2 questions; Muffler Rust? and Coating/Sealant

I noticed the back of my muffler where the tailpipe comes out of is rusty (had the car is just two weeks). I suspect that most mufflers will rust pretty quickly (outside) but won't likely leak for sometime. With that said, I was going to get some grill paint (pot belly black, high temp) and spray a couple of coats on mine. It should help it look better for a little while.

As for as paint sealant, I just plan to wash and wax my car a couple of times a year. My past vehicles has faired pretty good by just doing that.

Peter

 

Hummm, I would have assumed the muffler was stainless steel. If not, I would think painting won't help as it probably would rust from the inside where the moisture would stand.

Keeping a car waxed is always a good choice (often if it sits outside). My understanding is a polymer bonds with the paint. I know I used it many years ago on a BMW that when I needed to had a repair, they had a hard time painting and had to eventually take it down to bare metal. Even though a ploymer might last longer (permanant?) if a car sits outside and you want it to look good you'll need to do semiannual cleanings of the finish and still want to wax it.

 

If the mufflers are not stainless, then I'm going to spray on a ceramic coat paint. You can get them in many colors and paint temperature can withstand 500-1200 degrees F.

 

that's not going to help much as mufflers rust from the inside out...

 

Does anyone know yet if the muffler is stainless? This seems like you are worrying about such a small thing. I took a Tacoma muffler off my son's truck 8 years ago and the garbage men wouldn't take it. I forgot about it but saw it last week. It's been in the back yard exposed to weather laying on the ground. It looks like it did when I threw it out there in 2001.

 

Wow!! How in the world did you get her to stand outside for three months? That would get me through most of football season. Nothing worse than a rusted mother-in-law though. Makes them real irritable.

 

My Camry had the original muffler on it after 15 years and 300,000 kilometres, I see no reason my Prius muffler wont do as well.

 

Over the years, I've noticed that automobiles only used on short trips have a tendency to rust-out their mufflers from the inside because short trips do not allow the muffler to heat up and evaporate condensing exhaust.

One of the byproducts of burning (fuels) is water. That water in combination with all the other exhaust byproducts (oxides of Nitrogen, for those Nitrogen enriched fuels, for example), have a tendency to be highly corrosive. If the muffler is not fully heated up by driving, then those fumes condense on the inside of the muffler.


Keith

 

I've never had a muffler rust from the inside out, especially a toyota. I have driven 80 miles round trip to work for 21 years, so I can only relate my experience. The high temp ceramic paint does work and looks nice.

 

Many years ago, I lived in Florida (near the beach - Clearwater) for a year. During that period, I washed my car every week and waxed it once a month. The surface of the paint deteriorated faster than any other time that I've owned automobiles. My biggest concern was interior rusting in the body panels. The car had undercoating and the interior panels were painted but still with the salt spray and salty air, I had interior rust spots to deal with.

After I left Florida, I took the car apart (removing all interior panels). Where there were rust spots, I sanded down to the bare metal, painted with primer and undercoating. As for the exterior, I had the car re-painted with urethane enamel (same paint as used on airplanes).

My recommendation - if you live near the beach, don't waste your money on an expensive car or one that you really like. You are only torturing yourself, and your car...

Good Luck,

Keith

 

Hi Tamyu:

I live right next to the ocean as well. Personally, I don't know much about paint sealants, but I will throw this idea at you which I am still looking into. Paint Protection Film that goes over the paint like a film and from what I can gather should help you with the salt water issue. I am sure in your country you can get 'detailers' that do window tinting and some of these companies most likely do PPF as well. You can get if for the 2010 Toyota Prius as a kit from 3M, etc. that can cover the hood, front and rear bumper, front fenders, rocker panel, outside mirrors and I am sure if it came down to it you could get other areas either as a kit or covered. Depending on how much you have covered it might be expensive, but if done right you should save the paint from salt water damage (not to mention chips from flying rocks).

Just my 2 cents worth.....

Edward
Marystown, Newfoundland
Canada

 

The only thing common about the different types of "paint sealants" is they are not required, and are expensive gimmicks the dealers like to sell so they make more money.

The paint doesn't need protection, except from extreme sunlight. Use a good quality wax or polish twice a year and you're doing all you can for your paint. I use Zaino, which is a polymer sealant/polish. Twice a year. In other words, I wax my car twice a year.

As for mufflers, the WORST thing you can do is coat it with something. The coatings trap the corrosive gasses against the metal. Just let it slowly rust. It usually lasts the longest that way.