Hi all,

I am thinking about that rust protection, called Ziebart for the service and they said it costs 495 for the complete rust protection. I talked to my friend he suggested not to get it done. My dealer is not offering that service anymore and recommended ziebart BUT... do you folks think it is necessary???

I live in NE where we see a lot of snow,rain, and drive on salty/dusty road during the long winter.

Would appreciate your opinion.

TIA

Redstorm

 

Being somewhat of a Southerner, my knowledge and use of Zeibart is nil. I wouldn't unless it's an absolute necessity. Is this a common thing to do up there? Are most of the seven+ year old trucks rusting out already? If not, then I wouldn't.

I've heard rumors that aftermarket rust proofing may null-and-void the warranty. But that's just hearsay.

 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.....

This is some of the "rustproofing" pulled out of the rusted fender of my kids otherwise cherry 4Runner....

 

better to just get it oiled after year two or three depends on your local salt conditions

 

ok, let me preface this with-DON'T TAKE IT PERSONAL.

Now then, let me share that prior to my marriage, I dated (for a long time) Jenny Marshall daughter of Ziebart creator/owner Dave Marshall. He often would share with me that his business of rust proofing is no longer a needed product for newer vehicles as Mfg's have upgraded the building process. He specifically states that through better raw materials, paint and engineering, Mfg's are extending the life of sheet metal. Hence this is why they do so many other things now like bed-liners, detailing, running boards, etc..

Having said that, I can see it as a cheap insurance policy just in case as they do claim to replace the rusted part(s). I might consider it more seriously if I lived in NE and I knew I would keep the vehicle for a while.

 

I will wait. I will just try keeping it clean with regular car wash and wax/polish. Thanks to all for your help.

BTW, Blitz, what the heck is that thingy in the pic??

 

That is a big old hunk of the rust preventitive crap they drilled a hole to spray in that just accumulated at the rocker panel.

It is some type of plastic goo that feels like cured silicon in consistency.

The 4Runner was a good friends, since new. When he bought it, the dealer charged him $810 for this rust prevention/3M package.

He babied this vehicle from day one, however when I bought it from him, the passenger side front fender was mysteriously rusting out down by the rocker panel. The only rust on the truck.

I bought a new fender for it, and thats what I found clumped up at the bottom of the fender behind the wheel.

Caveat Emptor brother, Caveat Emptor....

 

just wash your new truck as soon as you can after it gets salty. in wisconsin we have it just as bad. i do recommend the undercoating though. it works well....although i have not crawled under a new 150 to see how much undercoating is on it..

 

I got rustproofing on my FX4, but really only did it because I like the nice black look in the rear wheel wells. Ford doesn't put anything here, so it is just the color of the truck. It really sticks out on light colors. The undercoating that was used is really nice. It is a black semi-hard material applied about 1/16" thick. From the factory, the frames on these trucks already have a nice paint finish that looks pretty durable. So, the rustproofing probably wasn't really needed there. I remember looking under brand new trucks on dealer's lots just a few years ago and seeing rust all over. Ford really stepped up the quality in this area on the '04s.

 

If you want to do the fenderwheels and such, you have two real choices in my book:

1) Go to your local auto paint supplier and buy several cans of 3M undercoating. Its good stuff. Prep is essential.

2) Go to your local RhinoLiner shop and have them spray whatever you want sprayed. Caveat: Do it when its new and clean to the Nth degree before doing so.

Don't ever let someone drill holes in your vehicle to "shoot" rust protectant into the body panels. Its a waste of time and money and right up there with pyramid schemes as the biggest scam on the street.

 

Thans for the info.

BTW, are you a Line Backer??


Excuse me...

redstorm

 

You're welcome.

Not sure what you mean by Line Backer....

 

linebacker, see blitz krieg. Dave Krieg a former QB in the NFL. My guess.

 

Linebacker... not line backer....my bad.

Dave Krieg... reminds me of old days. Not following NFL much any more but I think Packers will wil this year... if not Colts.

Good Night all!!

 

LOL - nothing as exotic as an NFL player here.

My alias (Bliztkrieg) is my motorcycle alias.