[simon w]

Do any of you bother rustproofing beneath your work vehicles and if so how effective at holding back the rust has it been.

I have just taken on a new van (two years old) it's spotless throughout at the moment and I am toying with the idea of getting it coated with waxoyl underneath.

People I have spoken to have mixed feelings on this method, some think it's great, others don't think it makes a real difference and I have heard that some people feel the coating can actually make it worse by trapping moisture between the coating and metal not allowing the metal to dry out.

Thoughts please?

[Don Kee]

I've waxyoyl'd my Transit

Believe me, on a Transit it makes a difference...
Probably the only 06 Transit with no rust underneath (i recently resprayed the sills so looks half decent as well)

Get it in the schultz cans, and up a ramp and get spraying mate, for the amount it costs, why not...?

[Johnny B]

I used to use Underbody seal with added waxoyl on a Mini that I had owned from new. I always applied a fresh coat every 2 years, because it tended to dry out and I was concerned that water would seep through the cracks. The Mini lasted 16 years before I took it off the road, so I suppose the waxoyl did its job well enough. The rust came through from the inside, mainly caused by water leaks which rotted the door posts. Most of the outer floors were still excellent, and the original subframe lasted the life of the car.   

By contrast, I now run a 1999 Fiesta van, which I have owned for 5 years. As far as I know it only has its factory applied underbody protective sealant. It's never required any welded repairs, so I will leave things as they are.

hth,
John

[Smurf]

I've waxyoyl'd my Transit

Believe me, on a Transit it makes a difference...
Probably the only 06 Transit with no rust underneath (i recently resprayed the sills so looks half decent as well)

Get it in the schultz cans, and up a ramp and get spraying mate, for the amount it costs, why not...?

That is one of the reasons why I would never buy an old transit as are rust buckets.
My old 52 plate Renault Master has no rust on it whatsoever

[simon w]

I've waxyoyl'd my Transit

Believe me, on a Transit it makes a difference...
Probably the only 06 Transit with no rust underneath (i recently resprayed the sills so looks half decent as well)

Get it in the schultz cans, and up a ramp and get spraying mate, for the amount it costs, why not...?

Cheers for that, probably won't be a DIY job I'll be using a local spray shop I expect. Just out of curiosity has the coating ever effected working on the underside of the van if ever any repairs are required? How long have you owned the van and was it 100% rust free before you Waxoyl it?

[Don Kee]

It wasn't a DIY jobby mate

Yes it was rust free, we had it up on a ramp prior to purchase. I've bought rust buckets before so know what to look for

Had the van just over two years

You dont spray the mechanical stuff mate, so no it hasn't effected any work (to be honest i haven't needed much doing)
Floor, wheel arches etc...(body work)
If you're going to a body shop they'll know what they're doing

Make sure you clean it off first (i went to a truck washing place and had the underside jetwashed prior to waxyol)

[simon w]

It wasn't a DIY jobby mate

Yes it was rust free, we had it up on a ramp prior to purchase. I've bought rust buckets before so know what to look for

Had the van just over two years

You dont spray the mechanical stuff mate, so no it hasn't effected any work (to be honest i haven't needed much doing)


Floor, wheel arches etc...(body work)
If you're going to a body shop they'll know what they're doing

Make sure you clean it off first (i went to a truck washing place and had the underside jetwashed peior to waxyol)

Yes think I'll get it done while the temperatures are still up. Get the underside washed then when it's bone dry get it on a ramp and coated. Can I ask how much you paid for this service?

[Don Kee]

Use a wire brush as well as giving a good wash

Mate of mine runs a bodyshop in westerliegh
I did him a favour so he did me one, so cant help with prices sorry

[duncan h]

Brilliant stuff, but remember....It also traps in rust etc. On a new, salt free car FANTASTIC

[EandM]

It's not a question of protecting the floor and the underside of the chassis section - it is a job of protecting the internal hollow box sections of chassis and panels. Waxoyl is very good but it doesn't creep into the corners. We use clean engine oil sprayed into all the nooks and crannies and  hollows with a Paraffin Gun until it starts running out from the opposite end. We then jack up the vehicle and check that all the sections are suitably oiled. Then we apply heated Waxoyl with the same Paraffin gun and it travels along the oil, gets to the corners and sets. My mate reckoned a good way to tell if you'd done it properly was to Waxoyl in Wintertime and then when Spring arrived you should see small spots of oil / Waxoyl dripping out as the temperature rose. For external underside sections we use Tetraschutz sprayed with the same Paraffin gun attached. I Waxoyled my Capri starting in 1999 and then every year up to 2006 and all the main hollow sections, sills, arches, bonnet and tailgate lips are still rust free despite not being driven for ages and parked outside. It does work very well and it's probably less about the specific product and more about removing places for the moisture to accumulate.

[simon w]

It's not a question of protecting the floor and the underside of the chassis section - it is a job of protecting the internal hollow box sections of chassis and panels. Waxoyl is very good but it doesn't creep into the corners. We use clean engine oil sprayed into all the nooks and crannies and  hollows with a Paraffin Gun until it starts running out from the opposite end. We then jack up the vehicle and check that all the sections are suitably oiled. Then we apply heated Waxoyl with the same Paraffin gun and it travels along the oil, gets to the corners and sets. My mate reckoned a good way to tell if you'd done it properly was to Waxoyl in Wintertime and then when Spring arrived you should see small spots of oil / Waxoyl dripping out as the temperature rose. For external underside sections we use Tetraschutz sprayed with the same Paraffin gun attached. I Waxoyled my Capri starting in 1999 and then every year up to 2006 and all the main hollow sections, sills, arches, bonnet and tailgate lips are still rust free despite not being driven for ages and parked outside. It does work very well and it's probably less about the specific product and more about removing places for the moisture to accumulate.

Sounds like a good method. Just need to find a local body shop who'll do it for me now. Wouldn't mind watching the process being carried out and will be interesting to see the difference it makes over the coming winters.

[Spruce]

It's not a question of protecting the floor and the underside of the chassis section - it is a job of protecting the internal hollow box sections of chassis and panels. Waxoyl is very good but it doesn't creep into the corners. We use clean engine oil sprayed into all the nooks and crannies and  hollows with a Paraffin Gun until it starts running out from the opposite end. We then jack up the vehicle and check that all the sections are suitably oiled. Then we apply heated Waxoyl with the same Paraffin gun and it travels along the oil, gets to the corners and sets. My mate reckoned a good way to tell if you'd done it properly was to Waxoyl in Wintertime and then when Spring arrived you should see small spots of oil / Waxoyl dripping out as the temperature rose. For external underside sections we use Tetraschutz sprayed with the same Paraffin gun attached. I Waxoyled my Capri starting in 1999 and then every year up to 2006 and all the main hollow sections, sills, arches, bonnet and tailgate lips are still rust free despite not being driven for ages and parked outside. It does work very well and it's probably less about the specific product and more about removing places for the moisture to accumulate.

Sounds like a good method. Just need to find a local body shop who'll do it for me now. Wouldn't mind watching the process being carried out and will be interesting to see the difference it makes over the coming winters.

I had mine done at the local bodyshop and they did an appalling job. They sprayed underseal over the dirt. They sprayed around the spare wheel without removing it. They sprayed over areas where the original paint/underseal was flaking off.
It all has to be done again.

There are companies that specialise in doing undersealing and have a reputation to maintain. The trouble is trying to find one amongst the cowboys.

The biggest issue is the neutralise any rust with a rust converter before putting underseal on it. There is plenty on YouTube about the application of rust converters.

[EandM]

The biggest issue is the neutralise any rust with a rust converter before putting underseal on it. There is plenty on YouTube about the application of rust converters.

The problem is unless your using paint shop grade material then very few of them actually work,. When I bought my truck I machine cleaned  the underside, de-greased it,  rust treated it, applied a coat of industrial red oxide primer and finished with a coat of Dinitrol 1520p, which is the stuff they use to protect electricity pylons. It lasted about 6-12 months and then started to break up. The next time we wire brushed the metal work, removed the sump, 'box guards and spare wheel and sprayed a few litres of Tetra Schutz Underbody Seal. This has lasted very well and even thought the underside wasn't spotless, or certainly  as clean as I would have liked, the Schutz stuff is very sticky and flexible enough to stay intact. The 'hard' paint system I used initially simply won't stand up to constant bombardment from the stonechips, salt, mud etc whereas it simply bounces of the Schutz. Periodically I put it up on the ramp and and just maintain any sections that are in need but on the whole I'm very impressed. It's no substitute for Waxoyl and the like but it works well when used in harmony with it.