Fern

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but my search did not come up with much.

I know that Lexus has given the Rx a great rust protection warranty but, I plan on keeping the car well after the warranty and the winters up here in Canada can get really harsh, with road crews dumping salt like it's going out of style.

Has there been anyone who's rustproofed their Lexus?

I know that the existing warranty might be void, but I'd rather void a warranty that will give me peice of mind down the road than sit back and notice rust forming 6 months after the warranty expired.

I traded a vehicle for the Lexus that was 10 years old and did not have any rust. I just want to say the same for the Lexus 10 years down the road.

Pros and cons please,

Thanks,

jeremyp111

The Lexus is already rust proofed at the factory as are most cars these days. You could opt to have an additional rust proofing added, but you might want to ask your local Lexus dealer about warranty issues, etc. If it does void the warranty, then you may want to look into adding the rust proofing toward the end of the Lexus warranty period. The best way to prevent rust is to keep it clean and waxed. Your Lexus should last you a long time if maintained properly.

JP

J.B

Hi Fern

Here in the Maritimes, most rust proofing business are doing very fine, very fine indeed. Any unprotected metal exposed to the air will rust in minutes and will perforate within years. Most 15 years old cars without rust have one side window covered with RustCheck stickers!

I had to get rid of my old trusted ’92 Nissan 240SX because it was breaking off in two, under the front seats. I had my ’93 Nissan Altima rust proofed at the dealer in ’96 and when I sold it last June, there was very little rust underneath the car.

Regardless of factory rust proofing, every fall (last week) I buy 2-3 cans of RustCheck thick stuff (green can?), jack the car off the ground and spray any exposed metal under the car. I do the same thing under the hood and inside the bottom of the doors. Soon before the warranty expires, I will have the whole car redone because I too want to keep this car for another 10 years.

I am afraid that just wash&wax in not enough to ensure any car longevity!

Good luck

JB

Fern

Thats what I suspected.

I will consult with local Lexus dealer and advise on forum at a later date.

Cheers,

Fern

mooretorque

Adding rustproofing after the fact can do more harm than good, potentially. It is possible to get goo into areas that would normally drain, thereby trapping road slush and actually hastening the development of problems. At least in times past, car dealers would try and sell rustproofing as well as paint/fabric protection for exorbitant amounts to every car buyer on the lot.

I'd be very careful.

jeremyp111

Personally, I agree with everything that you are saying. I do think that J.B.'s info about spot treating any bare areas is a good idea though. That is probrably the best treatment method for anyone in that type of highly corrosive area due to road salt, etc. Makes me think of doing it myself as I live in NH and, yes, they tend do use road salt from time to time.

JP

J.B

The stuff I use is not waxy at all (stays wet) and I recall my old Subaru with wax plugs in every door drain hole. I always remove the step in trim at the bottom of the door (body side, not door side) where the carpet ends. This is the place where my old 240SX started to rot (it was so rotten that the tire jack went strait though).

I am always extra careful to maintain good drainage (remove sand/dead leaves from drains and body joints), wash the car in winter on sunny days and rustproof whatever shows some corrosion. Its a battle that I will never win, I can only delay the inevitable!!! It worked with the Altima, I was too late for the 240SX, I am good with the RX300 and it is almost a full time job with my '99 G20t.

Have fun

JB

mikey00

I agree with mooretorque. Everything I have read about rust proofing claims it can do more harm than good. These companies were very popular in the past but I thought they all went away from the bad press. If you are going to check with a Lexus dealer I would only trust advice from one who is not trying to sell you rust proofing

JRB

I would personally avoid all after-market rustproofing on any new car purchased today. It is likely that the first place that will begin to rust is where they drill the holes to provide access for the material they use. Ten years should be no problem at all if you keep it reasonably clean. Spend the money on extra car washes in winter.

J.B

I "kind of" agree with you guys, when you say that most "fly-by-night" rustproofers of many years ago were junk: some were using recycled oil or wax based coating or snake oil. If I were living in Saskatchewan (in land) I would not touch that stuff either. But I live in the Maritimes!

When I say that any metal exposed to the air will rust within days, its no joke! Brake rotors are covered with rust EVERY MORNING. I had to replace the rotors on the Altima twice because I didn't drive the car every day. There are soooo many domestic cars less than two years old with surface rust showing through the paint. And there are soooo many 10-15 years old cars WITHOUT RUST WHATSOEVER driving around here with dozen of RustCheck stickers (when a car is treated by RustCheck, they apply a sticker with the year to a rear window) that it has to work! Every other “fly-by-night” rustproofers are gone and RustCheck is the only one left, because it works. And NO, I do not work for them but I use their product.

Fern lives in Quebec and my 4 years old used G20t comes from Quebec (I got it from an auction buy). I am afraid that I am too late already and will never catch up on the rust problem with this car. JUST LIKE MY OLD 240SX, which needed a new floor pan welded and new bottom doorframes welded because they were rusted out!

Most of you guys are lucky, you won't have to deal with rust like we do here. Oh and by the way, do yourselves a favor and never buy a used car from the Maritimes unless you want a good challenge!

That's all I have to say about that!

mikey00

Your reply of:

"I "kind of" agree with you guys, when you say that most "fly-by-night" rustproofers of many years ago were junk: "

Did anyone say that? I think they are your words especially fly by night. I was referring to reputable national brands.

toy4two

The only car we've ever rust proofed was the only one that rusted!

When in Chicago we had our 85 Honda Accord rust proofed by Rusty Jones. They drilled holes in the side of the frame and filled it with something.

Well years went by and water got into all the holes they drilled causing the car to rust from the inside out. We will NEVER "rust proof" anything. We've seen Honda's of the same year that still look like new!

mikey00

Rusty Jones was one of the companies i was referring to that was big awhile back in NJ until they went out of business. Another one was Ziebart.
Here are some additional quotes I picked off the net:

"We've had a succession of Volvos for years, here in winter salt-land. The ONLY one
that ever rusted was my son's Ziebarted 144. None of the others had any sort of
treatment.
Can you say "dealer profit add-ons, bunkie????"

"My companies corrosion chemists all agree that for most,
rustproofing a modern car is a waste of money. Most cars
carry at least a 7 year rust warranty and that's longer than
the average person keeps a car. Besides no one knows of
anyone actually getting satisfaction when rust did occur.
Ziebart charges about $400 and then requires $50/year for
annual undercarriage cleaning and touch up. After 7 years
you'll have $700 invested and that won't cover most major
rust repair. The Ziebart guarantee says they will fix
it or return your money but at their option. The best you
can hope for is $400 back (the $50/yr are not refundable).
Ziebart has had the use of your money for 7 years with
no risk involved. Quite a scam."

"When Rusty Jones was in the Northeast their guarantee was that they would
> > repair the damage. None of this, "Well refund your money." Of course, they
> > went broke after a while. I believe they were counting on the people selling
> > the cars before the rust really set in. Another company in this area....I
> > believe "Tuff coat" had the same warranty as Ziebart...repair or refund
> > your original money. In the 60's anyone I knew with a Chrysler product with
> > the Tuff Coat got their money back. The cars just fell apart in 3 or 4 years.
> > The funny thing is these people swore by the company because they stood by
> > their warranty to refund the money. Now there was a smart company. Use your
> > money for 3 or 4 years, give it back and have the customer praise you for
Ø > keeping your word. Mark L."

parula

Fern, glad you asked this question.

I Ziebarted a Pontiac Sunbird many . . years ago and sold it after about 12 years with NO real Rust ANYWHERE.

I Rusty Jones'd wifey's ride nealry 18 years ago and there is little serious rust except cosmetic rust around the outer wheel wells.

I had a CRX treated by the dealer (can't recall the name of the treatment) and had no real amount of rust but a little under the plastic trim on the running board - such as it is on a CRX - TWICE. Just surface traces but they repaired it.

I wish I had a treatment on this car. And I may soon.

When I bought the '03 I took it to a local body shop that advertises rustproofing. The rep/owner? told me (he crawled under the car) that the car looked pretty good for rust treatment and didn't try to sell me more, especially when I showed him the drain hole apparent treatment showing; yet if you look under your baby, at least mine, I see a lot of exposed metal and areas that do not seem to have much coating at all. This doesn't look right to me FWIt's worth. Someone told me that cars near the shore show corrosion, don't know if that is true, FWIW, or where the corrosion is located.

My Honda is fully coated underneath and the floor is solid as a rock, at least seemingly. He said that too much coating can conceal little pockets of rust or help create them, I dont' know.

Example, go out and check the little drain holes at the bottom of your RX rear hatch and doors, feel them with a small finger. At least on mine there is a layer of waxy substance there, and this is exactly the look and feel of the Rusty Jones stuff that has seemed to keep my Honda in relatively great condition. I think (HOPE) Lexus treats these cars, at least the door's panels and I hope elsewhere but I have asked a couple dealers and cannot get any real definitive information other than the canned warranty limits. They do not seem to know.

Sometimes, at least on my previous '99 that waxy treatment was around the door hinges too, a little slurpy but much OK by me, and the extra is easily removed with some car wax, after seeing what the RJones seemed to do to keep my Honda in great shape.

rkytop_bob

Rust proof WILL do more harm than good.