Topic: Rustproofing and Undercoating for MX-5 - need your advise!

[Arctic_White]

I plan on keeping my MX-5 for a really long time, and i'm thinking about rustproofing and undercoating my car.

I have two questions:

1) Is it needed? 

2) The best price I got quoted was $250 (+ tax) for both; is this price worth it?

[No H2O]

I plan on keeping my MX-5 for a really long time, and i'm thinking about rustproofing and undercoating my car.

How long did you keep your last car?

In  any case, even if you sell or trade it in a few years, a car that has been rustproofed will always look better over time...and sell better.

How fast and badly do cars rust in Burnaby, BC?

I have two questions:

1) Is it needed? 
2) The best price I got quoted was $250 (+ tax) for both; is this price worth it?

1) Not if you don't care. Other than problem areas on certain cars, cars usually do not rust for the first 8 years. The rustproofing makes things easier to work on because they haven't rusted-seized.

2) What do you mean by "both"? Rustproofing and undercoating are the same thing...to me. I use Krown T-40, an annual application. I've been using it since on cars since 1990. That one was 16 years old when we sold it after having gone through harsh Eastern Ontario winters. It had no rust. My Honda is 12 years old now...no rust other than on the tailgate where it makes contact with the rubber seal (Krown would not help there).

The rustproofing offered by dealers is a bad deal, both price-wise and performance-wise.

Your choice.

[Arctic_White]

Thanks for responding, H2O!

I've kept my/our Corolla since January of 2000.  With 325K+ kms, my retired father still drives it to run errands.

Things and priorities can change at any time, but I hope to keep the MX-5 for the next 10 years.

I shopped around and i got $170 as the best deal, so i will go for it.  I'm going after-market route, and turns out that the shop performing the rustproofing also does it for a several dealerships in the neighbourhood. 

[airbalancer]

Strange, no Krown in Vancover area

[Arctic_White]

Strange, no Krown in Vancover area

Indeed.  I looked around, but no luck.

Will be getting it done through a friend's cousins shop.  I'll post pics & reviews once the work is completed.

[No H2O]

I shopped around and i got $170 as the best deal, so i will go for it.  I'm going after-market route, and turns out that the shop performing the rustproofing also does it for a several dealerships in the neighbourhood.

Is it a one-time application?

Is it a wax or semi-hard coating? If it is, I'd stay away from it and stick with a product that runs.

[aquadorhj]

i am dead seriously asking this.  is it necessary to rust proof cars in burnaby?   i don't know, that's why i'm asking.

there were a lot of salts on the road when i drove to salmon arm last winter, but that was just over mountain passes..  didn't even see snow once i got to salmon arm and kelowna.

[Arctic_White]

i am dead seriously asking this.  is it necessary to rust proof cars in burnaby?   i don't know, that's why i'm asking.

there were a lot of salts on the road when i drove to salmon arm last winter, but that was just over mountain passes..  didn't even see snow once i got to salmon arm and kelowna.

That is exactly my question!  Is it even needed?  Will it even increase the resale value 10 years down the road? 

The $170 can indeed be used for upgrading the Sways... 

I shopped around and i got $170 as the best deal, so i will go for it.  I'm going after-market route, and turns out that the shop performing the rustproofing also does it for a several dealerships in the neighbourhood.

Is it a one-time application?

Is it a wax or semi-hard coating? If it is, I'd stay away from it and stick with a product that runs.

It is a one-time application with lifetime warranty.  The guys says that undercoating will also help keep the road noise to a minimum, and rust-proofing guarantees no rust to "trouble" areas. 

[overtakeyouintheleftlane]

http://www.krown.com/search.php

Click on BC and it will list the Krown centres in BC.

Cars costs about $120. Do it once a year.

My car is a 2003 with almost 191,500km. I don't have rust and haven't had to replace brake lines or anything like. I'm happy with the product.

[Gardiner Westbound]

Curiously, the Acura dealer suddenly lost interest in selling me supplementary rustproofing when I said I won't buy a car that was inadequately rustproofed at the factory.

No holes that might have jeopardized the factory warranty were drilled in my new car, nor was smelly glop sprayed into it. I don't have ugly, hard to clean black splotches that ruin clothing around the doors. And, I'm not paying a marijuana-buzzed high school dropout $100+ every year to respray it. So far that would have totaled at least $1,000.

Notwithstanding daily driving in Salt-ario my 2004 model is rust free. A small portion of the money that would have gone to supplementary rustproofing is directed to more frequent winter car washes. I followed this regime with our 1994 Toyota. Sold privately in 2007, it was rust free and fetched top dollar.

[No H2O]

It is a one-time application with lifetime warranty.

In that case, its probably not worth doing and as far as the warranty is concerned, read the fine print...which is the case with any rustproofing business.

Despite what some say, rustproofing is worth it. My twelve year old Honda is still on the road and will be for another six years; me neighbour's Honda (same year) was towed away last year (nothing critical, but he just didn't want to spend the money to replace all brake and fuel lines).

If you drive more than 30K kilometers per year, then I might not bother...the drive train and body will last about the same time.

[Arctic_White]

I drive between 12,000 and 15,000 kms per year; i'm still doing research but more leaning towards getting this done.

[articsteve]

It is a one-time application with lifetime warranty.  The guys says that undercoating will also help keep the road noise to a minimum

It's actually detrimental to the vehicle.  We apply the same crap to new cars at our stores, but for much more money.  If I were looking for a hobby car, and MX5s would be considered to be in that group, and the owner said he had applied that sticky crap to the bottom of the car I won't even consider it.

You don't understand, as with others here, the concept of Krown.  It's of a different substance, but it's like spraying the entire vehicle inside and out with WD40.  It hit's everything but brakes and belts.  Great for wiring, bolts, everything metal.  It eventually disappears and needs to be redone.

It's for long term ownership.

If you can't find Krown or something like it, AFT would be better than nothing.

[overtakeyouintheleftlane]

As articsteve said, it's for long term ownership. If you want to keep the car for a long time, it's worth it. I forgot to mention as well with Krown, you have to apply it yearly.