
Re: nearly that time of year
I have to say, I'm with 2-50 AZU on this one. To suggest you can't protect steel from rusting is defeatist at best.
I also rate the likes of Waxoyl (I'm talking the original Finnegan's stuff - I've yet to try the Hammerite version long term) highly, and would use this over any kind of 'painted' coating any time. Most 'bitumen'-type underseals will - in my experience - harden over time and will then become as vulnerable as any 'skin' type of protection; once that skin has been penetrated by a stone chip, a rust speck will form and this will spread under the skin drawing in more water by capillary action. I have found some thick 'Stone-Chip' coatings to be even worse - they
really cause major problems once they've been breached - the thickness of the coating means it forms a beautiful, tough skin over the rust and water patch that is spreading underneath... Very often, this tough, wonderful skin will actually
hide what's going on underneath. It will also make adding a further seasonal coating ineffective, as what you are applying the top-up coating to is already ineffectual.
'Waxoyl' type products, on the other hand, have the huge advantages of never 'chipping' as such, never peeling, and will
always actively
repel water. Further top coats
will add to - and seal - any breaches. It will 'creep' into and over any surface rust, and will seal it from air and water. (Obviously, a
loose flake of rust cannot be protected, as this can simply fall off taking the Waxoyl with it.) I've no idea how good the actual 'rust killing' components in Waxoyl are, but I have found it to be a superb product in general and will always call on it first.
I accept that there are better versions of the 'wax' type underseals out there - people seem to rate Dinitrol very highly - but I have no personal experience of them so can't comment.
But, it's 'WAX' all the way for me.
With any car I've owned, the first thing I do is find out where their particular vulnerable-to-rust areas are. This is pretty easy to do, and owner's clubs and forums are the best source of this info. You then
particularly target these areas - simple.
(I bought a Mazda Bongo camper on behalf of my niece. A read through their excellent member's club's forum showed very quickly that the wheel arches and the front sections of the sills (and a rear cross member) were the 'weak' areas. Some owners kept patching the arches and were surprised that bubbles kept reappearing... My little contribution to that forum was to find out how to access the
inner wheel arch skins by removing storage pockets, and then spraying thinned Waxoyl in there to seal the panel joins from the inside - because that'[s where the rust was obviously coming from...)
Ok, where are the vulnerable parts of the Deux Chevaux? It's a new model to me, but it's already clear that the upper rear wheel arches are prime rust targets. And it's obvious why. Ditto the boxy part of the front wing which sits against the front footwell - again, it's obvious why. (My solution for the former will be to remove the arches, liberally coat the inner and outer wing contact 'flanges' with a thick, brushed-on layer of unthinned waxoyl (after making sure, of course, that any existing rust is removed and treated with 'cold galv' spray, primer and top coat). Ditto coating the decorative trim. Once bolted up, wipe away any excess that will likely get squeezed out the top when the joint is tightened. Then I will spray from under the arch with slightly thinned Waxoyl to fully coat the seam from underneath, to make
absolutely certain that no water will get through to the seam. I DO expect that to pretty much prevent any future rust in that area. Ditto with any other weak spots. Of course, I'll also be coating the
whole of the under arches too...
Where else? Oh, inside the door skins. Ans a thick coat brushed into the door rubber flanges before refitting the rubbers would be nifty. No harm in also brushing it behind the bottom door lips too, y'know, behind the rubber where it can't be seen, but where rust likes to take hold unseen. Oh, and inside the sills. And inside the door apertures (through the little holes half-way up - use well-thinned stuff). Etc, etc...
(Another huge advantage of Waxoyl is that you can apply it liberally to anywhere you want, and then simply use a cloth to neatly wipe away any visible bits you don't want - eg: when you spray under the wings, also liberally coat the return edges over the paint. Then use a cloth along the outside to wipe a neat line half-way around the outer edge so that the Waxoyl cannot be seen from the outside, but is still coating the side that's facing the tyres and also the inner sharp edge which is particularly vulnerable. Y'know the bits I mean? Ditton with decor strips such as the sill trims and arch beadings. You can pour Waxoyl along them (or brush it underneath) and then wipe away the excess after the trims have been refitted - it wipes away cleanly.)
Oh, in wet weather, always give the Waxoyl a couple of days at least to 'set' before using the car.
And buy an air freshener...
