News Flash, Our Undercarriage is Prone to Rust

Alright... maybe it isn't a news flash. Likely everyone driving a Tacoma already knows about the frame rust problem all too well; and, if not they will before their truck fun is over. Most everyone has a method they use to try and manage the problem. I once used fluid film but hate the mess it can make. Maybe your solution is to ignore the problem.

I somewhat fell into an approach that I've been using for the last 100K miles that I'm pretty happy with and it is almost as easy as ignoring the problem. It isn't perfect but I'm more than willing to let you guys be the judge of whether or not it mght be worth it. I'll tell you about my approach and afterwards the real experts can tell me why I'm full of sh-t. If there is anyone left interested in pictures I'd be happy to take some time to shoot and post some. But let's get the BS'ers and nay sayers exposed and if there is anyone left still interested in looking and constructively commenting I'll post a few pics.

First, I live in a cold weather East Coast state. We get a ton of ice and enough snow to make a pain in the a$$ out of itself. Road salt or any type of ice melt is a real and daily concern. I started using a product that I'll bet more people know about than those who don't. I just sold a classic car that was closer to 30 years old than 20. The day I sold it, it looked like new. I started using this "process" it on my Tacoma. I use it on painted, plastic, rubber, finished metal, and raw metal. I started using it in door jambs then wheel wheels and then the engine compartment. Everything I spay it on it helps "renew". The longer I work it in the more renewing it is capable of doing.

You likely know rust is an oxidize / reduction process. If I spray this juice on rust and let it sit, not dry, but just soak in, it even loosens a fair amount of rust. It is not a miracle product but it is an effective cleaner, renewing, and UV protectant.

When I got my first set of ICONs I wanted to keep the wheels wells and shocks clean. I started buying this stuff by the gallon and putting it into a pump sprayer and spraying the entire underside of my Tacoma. I do it once in the spring and again in the summer. I also do it once on a warmer winter day. I let it sit after spraying for 10 to 30 minutes depending on how hot it is outside. The idea is to let it soak into the dirt, grease, oil, salt, etc but not let it sit so long that the dirt and crap drys. Then, I spray the undercarriage with a fairly strong jet of water and rinse it off. On a real ambitious warm day I'll pull out my electric pressure sprayer. Sometimes on a rainy day I'll spray the undercarriage and let road spray do the work.

Thats it. Takes about 10 minutes to spray the undercarriage. Takes about 15 minutes to rinse.

The juice is about $50 per gallon so it isn't cheap. I use no less than 1/2 to sometimes a gallon each truck bath. Each truck bath is the entire undercarriage, the engine compartment, all exterior plastic and rubber, the wheel wells, door jams, and truck bed. When the truck is exceptionally covered with dirt, I'll spray the paint, immediately hit the just sprayed area with a soft boars hair brush, and rinse and towel dry. Once all the damp areas have dried, I hit the paint with a microfiber towel and a spray wax. The truck looks great; like a poor mans wax job.

The juice is 303 UV Aerospace Protectant.

 

While I don’t question the ability of 303 as a decent cleaner and good temporary protectant, it is water-based. That is not ideal for rust. Perhaps the reason your frame is in good condition (or not? I don’t see any photos for reference) is frequent cleaning and removal of road salt/brine.

 

Certainly could be but from December through February it is typically subfreezing temps with ice on roads a minimum of ~2 per week on average. Lots of time for metal to oxidize and reduce...

 

Did you know 303 makes an actual corrosion coat product to prevent rust? I assume the product you’re talking about is the one offered for trim and dash protection.

 

The rust starts when temps warm up

 

Has anyone tried that Ziebart stuff?

 

How long has this product been on the market? And how long have you been using it? Owners I know don’t drive their classic vehicles in the summer rain, never mind during the winter months.

 

zeibart is an encapsulator. Which makes a poor rust protectant in my opinion.

 

Agreed. Seeing if anyone had success with it. And or if anyone knows how to remove it.

 

As long as you coat bare metal with something that can displace water and road chemicals there’s probably a lot of things that will work. Finding something that actually stays a period of time and is non petroleum based so it doesn’t damage rubber components is the challenge.

 

Woolwax/Fluid Film/other lanolin-based or similar protectors are about the same price and don't need re-applying every wash. They are also a proven commodity as literally thousands of people have used those products. I live in the salt/rust belt and once a year Woolwax keeps my frame rust free.

To each their own and if you enjoy your method then more power to you. I'd rather save money with a known product and spend the rest on beer (OK that's a lie, we all know it's spend on other parts/mods).

 

Rubberized coatings trap moisture and hide rust until it's too late.

https://youtu.be/nXvl9nt57Kg
https://youtu.be/H2VD5fM6pto

 

I think a lot of your success is coming from paying attention to the frame/undercarriage - keeping it clean by multiple washes a year goes a long way.

 

Get out of here with these same videos that were posted a thousand times on here. Clearly the undercoating was sprayed after the rust formed.

If rubberized undercoating is properly applied on a new frame, it actually works pretty good. All it comes down to really is who is applying it.

 

There are still better options over rubberized coatings. You have any sort of failure point in the rubber coat and now you have potential for water ingress. With a semi-fluid coat that doesn’t happen.

 

FWIW. EVERY vehicle with steel or aluminum is open to corrosion. EVERY Brand, not just Toyota Tacomas.

A good defense is to keep the undercarriage bits free of mud, dirt, debris.......whatever. This stuff holds water longer and delays drying.

Each Spring, I crawl under the truck to thoroughly rinse and remove all debris. All the undercarriage bits are open to the air for drying and no water is being held or trapped.

Yes, rust will still happen. The earth will spin and the sun will rise. All we can do is to slow the force of nature.....corrosion.
I slow it by keeping it clean.