Rust Veto - 342 (Cosmoline) Undercoating

I want to stop the rust from consuming my truck also. I stumbled across this vid on YouTube this morning. The stuff is Surface Shield by the PB (Blaster) company. It looks promising. I'm going to give it a try. BTW, I'm in no way affiliated with PB or any company, just a Tacoma fan. Maybe next spring we can all compare notes on how the various products worked for us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE1_EiZIVHs

 

About a month and a half ago I touched up the cosmoline.

As mentioned before, Cosmoline is only really susceptible to being removed by abrasion. Rock chips and scraping branches seem to be the only way it gets removed on my truck.

I drive a decent amount of gravel roads, so my undercarriage gets pretty blasted. If you drive on anything other than pavement 100% of the time, a once a year touch up is recommended. Just areas like the leading edge of the lower control arms, leaf springs, rear axle and crossmembers. Areas that don’t get direct contact from rocks or branch’s are still in perfect condition from the original application.

My underside is dirty and happy. 99% rust free, which is an anomaly for any daily driven NW Ontario truck.

 

Mine appears the same way during the spring months after driving my 2 mile dirt road everyday. It'll wash off with a garden hose. I try to hose it down at least once a month.

 

3 very salty winters later and like your vehicle OP, mine shows no visible rust anywhere.

ACF-50 then a Cosmoline based product applied 3 years ago,
ACF-50 quickly fogged under the truck at the suspension and engine compartment once every spring and fall.(6 second spray/fog to do the whole underside)
The ACF-50 is for lubrication mostly but it also softens the Cosmoline for a little while so it will "reflow" and "heal" over any scratches and rock chips.
The ACF-50 also creeps into more "nooks and cranny's" that what cosmoline will and treat galvanic corrosion (dissimilar metals.)


So far after 3 years I don't need to re-apply any more cosmoline, still have 3/4 of the original gallon I bought.

After the cosmoline has "set up" spray "Mold Release" on the underside of your truck, makes the mud fall right off with a garden hose. Haven't had to powerwash my underside yet.

 

Daks- could you pint me to the exact mold release product you are taking about please?

CdnSldr- thanks for the follow up pictures and review! Very helpful.

 

I just used what was cheapest that I could find, used 2 cans just giving everything a light fog coat after everything had set.

I got 4 cans from a local grainger supply of this stuff...

https://www.grainger.ca/en/product/MOLD-RELEASE-AEROSOL/p/CRP3445

 

Has anyone been told by the dealer that this would or could affect warranty? I just picked up my new Sport and am VERY interested in doing this before winter, I live in NH and work in Mass, both states looove salt and chemicals during the winter.

 

Cosmoline? My god man! Cosmoline... it's... it's the very essence of life itself!

I have Mosin Nagants and a SKS that are still slathered in the stuff. Am in no hurry to clean them up, they're spares and they are preserved just as the Russkies intended them.

 

I myself keep a small bottle next to the bed to dab on my neck just before sexy time with the mrs.

 

I love the smell of Cosmoline in the morning

 

I have gun safes immediately behind me on the east wall of my home. In the summertime, the sun comes up and heats the east sides of the house. The smell of cosmoline and gun oils wafts throughout my office. It is characteristic of warmth, and such a satisfying moment when you catch the scents.

It is most certainly a tantalizing smell and makes our home even more habitable with the fragrances.

The smell of WD40 comes in second. But cosmoline trumps it.

 

If they told you that then they wouldn't be able to push their own (useless/overpriced) treatment.

 

Agree. And personally, you can do a far better job at corrosion prevention than the dealer can.

The Tacoma is not a big truck. You can handle the application of corrosion protection yourself.

 

When i went in for my first toyotacare service, the dealers service writer was told to ask me what was used to coat the undercarriage of the truck, and where it was done. They were impressed saying they wished more of their owners did that kind of rust prevention on their vehicles.

 

I did FF on my truck. I don’t live in the Rust Belt, but I do occasionally take my truck to the salty beach. I don’t let it touch the water but I’m sure the sand is more than enough to get some rust started. I agree, FF is some disgusting, oily shit. Sand loves sticking to it, but a pressurized rinse at the coin wash knocks it all off immediately. I applied it with a paint gun hooked up to my air compressor, then I spread everything out nice and even with a dish washing sponge. The Texas heat made the whole process longer than it had to be simply because I was in need of constant alcoholic refreshment, but I got the entire frame (inside and out), skid plates, drivetrain, UCA’s, and LCA’s done in 3 hours.

 

There is nothing disgusting about Fluid Film. Until you crawl under your truck to work on stuff. Then you will get slimed/road grit all over your arms.

But that's Ok. Fluid Film is doing it's job. It's economical and easy to apply. And most importantly it works to prevent rust.

That is what we are are pursuing here. No rust.

I haul heavy driveline parts in my part time retirement job gig. Just to stay busy. I recently picked up a Volvo heavy duty truck tranny that was not properly drained of fluids. That leaking tranny fluid washed out the back of my work truck's suspension; talk about well oiled against rust for the next 20 years (if the truck runs that long)! It was a renewed pretty black color. It will now stand the test of time and road salts/corrosion.

Mixing tranny oil and kerosene and spraying it all along the underside of your vehicle is old school. But it works. It works VERY WELL. Some say that it's bad for the environment, But look at all of the brine and salt they are dumping on the highways and secondary roads everywhere up here in the Northeast.

Pick your battle. Choose your solution. Protect your truck.

 

Your truck is still brand new, and hasn't seen a new england winter, let alone several, or more of them. Not being in the rust belt is huge for a long lasting frame. Really can't compare....at least this early

 

That's perfect. Applied correctly.

 

Imo, both stink, and both are messy to apply....thats given so choose your poison. If living in the rust belt fluid film must be reapplied every year or you'll develop rust. With cosmoline i found its not the case. In the long run cosmoline saves labor, and i'll bet cost wise its a winner to.

 

No argument here. Cosmoline is premier.