beating the rust - has anyone done this?

[chriswt]

The underside of my car is looking a bit scruffy and now that I'm considering keeping the motor for a few years I was considering this:

http://www.rustmaster.co.uk/index_32017.htm


I was quoted £450 for a complete treatment to the underside of the car plus the inside of the wings, bonnet etc etc.

They basically treat as much of the car as possible and unsurprisingly they've done a few Mercs!!!

 

[Smiley]

Sounds very expensive - you could do most of this yourself in a day for £30 odd.

 

[chriswt]

Sounds very expensive - you could do most of this yourself in a day for £30 odd.

The system they use is a Waxoyl product which is only available to trade and they also give it a high pressure clean whilst the car is on a ramp all of which I wouldn't fancy doing or be able to do without access to a ramp.

I have looked down the DIY route but to get to all the inner wings etc and do a proper job doesn't seem as easy as it looks.

 

[wemorgan]

A friend had his old Daimler Waxoyled and was very happy with the results. The car was parked outside for 3-5years (I forget exactly) and no new rust appeared.

 

[Smiley]

Is it not the same as 5l Waxoyl tin and a pressure sprayer as available from Halfords?
there are other similar (and some better) products that are also available to the public eg Bilt Hamber I think is one.
Waxoyl is pretty effective - if not 100%. And it is not difficult; remove wheel, remove plastic cover; give a good hosing to clean off, cover up brake and exhaust parts and spray away! I also brush some of the stuff on for good measure. Do it when it is nice and warm and it runs and creeps into all the cavities. Underneath is a bit more tricky you really need a ramp.
it is a messy job though thats for sure. get some overalls and a cap if doing it yourself.

 

[chriswt]

Is it not the same as 5l Waxoyl tin and a pressure sprayer as available from Halfords?
there are other similar (and some better) products that are also available to the public eg Bilt Hamber I think is one.
Waxoyl is pretty effective - if not 100%. And it is not difficult; remove wheel, remove plastic cover; give a good hosing to clean off, cover up brake and exhaust parts and spray away! I also brush some of the stuff on for good measure. Do it when it is nice and warm and it runs and creeps into all the cavities. Underneath is a bit more tricky you really need a ramp.
it is a messy job though thats for sure. get some overalls and a cap if doing it yourself.

You're probably right but finding a ramp is the problem. Also if I don't get it applied correctly its not going to be effective. Plus all the broken bits of trim that will need replacing!!!

I am considering buying a hydraulic car lift for £1000 (plenty of companies advertise on ebay) and putting it in one the barns on my uncles farm so I guess the money I save on a DIY job would be better spent on the car lift.

 

[x332race]

Waxoyl very messy stuff, especially if you are applying to the underside of a vheicle......that said, I have treated the inner lip of the wheel arches of our W208 with waxoyl as a preventative measure.

If you want the car treated, I would go the professional route if I were you...

 

[Smiley]

You're probably right but finding a ramp is the problem. Also if I don't get it applied correctly its not going to be effective. Plus all the broken bits of trim that will need replacing!!!

I am considering buying a hydraulic car lift for £1000 (plenty of companies advertise on ebay) and putting it in one the barns on my uncles farm so I guess the money I save on a DIY job would be better spent on the car lift.

You are right - invest in the ramp if you have somewhere to put it. That way you can give the car an annual "top up" of waxoyl as well as doing all sorts of other difficult jobs without the ramp - like ATF change.
BTW the clips and fittings are generally very strong and robust - but even if you do break one or two they are pennies from the dealer.
With the ramp you will find you will have a lot of new friends all of a sudden

 

[Phil Thomas]

A garage owner friend of mine used to spray his cars with used engine oil. He said it was effective, but messy! And free of course. He lived in the central pennines, with loads of salt spread on the roads. A pretty good testing ground I suggest.

I found the Waxoyl spray a bit feeble, so used a garden one. Messy? Yes!! Effective? Yes, but do it every year.

Hand brushing of Smoothrite or Hammerite on rusty patches works a treat. I once painted a rusty swing frame, without any preparation at all, and it was rust free 20 years later, always out doors in the damp North West. Belt and braces what you want? Hammerite it and then Waxoyl it!!

I had a Ziebart treated Fiat 900T once. It fell apart in 5 years.
I didn't do anything to the wife's 1999 E300td as I was abroad much of the time. A bad mistake, but then I thought the Mobilo warranty was valuable. Another mistake. The moral? Ignore the local so called MB paint shop, and go straight to MB UK or Germany. Don't take 'No' for an answer.