Rust Protection/Prevention

That's what I have applied every year.

I'm in Atlantic Canada.. yeah, rust belt.

 

If you're not convinced that rubberized undercoating products are absolutely the worst thing you can put on your truck, ESPECIALLY in a rust belt - well watch this and let me know what you think:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXvl9nt57Kg

 

Mavcoat, most definitely..... excellent protection against salt and chlorides.

 

Rust Check better than Krown or just a personal choice?

 

I researched this question before and after I bought my 2019 Taco. The reliable sources (Consumer Reports, Auto Guide, even my dealer) all said rust proofing is a waste of money since all modern vehicles are built with galvanized steel. My 2000 Camry has no rust (live in CT). For your reference: https://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2015/03/should-you-rust-proof-your-new-car-.html Hope this is helpful!

 

ACF-50 everywhere (including engine compartment, exhaust also but it will smoke a bit when you start the truck up) except interior and brake and belt friction surfaces, followed by a light coat of Fluid Film in areas that get direct water spray.

My truck has been through two very salt filled winters and has less visible rust on it than when it was new!
I'd go to the coin op wash once or twice a week to spray all the brown ice off the underside of my truck. Topside was white from salt just in a 10 minute drive.
Gotta love Canada.

ACF-50 leaves a light oil film that seems to attract a fine layer of dust but repels a lot of crap from sticking to it.
It is certified for use in the aviation industry. Also provides a chemical protection as well as the oil film, neutralizes existing corrosion on steel as well as Aluminum.. If not in direct water spray, works for over 2 years. You "fog" it on, if it drips you put on way more than you need to. 1 Gallon could do 6-8 Tacomas easily. The Aerosol cans put it on thicker than you need, so make it uneconomical.

Mavcoat and Formula 3000 both have excellent properties and will go on wet but leave a "dry" film.
Testing on both showed they work really well. I have not used Mavcoat myself but some of my buddies swear by it, and their cars are rust free.
I have used Formula 3000 as it is a little better than ACF-50 in direct water spray, but what I didn't like about it was it left a white residue if it ran when applying, or after a time being hit with water.

Fluid Film is more of a "barrier" , does not provide any real chemical treatment and is basically just Lanolin, (Wool "Wax", the oil from sheep's wool).
Or "Sheep Squeezins" I like to call it.
Of the ones mentioned, it has the lowest anti-corrosion properties (but still works real well on it's own).
BUT holds up to water spray the best, especially if it has set up for a while!
Things I don't like about FF is;
If you get it on your exhaust... ever wonder what a sheep fart smells like?
If you spray the whole truck, it will smell like you parked it on a farm for a couple days.
Can't spray around the whole engine.
After a couple applications you have this buildup that is great for protecting your truck, but like dirty grease, makes working on it a lot messier than you would think by looking at it.


If you don't want to do it yourself take it to someplace like Rust Check or an Oil spray place every year.
Rinse the underside (not high pressure) when it gets all covered in salt.
Don't store it in a heated garage.
No Paint or Rubber/Tar type products, as they will flake or hold crap and make it worse.
Even wax products don't hold up in the long run.

 

I doubt that one is any better than the other, Rust Check is just what I started using a long time ago.. so yeah personal choice.

 

Tell that to the guys with 1st/2nd gens who had to have their frames replaced. To each their own I guess.

 

Before I got rid of my 20 year old 1st Gen I had it oil undercoated for the last ten or so years that I owned it. Almost every time it went to the mechanic for something they would ask if I had my frame replaced during the recall, saying that it was the best looking frame they had seen on a Tacoma of that age. I did eventually get rust above the wheel wells so nothing is fool proof but it can definitely prolong the inevitable. With my year old 3rd Gen I'm going to a guy who uses Fluid Film. Have an appointment next Friday actually.

 

Consider the following- Consumer Reports is garb. Save that for purchasing countertop kitchen appliances. Your dealers in the business of selling new vehicles and rustproofing helps people keep vehicles longer which does not help them at all. The Tacoma’s frame is not galvanized steel and unibody cars hide rust a lot more than body on frame trucks/suvs. They may have made vehicles slightly more rustproof over the past decades, but we keep using more and more quantities and types of corrosive shit on our roads because people don’t know how to drive.

 

I bought mine and made the trip here for the wax/oil treatment. No rust at all, looks amazing and the warranty is a plus!

https://nhoilundercoating.com/wax-n-oil-undercoating/

 

I like this stuff, doesn't smell bad and dries so you can work on the underside without getting it all over yourself.

 

This is what i used all over the frame exterior, cavities, inside the tailgate inside the doors, back side of the bed sides, back side of the front fenders, inner rocker panels and back axle housing. It took a lot of cans and a wand kit, but why wait the truck was new at the time.

FYI a lot of people will buy this stuff on Amazon, but my local body supply shop had it stock and it was cheaper

 

Did mine when it was brand new too plus do a quick recoat before winter each year.

 

Another vote for Fluid Film here. Grew up in Buffalo, so I know how bad the salt is up there. Fluid film everything, it won't hurt anything and isn't bad for the environment. Then after a year, do it again! It's cheap, effective, and not hard to apply. Where I live now we still deal with salted roads AND salty air and I have not a spec of rust on my frame.

 

How much did it cost??

 

Mostly just the sheetmetal is galvanized steel. Galvanized steel can still corrode under the right conditions.

 

Mine was $125. Took to a place my nephew works at. Only took 1 hour.

 

I live in Syracuse. Read the consumer reports last year, and didn't do any prevention. Figured I could just wash it weekly and be fine. I subsequently dropped by Delta Sonic about once every week.

Went under the truck this year to run a tailgate lock cable, and found a reasonably significant quantity of surface rust. Most notably along the lateral frame, on the wheel bearing housing, and on the leafpacks.

I subsequently did a fluid film treatment. Ignore consumer reports.

 

Has the powder coating and technology in recent times not gotten rid of rust problems? It's about to be 2020...Would seem like as long as your not dipping your truck into the ocean, and washing it regularly when you go off road or get it dirty you won't have rust issues. Just spray it down with water.....