What are your opinions about undercoating and/or rust proofing for a 2011 Mustang? In live in S/W PA but don't plan to drive the car in the winter and salt. But I do plan to drive it so I'll encounter wet weather from time to time.

Thanks,

KT

 

Not necessary. You may get a bit of surface rust, but materials will not rust through.


If the surface rust bothers you, you can use POR15.

 

sound deadner yes rust proof naaaaaa.

 

I don't drive mine in the winter either, but I did have it rust proofed last year. If it's stored in a garage in which other winter-driven vehicles are parked, salt is in the air. If it's stored on a cement floor, the car's under body is still susceptible to moisture coming through the cement and lye leaching from the cement. A friend who has a '55 Ford Thunderbird learned that the hard way and now stores his car on a full length rubber mat.

 

I wouldn't rust proof. You can actually seal moisture in, accelerating corrosion.

 

That depends entirely on the rust proofing product. I agree that can happen with the hard products used in the past, but not some of the new soft, wax-like products that are similar in composition to the Amsoil MPHD Metal Protector you probably sell to your own customers.

 

I thought I read somewhere that the stangs are particularly vulnerable to undercarriage rust. My friends 1993 explorer doesnt have any rust at all, no rust proofing and driven in the brutal canadian winter, salt everywhere.

I wonder if ford uses similar steel on the stangs as they do on the explorers. If so, it is encouraging. But since the stang is designed primarily for southern climates, I wonder if the bean counters at ford skimped on the steel to save a few bucks. I take delivery of a 2012 shortly and I'm agonizing over whether I need to start spraying the oil at krown, or save the 80 bucks a year. I intend to have the vehicle for over 10 years though.

 

I used Krown for numerous vehicles and many years. It worked, but I found it very messy. Then the door and engine compartment seals swelled when I had it applied to an 09 Corolla and 08 Tundra. Two dealerships said it was the result of the Krown product. Now I've switched to Ziebart and am quite pleased. It's much cleaner.

 

I'm considering just giving it a pressure wash a couple times in the winter/spring to wash the salt off. Maybe that's sufficient.

 

Its not a different sort of steel Jazz, Ford uses (IIRC) cad-plated panels as early as the foxbody cars (my old 91 sat outside minus the front fenders and had a spot missing paint on the passenger side lower rocker panel for years) Granted I live in Va where the worst thing we typically get is rain (although the creek in my backyard is saltwater). Your probably best off just keeping the car clean and regularly washing and flushing the exposed areas of the underbody.

 

don't waste your money.

 

All very valid points. Some of the rust proofing out there seals in moisture and causes other issues. The oily stuff is the best but it makes a mess and everything sticks to it. If you want to do anything, clean the undercarriage up and get a couple of cans of rubberized undercoating and spray the floor and fuel/brake lines. Get a can of Por15 and paint the rear housing and drive shaft. The rustproofing stuff, no matter whose it is doesn't get into the pillars or roof area which is susceptible due to the moisture that gets in there from the constant cooling and heating of the interior. Plus rain and snow collects in the crevices around the windshield.

If you drive in the winter, rinse the undercarriage regularly and don't park in the garage. Salt does it's worst right around the freezing point. The melted snow/ice/salt mixture acts as an electrolyte an uses the metal as the sacrificial element (which becomes rust). Below freezing, not much happens. Plus being in the garage after driving in the slop will turn all your nice aluminum into a white powder.

Keep it outside after it gets wet allows things to dry off.

 

The por15 seems like a reasonable idea. I would paint most of the underside with it and it looks better than the rubber IMHO. Some say the rubber can potentially trap moisture but my experience with it was positive as it preserved a 17 year old celica, while the untreated parts had long ago rusted through.