Protecting underbody of car

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05RLS2

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I had my car jacked up in the air the other day cleaning and washing the underside of it off. I have been doing this every weekend whenever it gets exposed to brine salt on the roads, which has only been a couple times so far this year. I happened to noticed an area maybe around 5/32" wide and 1/2" long that looks to have started to develop surface rust on it. I don't see how since I am very thorough and do not let this mess linger on my car longer than a week. Anways, I need to do something to stop it from going any further.

Should a scotchbrite and spraying undercoating a good idea here? I have heard of rust converters that you can spray or brush on, but do they actually work at stopping rust from developing and rotting? I don't live in the rustbelt, so I am not really familiar with the proper techniques when it comes to this. I am asking you guys and gals for what technique and reccomended products I should use here
 
05RLS2 said:
I had my car jacked up in the air the other day cleaning and washing the underside of it off. I have been doing this every weekend whenever it gets exposed to brine salt on the roads, which has only been a couple times so far this year. I happened to noticed an area maybe around 5/32" wide and 1/2" long that looks to have started to develop surface rust on it. I don't see how since I am very thorough and do not let this mess linger on my car longer than a week. Anways, I need to do something to stop it from going any further.

Should a scotchbrite and spraying undercoating a good idea here? I have heard of rust converters that you can spray or brush on, but do they actually work at stopping rust from developing and rotting? I don't live in the rustbelt, so I am not really familiar with the proper techniques when it comes to this. I am asking you guys and gals for what technique and reccomended products I should use here
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Look into por-15...I hears that this stuff is simply amazing..I bought it but have not opened it yet...Bunch of shops use it.

POR15, Inc. - Stop Rust Permanently - Repair Gas & Fuel Tanks
 
GaDetailDoc said:
******************

Look into por-15...I hears that this stuff is simply amazing..I bought it but have not opened it yet...Bunch of shops use it.

POR15, Inc. - Stop Rust Permanently - Repair Gas & Fuel Tanks
Click to expand...

I agree!

I used POR-15 on my weld in sub frame connectors and they look like new after seven years.

And the best price I found on it was on E-bay. A bunch of people were selling it and I just went with the lowest total price including shipping.
 
One dried, does the POR15 have a glossy or a satin appearance? I need more of a satin that is common with most unibody cars. From your use oldmodman is the Marine Clean and Metal Ready truly necessary, or should POR15 be sufficient as long as the area is cleaned to the metal?

How do the over the counter parts stores rust converts compare to the POR15? Are they all essentially the same? Another product I have found is the Eastwod Rust Converter and Encapsulator, are these any good and how do they compare? Just looking to find the best product that actually works, since this isn't something one wants to cheap out on and get a product that just hides rust rather than stop it
 
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05RLS2 said:
How do the over the counter parts stores rust converts compare to the POR15? Are they all essentially the same? Another product I have found is the Eastwod Rust Converter and Encapsulator, are these any good and how do they compare? Just looking to find the best product that actually works, since this isn't something one wants to cheap out on and get a product that just hides rust rather than stop it
Click to expand...

Per your last line, this is something you want to do right if your going to do it and you putting your car on a lift often to clean it,(what car is it btw) I would go with one that has more info than an over the counter.
 
05RLS2 said:
One dried, does the POR15 have a glossy or a satin appearance? I need more of a satin that is common with most unibody cars. From your use oldmodman is the Marine Clean and Metal Ready truly necessary, or should POR15 be sufficient as long as the area is cleaned to the metal?

How do the over the counter parts stores rust converts compare to the POR15? Are they all essentially the same? Another product I have found is the Eastwod Rust Converter and Encapsulator, are these any good and how do they compare? Just looking to find the best product that actually works, since this isn't something one wants to cheap out on and get a product that just hides rust rather than stop it
Click to expand...

I've always used the POR-15 here in the "rust belt". But for comparison sakes between three top 'rust preventers' try this link:

POR15 or Rust Bullet: Product Comparison of POR 15 & Rust Bullet
 
Not sure how much to trust the "comparison" listed on one of the products own pages. But maybe its just me.

But it does give a nice group to look at and compare yourself.
 
Jons6.7 said:
Not sure how much to trust the "comparison" listed on one of the products own pages. But maybe its just me.

But it does give a nice group to look at and compare yourself.
Click to expand...

:iagree: Yes, I just wanted the OP to see the differences between recommended prepping, number of applications, top-coatings, and total estimated costs listed on this site--I still say go for the POR-15, it has never failed me.
 
I'm going to try out Rust Bullet in the spring. Not as many prep steps.
 
05RLS2 said:
Should a scotchbrite and spraying undercoating a good idea here?
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Don't think so... I had a friend with surface rust on the frame rails on a pickup that did that. Eventually when the undercoat started flaking off the surface rust underneath was worse. He ended up wire brushing it down with Wheel Brightener and used Rustoleum Rust Reformer. He then used Wurth black, spray-on chip guard on the rails. Still looking good a few years later.

POR-15 has been the industry standard for stopping rust for a long time. I've heard others praise Rust Reformer, however I haven't personally used it.

TL
 
For those that have personally used POR15 could you answer this for me? I have been reading a few reviews and how to's on other forums, and have seent that POR15 is prefered to be used on highly rusted metals, or metals that are competely bare, or on classic car frame restorations. Keep in mind, I am just working with a small area of surface rust on an otherwise good shape 5 year old car with a unibody, not a 40 year old car.

Is it absolutely necessary to get all areas that are to be covered with the POR15 down a bare metal surface? I have seen some reviews that say that it will not adhere at all on painted areas, and others say that it will stick just fine. I'd like to hear some experiences from others here, since I don't really want to go past the black unibody finish in surrounding areas if I don't have to.

Right now it's between POR15 and Rust Bullet. As it sits now, I am kind of leaning toward Rust Bullet for the fact that it doesn't require much preparation and is UV resistant
 
Can I wax the underbody of my car? Will that help much? I don't have snow or road salt. Is it safe to wax exhaust pipes?
 
J1nx93 said:
I'm going to try out Rust Bullet in the spring. Not as many prep steps.
Click to expand...

I know this thread has been inactive for a little while but it's now spring and time to start thinking about combating corrosion from last winter.

In reference to RUST BULLET:
I've used Rust Bullet for a lot of different applications and can tell you that the long term outcome will depend 95% on your surface prep work. In my opinion, much of the marketing material that sells RB on ease of use is directed at differentiating it from POR-15 and not really based on fact. However, I do really like the fact that RB is UV-proof, unlike POR015. RB is awesome, but it's not the "silver bullet" (though it may be silver) against rust. You need to have a really good foundation if you want it to last. The adhesion is very good, but not extraordinary. I highly suggest removing all rust from the surface you are treating and making sure you're leaving a rough enough surface for the RB to grab. Also, always use three coats, not the minimum two. Furthermore, the rust must be totally encapsulated, no leading edges or adjacent surfaces can have rust or it will eat into the treated area guaranteed. RB claims to be self-leveling, but you will need to spray it if you are really concerned about the smoothness of the finished product (unless you want to do a lot of sanding and use more product).

Has anybody ever used WAXOIL or a similar wax-based protectant? Nobody offers this kind of underbody treatment in Indiana, but it's used all over Europe and I hear it is very good. It can be fogged into cavities and prevents oxidation for many years. There are no issues with it separating like undercoats and holding water.
 
jbgrant said:
I know this thread has been inactive for a little while but it's now spring and time to start thinking about combating corrosion from last winter.

In reference to RUST BULLET:
I've used Rust Bullet for a lot of different applications and can tell you that the long term outcome will depend 95% on your surface prep work. In my opinion, much of the marketing material that sells RB on ease of use is directed at differentiating it from POR-15 and not really based on fact. However, I do really like the fact that RB is UV-proof, unlike POR015. RB is awesome, but it's not the "silver bullet" (though it may be silver) against rust. You need to have a really good foundation if you want it to last. The adhesion is very good, but not extraordinary. I highly suggest removing all rust from the surface you are treating and making sure you're leaving a rough enough surface for the RB to grab. Also, always use three coats, not the minimum two. Furthermore, the rust must be totally encapsulated, no leading edges or adjacent surfaces can have rust or it will eat into the treated area guaranteed. RB claims to be self-leveling, but you will need to spray it if you are really concerned about the smoothness of the finished product (unless you want to do a lot of sanding and use more product).

Has anybody ever used WAXOIL or a similar wax-based protectant? Nobody offers this kind of underbody treatment in Indiana, but it's used all over Europe and I hear it is very good. It can be fogged into cavities and prevents oxidation for many years. There are no issues with it separating like undercoats and holding water.
Click to expand...

RE: UV protection
I personally don't worry about UV protection for the underbody areas of the vehicles. Thanks for your input, gives me something else to think about.
 
FUNX725 said:
RE: UV protection
I personally don't worry about UV protection for the underbody areas of the vehicles. Thanks for your input, gives me something else to think about.
Click to expand...

Haha, well yes you make a good point. I've used rust bullet on things like trailers, commercial mowers, etc.
 
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