When I bought my Prius the dealer stated that standard rustproofing was dangerous to the electrical system. They recommended electronic rustproofing. Setting aside whether any of this is actually useful - are there any dangers to the car?
After-market rustproofing is not needed or useful on a modern well built car like the Prius. Save your money. Tom
Dogfriend, are you cutting my lunch too? What is rust? Sorry I have only driven Toyotas for 25 years, I have a 1968 Toyota Crown, 86 Corolla, and a 96 RAV4 so I'm not familiar with rust. Having said that, don't fit a vinyl roof. I wouldn't bother with any additional rust proofing but, you must wash inside the wheel wells and don't allow dirt or salt to build up inside the front mudguards or in the rear dog legs.
Can't know whether their "electronic rustproofing" is dangerous without knowing what it is. Is it an active impressed current cathodic protection system (awfully hard to do on a car)? Or is it a sacrificial anode? Or something else? Maybe they galvanize the entire car... :_> In any case it's probably a waste of money. Modern cars come from the factory pretty well rustproofed.
"Standard" rustproofing -could- be bad if they plugged the exhaust vent for the battery cooling. Other than that, presuming the rustproofers actually -know- what they are doing, it wouldn't cause any problems. They have to clean out the side sill drains and the drains in the rear of the car after they spray on whatever gunk they are using. In your area (Toronto, rust capital of Canada) Zeibart would be a good company to use, but be aware, these days they have to re-do the car every few years. They spray oily stuff into the door panels etc but because it's lighter than the old gunk they used to use, it needs to be reapplied from time to time. The old stuff would separate from the body panels and hold the nice corrosive fluid against the metal. For those commenting above, Toyotas do actually rust, but it takes some time to notice. I had a Landcruiser (1969 FJ40) that started showing rust after about 15 years. My 1990 4Runner was still pretty much rust free after 11 years when I sold it.
I can't see how standard rustproofing would be dangerous. The only danger I could see if if they sprayed over the orange high-voltage lines and hid them from emergency workers. I do think that rustproofing is harmful for modern cars. The danger is that the rustproofing may block the drains designed into the vehicle and trap moisture. Aftermarket rustproofing also voids the manufacturers rustproofing warranty.
A tale of two Toyotas: The first Toyota is a blue one bought new by my GF in 1993. It has led a charmed life, spending its life in the Sacramento valley of California. The photos were taken in 2007 just before it was sold to some farmers to spend its old age hauling hay. There was not a spot of rust on this 14 year old truck top or bottom. The second Toyota is a red one owned by my GF's brother. I believe it was a 1991 model. It spent its short life in Arcade NY, about 45 min from Buffalo. As you can see from the photos, it has some large holes and some of the lower body panels are now longer present. It lies abandoned in the yard as it is no longer worth repairing. The moral of the story: Try to live where they don't regularly use salt on the roads and your vehicle will be much happier.
I believe Toyota already has corrosion warranty for every new Prius it sold....like 10/100k or longer? Save your money instead....
the only problem is that the corrosion warenty dissapears if you live in a state where there is road salt. At least that is what the stealer told me before I turned down the rust proofing and 3m scotch gaurd treatment they where trying to get me to buy. They said I needed the extra rust proofing to have any kind of corrosion warrenty.
You dealer (stealer) is lying to you. There is nothing in the warranty that even mentions road salt. Toyota is also pretty good about honoring their rust warranty. For example a friend of mine with a Tacoma got a letter from Toyota extending his rust warranty (on the frame) to 15 years, unlimited miles. Apparently the frame rusts above the rear suspension and can fail with very bad results. The dealer told him to bring it in yearly for a free inspection. Of course this is a safety issue, I doubt Toyota would care if your fender rusts through. Toyota extends rust warranty on older Tacoma pickups to 15 years - Autoblog
It's pretty easy to find a vehicle +6 years old with rust already starting. If there is frequent road salt application in winter, especially Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ontario, etc, you can expect rust I've had good luck with Rust Check. To keep their "forever" rust warranty, you must reapply every year. Rust Check brand name, protect vehicles appearance, proofing companies, manufactures rust preventatives, manufacturer of coatings, manufacturer of rust paints, manufacturer of lubricants and auto repair industry I have a 1884 Ford work truck at my hobby farm that was given the Rust Check treatment until 1997, when it was no longer used as a road vehicle. Underneath, it looks brand new For my personal vehicles, I spray Fluid Film underneath. That also appears to work very well Fluid Film: Corrosion Preventive, Lubricant and Rust Inhibitor If you don't intend to keep the vehicle a very long time, don't bother with rust proofing. It's not worth it A caution on rust proofing: most front seatbelts have pyrotechnic charges to tighten the belt in a crash. It would probably be a bad idea to get the rust proofing oil on that pyrotechnic canister
One advantage of spray on rust treatment is it also helps suppress a little noise. Not a lot though but a little. It also adds a little weight which is there all the time.
When I purchased my Prius two weeks ago, the dealer said Toyota does not recommend rust proofing because of danger to the 'electricals'. They handed me details on an electronic protection system, but made no effort to sell it. In the Canadian winter enviroment, there is always 'salt' being used on the roads. It's worse in the Maritimes with the salt sea air, so it would be good to get some 'technical' feedback on the safety aspects of rust proofing. The Canadian Automobile Association (APA.ca) have on their web-site, a recommendation for a specific 'shop' in Montreal - Barry's Rustproofing 4066 Jean Talon west, Montreal. High cost up-front ($400), but only needs a touch-up every 3 years ($100) and does not require drilling. Failing that, they recommend 'Krown' which is used by the military and has more points of application than other 'systems'. I am considering the trip to Montreal - with the prospect of also getting bagels and smoked-meat as an added bonus. Cheers - EanJay
