frame - spent a half hour in the shower afterwords. Hands/arms - every time you nudge against anywhere - boom, black marks. Better than rust, IMO, and/or seized fasteners. Not for the OCD clean freaks.
- JHZR's cosmoline picture above - you can see cracks in the waxy buildup at the bottom.
- Most here are concerned about washoff. Krown claims that microscopic protection exists despite appearances. Maybe???

 

[denwood]

Both Krown and Rust Check wash off literally in 1-2 hours of driving in rain..at least from exposed areas of chassis. They are very thin, so do likely creep nicely in seams. That said, I don't use either of these vendors any more after numerous and repeated issues with application carelessness, and the rapid wash issue...and the product is not cheap either if buying it standalone.

I agree 100% on the OCD issues...this is what it takes in this climate to protect a car if driving it in winter salt/sand.

This thread goes over the process in detail that I use now: https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=32082

It's 6-8 hours just to prep a car properly for treatment by the time you thoroughly clean the underbody, dry and then pull the aero trays, fender liners etc. If you're doing it right and taking the time to fully expose the chassis, you don't want a product that washes off either!

 

[doitmyself]

denwood, the video is good, but I wish it would have concentrated more on the noxudol application and less on hitch/wiring installation, bulbs, paint correction, cabin filter, etc.. He didn't show any pictures actually using his tools and applying the product. No pictures showing spraying the lighter product in the enclosed spaces. His pictures of panel removal and access points prep is good.

It looks like about 80% of the underside is covered by 5 plastic panels. To me, these areas would be protected from direct splash and it seems that it would have been better to use the lighter 700 product there for its maximum creep potential into all the panel/weld seams. Instead he used the thicker 300 product.

Thanks for sharing that video. Considering all of the DIY work I do on many projects, for some reason I don't mind paying someone else to do this job. I DO put in effort to locate good shops and attempt to get them to do a decent job - everyone knows how that goes.

 

[denwood]

denwood, the video is good, but I wish it would have concentrated more on the noxudol application and less on hitch/wiring installation, bulbs, paint correction, cabin filter, etc.. He didn't show any pictures actually using his tools and applying the product. No pictures showing spraying the lighter product in the enclosed spaces. His pictures of panel removal and access points prep is good.

It looks like about 80% of the underside is covered by 5 plastic panels. To me, these areas would be protected from direct splash and it seems that it would have been better to use the lighter 700 product there for its maximum creep potential into all the panel/weld seams. Instead he used the thicker 300 product.

Thanks for sharing that video. Considering all of the DIY work I do on many projects, for some reason I don't mind paying someone else to do this job. I DO put in effort to locate good shops and attempt to get them to do a decent job - everyone knows how that goes.

@doitmyself , finding a shop that takes the time to do it right is indeed half the battle as the franchise places honestly are crap.

That was me doing the work in the LEAF thread, and ya..I did a few other projects with the car on the hoist Noxudol actually suggests treating any seam areas with 700 first, then doing the 300 after. That would be feasible with a project car (where time is not an issue) but hard to do on a driver if you were allowing a few days set time. A surprising amount of gravel came out of the LEAF aero sheilds, which suggest quite a few areas do get hit with sand/salt/gravel, primarily via the OEM vents/drains built into the pans...so I would still use the 300 over the 700 in those areas.

What I prefer to do is the 700 in all the panels, doors, chassis pre-treat, then wait a week a do the 300. That's what I did with our Highlander.

This vehicle was first treated in 2018, the pics are from 2021..so after 3 years you can see how well the Noxudol 300 is holding up.

One of the things that Krown/Rust Check never do is drop the spare...it only takes a minute and if it's a steely, needs treatment too!

A bit of touch up in the fender well (3 years after first treatment) This vehicle sees sand/salt as well as gravel roads in the summer going to camp. The chassis/panel wax products have been holding up incredibly well.

This is a pic in 2022 after replacing a failed heat shield over the muffler. I always keep a quart of Noxudol 300 on hand for application in when doing work...but you can see how well the areas around the muffler are holding up. I replaced the thin OEM shield that fell off with 1/8" aluminium sheet as the fuel vapour evap unit is housed over the muffler...go figure. It's an example of an area that can be very hard to properly spray with the OEM muffler/shield in place. These are items I would not typically mess with when doing a car...so they would require some attention with the various spray wands/extensions to do a decent job.

 

[Fabulous50s]

CRC brand Marine Heavy duty rust inhibitor. You should be able to get it France from Amazon. Comes in spray cans, and won't wash away like Fluid Film.

It creeps for a few hours until it drys unto a waxy rugged coating. I've used it from recommendations from several YouTube tests.

 

[Corelokt]

Inside doors and the carpet I like bedliner.

 

[ripcord]

A guy with a youtube channel called mustie1 uses a mix of melted toilet bowl wax rings and bar and chain oil to treat the under side of his vehicles. He's shown how it holds up and it seems to last pretty well for several years in New Hampshire winters.

He heats up the oil/wax mix and sprays it on with a fluid film gun.

 

[JTK]

I hear great things about noxudal and I have no reason to doubt them. Even so, I'd still like to see a noxudal application after one year in areas that get moderate to heavy road-wash.

The reason I say this is even, run of the mill FF or WW stays put beautifully in areas that don't get road blasted. I can show you 1-2yr old areas of FF and WW on my Ram 1500 that look like I sprayed them yesterday (above heat shields, fender liners, inside of front bumper, above fuel tank). The floor sheet metal holds the product well also. It takes on a black, greasy consistency in those areas as dirt and grit into it.

On the other hand, I could apply FF, WW, etc with a mop (kidding) onto the frame and chassis components in direct contact with tire/road spray and it will be (visibly) gone in a month.

My take away with oil or wax type rust proofing is, if the vehicle lives in the rust belt, ANY of them are better than nothing. If you're conscientious about re-applying it at some reasonable interval, they'll all help and the chances of them working gets exponentially better.

Living so close to the Canadian border where Krown has prevailed forever, you should see some of the old iron there that looks new underneath due to yearly Krown re-sprays. I tried Krown in the Buffalo area once. To me it seemed like thinned vegetable oil and was visibly gone under my vehicle in no time. Would it have been better year after year? Maybe..

 

[denwood]

I hear great things about noxudal and I have no reason to doubt them. Even so, I'd still like to see a noxudal application after one year in areas that get moderate to heavy road-wash.

The reason I say this is even, run of the mill FF or WW stays put beautifully in areas that don't get road blasted. I can show you 1-2yr old areas of FF and WW on my Ram 1500 that look like I sprayed them yesterday (above heat shields, fender liners, inside of front bumper, above fuel tank). The floor sheet metal holds the product well also. It takes on a black, greasy consistency in those areas as dirt and grit into it.

On the other hand, I could apply FF, WW, etc with a mop (kidding) onto the frame and chassis components in direct contact with tire/road spray and it will be (visibly) gone in a month.

My take away with oil or wax type rust proofing is, if the vehicle lives in the rust belt, ANY of them are better than nothing. If you're conscientious about re-applying it at some reasonable interval, they'll all help and the chances of them working gets exponentially better.

Living so close to the Canadian border where Krown has prevailed forever, you should see some of the old iron there that looks new underneath due to yearly Krown re-sprays. I tried Krown in the Buffalo area once. To me it seemed like thinned vegetable oil and was visibly gone under my vehicle in no time. Would it have been better year after year? Maybe..

You did see my post above with pics after 3 years, yes? Your comments on wash off are 100% spot on...exactly what I see here. Also agree 100% on application as at least the hidden bits will have product in them. That said, nothing can withstand the sand blasting we see behind the wheels (it is sand blasting after all!!) but Noxudol has held up better than anything I've tested...and I've tested a lot of product. I likely use 200-300 ml per year on touch ups on each vehicle when I do winter to summer tire/rim swap in April or so. That's about $8-10 of Noxudol 300 product, vs a full application yearly that would wash off anyway using Krown/Rust Check/FF/Woolwax etc.

We have the nastiest of winters here..about six months worth with temps dipping below -30 C, and a ton of salt/sand in use.

The reason I only use Noxudol now is the other information I've gleaned about the product via their patent and MSDS : https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2011120646A1/en

A bit more research on the chemical additives that they use:

Sulphonic acids - rust cleaner
overbased calcium salts - oil additive to prevent rust
pentaerythritol - referenced in several corrosion inhibition papers.
polymers with isophthalic acid - referenced in corrosion resistance material
tall oils - used as a base for corrosion inhibitor products

That's likely why their product ranking number one in this 3 year test (the Noxudol 700 in particular)

http://www.mercasol.ru/uploaded/image/Pressa/Other/Rusttest Noxudol 700 Classic Monthly UK.pdf

I've got zero interest in the company otherwise...I still pay full price for this stuff..ha All of the above though is almost 100% why Toyota, Subaru, etc. have used Noxudol 700 and 300 in many of their recalls.

 

[OM605]

Sometimes i wonder, will a somewhat rusty car that spent most of it's life in an area where road salt is used will continue rotting away in a nicer climate? Reason i ask is because the surface rust was caused by salt when my car was in Belgium from 1993 to 2018 but were i live, temps rarely go below freezing, road salt is used a few days every year, at most and i don't even drive a RWD car when it's cold.

Do you have any exemple of cars like that that came from up north but still lasted a long time in an other state with nicer weather? I think that coating will work very well in my case, the only problem might be wash off due to rain. CRC Marine and bar and chain oil appear to be the best solutions so far.

 

[denwood]

Sometimes i wonder, will a somewhat rusty car that spent most of it's life in an area where road salt is used will continue rotting away in a nicer climate? Reason i ask is because the surface rust was caused by salt when my car was in Belgium from 1993 to 2018 but were i live, temps rarely go below freezing, road salt is used a few days every year, at most and i don't even drive a RWD car when it's cold.

Do you have any exemple of cars like that that came from up north but still lasted a long time in an other state with nicer weather? I think that coating will work very well in my case, the only problem might be wash off due to rain. CRC Marine and bar and chain oil appear to be the best solutions so far.

I think you just made a case for a CPC treatment that actively reacts with rust That said, if you take a car from here (salt/sand/snow central), and take it to Arizona, the rate of corrosion would likely slow, or stop, in the absence of moisture, salt, etc.

Usually the opposite is true...folks here absolutely prize cars from the desert where a 25 year old bare paint chassis still looks like new. They don't survive here unless they are stored over winters, or treated carefully with a product like Noxudol.

 

[OM605]

I am looking at a few videos and reviews the CRC stuff and it seems very good. I'll try to find the equivalent here.

 

[JTK]

I am looking at a few videos and reviews the CRC stuff and it seems very good. I'll try to find the equivalent here.

There's also some interesting videos on a product made by PB Blaster as well.

 

[Graham Piccinini]

This video gives some interresting ideas like using a dye... They seem to use a mix of lanolin and mineral oil.

I live 7hrs away and in a rust free state. But watching this makes me want to get on up there for a coat on my truck.
But of course, realistically I could just make my own frankenbrew, I guess...