Thinking about whether to do any protection on wifes new Toyota 4Runner. But do not know where to start.

The underside of the vehicle is a big concern as far as rust is concerned.
I remember seeing someone advertising a Kroil oil spray. I know that would not be permanent but would certainly last a few years I would think.

The other thing is some front end PPF film. But is it actually $2500? Whoa

Wondering what you guys have done or have to say on the subject.

Thanks guys.

I do not get rust protection as there is not salt on the road where I live. Of course if you park your car on the beach there will be problems . When I lived in the Great White North I got rust protection from a company that only did rust protection, not the dealer. I tend to think new vehicle protection as another profit center for the dealership.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
I remember seeing someone advertising a Kroil oil spray. I know that would not be permanent but would certainly last a few years I would think.

Kroil is a penetrating oil, not a protectant or even a good lubricant. It's the best penetrating oil on the market, but vastly subpar in any other application.

Because it's a penetrating oil, it's extremely thin, and evaporates fairly quickly. It wouldn't even last days/weeks on the underside of a vehicle, let alone years.

Fluid film perhaps?

When I lived in New Hampshire, there was a local guy who would put your car on a lift and spray transmission fluid on the undercarriage. Being thin, it penetrated all the little crevice areas for good protection. I considered it a yearly thing. Once done though, careful where you park it for first few days.

I had Expel PPF put on the front bumper, side skirts, A pillars, and right above the windshield. Then I had a ceramic coat put on the whole car. No rock chips or damage that I can see so far after 2 years. As a bonus it is very easy to clean, especially bug splatter.

Thanks X, how much $?

What kind of vehicle, climate, and road conditions?

We live in a very snowy climate, with ample grit or even gravel on the roads (fricken construction vehicles liberally distributing gravel).

For salt, I just make sure to spray off the underside regularly, including the suspension accessible in the wheel wells. I've not had a rust issue in 30 years. Modern cars have much better rust resistance.

The wife's car is a low sporty convertible. The hood is picking up gravel chips. She doesn't give trucks a wide berth on the highway, and the low height catches stuff kicked up. But my SUV hood is not catching any chips.

Subaru does have a reputation for thin paint, and mine did show little rust pits where the paint chipped.

I would consider the clear bra on the hood if the vehicle is low to the ground, especially if a Subaru, and if you drive where gravel or winter sand is likely.

I would not do any undercoat.

I've been using a home "ceramic" wax on our vehicles. Mother's brand iirc, or possibly Meguires. Anyhow, it lasts a solid year without deteriorating. Very easy to apply, unlike waxes used to be.

If you don't want to splurge for a professional ceramic coating, the modern waxes are darned good these days.

Waste of money on current generation cars in my opinion. I've lived in the salt belt all my life. 1980s-early 2000s GM vehicles rust into pieces, especially GM truck and SUV rocker and quarter panels.

We've had a 2017 Suburban we put 100,000 miles on over 5 seasons of winter salt without a speck of rust on it. Our 2017 Honda Accord with 60,000 miles has no rust on its undercarriage, our 2021 Suburban with 27,000 has only been through 2 winters, but no rust.

The difference? Alot of the area in the rocker and quarter panels that are exposed to salt are various plastics and they put a decent factory undercoating on the frame already. Spray it off under there a couple times during winter after road salt applications and stay away from car washes that use brushes and subscription car wash plans where they hand dry it weekly and you will be fine without any dealer installed snake oil protection packets.

We have a pre-rusted 2005 Avalanche that I do everything I can every 6 months to slow the rust cancer. Surface Shield is my favorite, but the spray nozzle clogs up and you have to open it with a drill bit some.

Yeah Fluid Film is the old standard for undercarriage rust protection.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: arfmel,

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
Thanks X, how much $?

Xpel PPF Bumper,Apillar.Mirrors,Rockers - $1,790.00
Detail and Ceramic Coat - $824.99

My cars are garage kept, and I live in Indiana with snow/ice/salt. I haven't had problems with any car I've had and I don't even wash them very often. After 80,000 miles of mostly interstate, my daily driver Honda has some chips that need to be touched up, but no rust.

I am leary of any paint sealant or protectant. Modern body paint and corrosion prevention processes are pretty advanced and I have some experience in this area. Go tour a manufacturer's paint shop and see all they do. If there was a magic coating they could apply on top of the paint to protect it, the manufacturers would. I am not convinced the films last any longer than paint, and when the film is dinged up, what then?

I was shopping for a fun car in the past few months and one dealer famous for "no doc fees" and minimal B.S. had added a "ceramic paint coating" upcharge. This is some wipe on stuff which is not going to do much.

Another dealer actually had Ziebart marked up on a Toyota GR Supra. Fucking Ziebart. It also had what appeared to be factory applied PPF on the front end.

In both cases I said there is no way I am paying for anything done at the dealer level, and made all manner of Tru-Coat jokes in my best William H. Macy Minnesota accent.

I was gonna do PPF on my Model 3 when I got it 3 years ago. Then I got a few quotes... Nah.. I'm good. Hard pass for me. Based of the thousands it was going to cost.

You can have the undercarriage sprayed with a sealant to protect against rust i think its similar to bed liner but not sure. I just go to a car wash that sprays the undercarriage during the winter and haven't had any issues with rust.

Wool wax or Fluid film. On Tacoma World Forum it’s a ritual that’s done in the fall. There is usually someone within driving range- typically $100/truck by appointment.