I hear good things about using bar and chain oil for this application, either from Spray cans (NAPA) or by pumping through a low-pressure engine degreasing gun or garden sprayer. It's cheaper, thick, and contains rust-inhibiting chemicals.

Cook it together (carefully) with some melted paraffin wax and you get home made "Waxoyl" basically.

I need to do this under both trucks this year. My new-to-me '06 4Runner (daily driver) already has lots of orange spots on the axles and a few spots on the frame, I want to tackle that while it's still just cosmetic. The previous owner clearly never bothered.

Under the Land Cruiser is strictly an exercise is slowing nature's attack.

undercoating yes but, this - no.

most people here just let vehicles rust or store them.

damnit. somehow I lost the pumpkin.

The undercoating game just never did anything for me. I've fixed *more* rotted floors & rockers covered in the stuff than I care to think about. Just makes it more of a bear when it comes time to remove the crap and replace the panels. At least the chassis saver stuff grinds off easily. Just like paint.

Want to change the face of men's health? Movember!

Petroleum jelly + baby oil will give you 90% of what you want, and it won't smell (assuming you use fragrance-free baby oil).

Passatworld Mrs 1.8T
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On cars I planned to own a long time, I had this done annually. Usually around $80-100 per year. It does work well, but its a mess. The drippless oils are better, but don't "creep" into crevices as well. Most places claim the product is "biodegradeable", for what its worth. It doesn't stain the driveway permanently.

As evidence, I have relatives with 10-15 year old buicks and plymouths that look great...My 1994 Miata looked pretty good in 2005 when i sold it...always winter driven.

I just posted basically the same thread on a club forum for my area. I'm picking up a car from the South next weekend. It's in great condition and I'd like to keep it that way. Unfortunately it's a TCL anti-darling--I'm still going to make a post about it though Wondering what the best way to protect it's rust-free status would be.

OP: There are some useful posts in the Ontario forum (regional section of Vortex) if you search for "rustproofing".

I've had my trucks done by various places over the years. The most recent place near me had a 4 post lift set up OUTSIDE behind the garage, the guy would put the car or truck up there and spray the underside with a mix of various oils and such. Worked great.

Stricter EPA regulations have made it a loss-loss though for most outfits so they've stopped doing it.

I noticed last time I passed Volkspart in Walpole NH (just south of me) that they were advertising it so maybe I'll call them.

I've done it myself with cans of NAPA Bar and chain oil but more as a spot" cover then a total undercarriage bath. I prefer the yearly oil-based coating over any of the harder coatings.

I wonder if you could just cut used engine oil with diesel or something. How'd that be for undercoating?

Tell me I didn't just think of that.

I think a girl to rub it on is more than 10% of the equation, here.

Enter the dragon: argue with me about China here.

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Probably buy a roll of duct tape also... just for effect.

Quote, originally posted by Sporin »

I'd love to see the look on the cashier's face when I buy a 12x12 tarp, a gallon of baby oil, and the biggest jug of Vaseline they have. Probably buy a roll of duct tape also... just for effect.

Make sure you mumble something about your undercarriage while you're checking out.

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I think I have officially become an old New England'er... honestly surprised at how many here either never heard of this or are somehow convinced it's "bad" for your car. It's been done for decades to cars, trucks, farm equipment. If it's oily, it isn't usually rusting (generally). Stricter environmental controls (not all bad mind you) seem to have put an end to most commercial ventures doing it, but there are still places that do, and home application is popular as well.

I nearly bought a fantastic old Land Cruiser FJ60 a few years back. The guy had owned it since new and had oil undercoated it himself since day 1. He had even drilled strategic holes in the door jams and such so he could spray inside the body cavities. That vintage of Land Cruiser rusts if you look at it funny but this one, a lifelong Vermont truck with almost 200k miles on it, was totally rust free. Not a coincidence. I shoudl have bougth it btw, but I was short a stack.

Modified by Sporin at 4:53 PM 11-3-2009

Quote, originally posted by Sporin »

if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy

I wil happily deal with greasy parts over rusty ones.

Do it right and it's no big deal, it is a very thin film and it's not where you see or touch. Plus, the reason you have to redo it yearly (at a minimum, a lot of folks to spring and fall applications) is that it washes away over time.

Thanks for the lesson on vehicle maintenance Opa!

Me too... Though, if it came down to it, I'd happily spend two Saturdays a year painting on some oil stuff than having rusty bolts on my subframe.

Then again its winter 5-6 months a year around here and the government uses salt to keep the roads clear which is the end of anything automotively pretty

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Past: 98' MK3 GLX VR6 | 96' MK3 GTI 2.0 | 90' EF Hatch | 94' EG-6 D15B7 | 98'MK3 GOLF 2.0

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Leaves a slight waxy film. My G60 still has zero rust over the last 5 winters in Boone, NC.

Modified by g60wcorrado at 7:41 PM 11-3-2009

Quote, originally posted by backintown »

the SRT-4 sounds like someone having diarhea into a Shopvac.

Quote, originally posted by Sporin »

I'd love to see the look on the cashier's face when I buy a 12x12 tarp, a gallon of baby oil, and the biggest jug of Vaseline they have. Probably buy a roll of duct tape also... just for effect.

Buying a pregnancy test and wire coat hangars is better for getting a reaction out of cashiers...

But yes, you are officially an old New Englander. I've never heard of doing this, I've always been told to wash the salt off often. I guess I would probably care about an undercoating if I knew to expect more than a one or two good snow storms each year.

Quote, originally posted by VarianceVQ »

This is the Car Lounge...I'm not understanding your confusion. Frankly, I'm suprised we haven't started discussing backgammon in this thread yet.

It does work :-D .

Here's what I use on my steel bicycle frame.

Some marine guys use this to keep rust off; the stuff dries, leaves a slick wax like coating, and is pretty good against salt water.

On my out-door grill I use...

Keeps the rust mostly at bay.

All of those things work because they help prevent oxygen from reaching the iron, thus preventing or stopping rust (not 100% effective, but pretty darn good). I've never done this on a car, though I don't see why it wouldn't work.