Hi, I have a LS400 from 1993 that only has 90,000 kilometres and is in excellent condition. It has never seen a Northeastern winter but is about to be exposed to the winter in Toronto as a daily driver. (I know, it should be put away for the winter, but it is my only car)
The guy who sold it to me recommended a place called Honeyseal, where they sandblast everything off the underside before they apply their rustproofing. Trouble is, it takes about 3 days and costs from $1600 to $2100 Canadian.
Seems a bit of overkill.
Does anyone have a recommendation for a good undercoating against salt and rust that is not quite so fancy. The underside is very clean and I don't think I need to go 2 grand to rust proof it. Here are pics of the underside. Any advice would be great.

 

Preface: I know nothing about the technology or the coatings.

I'm not sure you'd get your monies worth out of rust proofing the bottom of the car. If doing it properly costs $2000, I can only imagine what the cheap solution compromises on.

If the cars new life is what it is, and that's where it'll live, honestly I would just accept the fate. Rust is inevitable. It will take another 15 or 20 years to get really bad anyway. I just don't see the ROI on spending $2000 on rust prevention. You won't get it back on the resale. And you're insuring against a problem in 20 years, which who knows if the car will even be on the road by then.

 

Sandblasting? The person that sold you the car is high on the wrong stuff. Find a shop that will apply Fluid Film for you if necessary you can buy it by the gallon at Canadian Tire.

 

Some things to note -

This car is undercoated with a rubberized coating from new, which is already pretty well done and provides some protection in the winter (as long as the undercoating isn't broken, damaged, or falling apart). For this same reason, sandblasting the bottom of this car is not a good idea.

For parts that are not undercoated like the sub frames, the suspension components, etc, I would consider having it greased with a product like Fluid Film that LeX2K mentioned. I use Fluid film as well

Make sure to read up on the product you choose, as some rustproofing/rust resistant coatings can make rubber undercoating soft (defeating the purpose of it)

 

google honeyseal, it's pretty fascinating how they apply it. i think they do have to remove some coating like dry ice blasting for the wax to adhere. yes honeyseal is a wax!

i do agree here that fluid film would be your next best defense with a low entry fee.

 

Thanks for all your advice, fellow Lexus owners. I am just going to go to my local body shop, where they did a good job on my Lincoln Town Car, and they will use whatever they use to rustproof.

 

Get it oil-sprayed. Been doing the Rust-Check thing for years. Thinking I'm gonna go Fluid Film this year. Just realized we have it here (in Canada) now. DO NOT get any of that goop (literal under-COATING) splattered all over the bottom of your ride.

Oh ... and get a slab of rubber between those pinch-welds and the jackstands. You're begging for cancer to set in on your rockers.

No leaks down there either. Damn she's clean

 

I use something called ACF 50 on the underside of mine. It's a fairly thin oil like liquid that penetrates cracks and crevices, and is commonly used to rust proof motorcycles.It also acts as a lubricant on any bolts or other parts. It takes about 20 minutes to spray the underneath with a garden sprayer (after covering the brakes). I apply it once a year, just before winter. Best to put a plastic sheet under the car, whatever you use, to catch the drips for a day or so after applying.

During winter I also give the underside a spray every now and then with a cheap lawn sprayer on the end of hose, to rinse off any road salt.

https://learchem.com/products/acf-50.html