Undercoating/Rust Prevention

Even with Cosmoline your supposed to reapply it every other year. Also I believe its self healing properties are pretty limited once the solvents evaporate out and it gets waxy.

 

When a unit makes special purchases in the US military (has to be under a certain cost) they can buy what they feel will help them in their need and this is anything including leatherman multitools that were purchased for me back in the 90s. Often, this gets translated as the DoD, the Gov't, the Military. So, yes...I'm sure this is the case for many companies who sell stuff. No big deal. It's the marketing that often is not true. Cosmoline specifically states they have designed it to milspec/criteria and thats good. I'm ok with that, but without any 3rd party testing which I know we haven't done. It's hard to say if it works or not. Regardless of their long standing history, I'm surprised there isn't lab testing with the DoD. With that said, I agree with you that anything is better than nothing and if it works for you...I believe you! Heck, I'll give it a try.

 

I don't doubt it. They have to make their money stretch compared to us. The US military spends no kidding ~20B annually on corrosion control. That's a fact (not an article or something I heard...it's my study). That alone is so much more than entire military budgets for most countries.

 

Well fluid flim didn't work well on my last truck. I would do it every fall and it'd be washed off by spring here in southern new england. Our roads gets so much salt and brine their slushy most of the winter months. FF/lanolin based might be ok for other regions, but its not the best choice here. I found cosmoline to be what i needed. It goes on thin, and creeps into everything. Dries in about an hr., yet remains waxy. You apply 2 coats and done.

 

I figure if bmw, and mercedes both ship their vehicles out with it, this stuff has to be good enough for my lowly tacoma.

 

I hear you. I always wondered why toyota just didn't hot dip galvanize their frames since the frames are mostly open now. That would truly be self healing as any high zinc paints would be. I'm also not sure what you can do when your state dumps tons of salt on the road and the cities put chemical melts on the concrete sidewalks. It's just a mess all over with the crap we use.

 

btw, all manufacturing companies and the DoD for the past 20+ years have been studying toyotas manufacturing processes more than anyone elses. They allow the other car manufacturers to come in and study them. Sounds counter to capitalism, but they have a philosophy that seems to work. If you ever go to a place like Guam (90% humidity/99 degrees) you will see that they all drive toyotas or hondas. The heat and humidity kills cars and they all learned to buy specific brands. I know we have issues with rust, but I wonder how bad in comparison to other trucks. Just thinking out loud.

 

We constantly complain to our towns/cities, and about the state roads using too much salt, and get the same answer that public safety overrides any environmental, or monetary concerns residents have.

 

I wonder if there is any data to say salt is "safer" than say sand or other means of clearing the roads. I know once it gets below 10 degrees the salt has a limited effect on the formation of ice anyway. I have a conspiracy theory that auto makers paid someone off to use salt so cars would wear out faster.

 

Yeah, i've been often referred to as being part of the taliban with my latest tacoma. Not sure if thats a good thing or not.

 

Always though the talis were using hiluxs.

 

Avoid it like cancer. It'll kill your truck in less than 10 years (i.e. worse than not having any coating at all)

 

Trouble with sand, a lot of it entered our sewer systems, and our brooks, and stream's before it could be swept up. Our sand was always mixed with rock salt. As far as the theory you mention, i've heard the same to, but its really more about safety. The insurance companies i'm sure had much to do with that.

 

you have a "technical" tacoma? hahahaha. I have a bunch of pics of those toyota trucks with huge guns mounted in the bed from when I was in somalia. Pretty hysterical!

 

Like I said I would like some data. Problem is you would need some way to filter out the effect of improved ABS and traction control, better winter tire design and other factors to prove the salt has any effect. I always thought the much salt must be bad for the plant life, some saying about salting the earth.

 

Well, they sure like them over there. You don't see them driving a lot of chevys.

 

Great video! We actually don't allow the use of polyurea (rhino lining/linex/ziebart) type sprays on any of our vehicles because of exactly that. Most gun trucks we had up armored way back when were sprayed with polyurea (it's a 2 part spray that instantly dries and coats like what you see in the video) and it did exactly that....rusted inside out. Vehicles came back with gun shots right through the armor because there was nothing but rust underneath and no one knew it!! Nice find.

 

seriously....what the heck do they do in norway and canada? they get so much more snow than the NE.

 

We get a lot of black ice everywhere. Combine that with people that can't drive, and you have a recipe for a crash. Its salt, salt, and more salt.

 

Salt really doesn't help much with already formed ice.