Exhaust System Protection from Rust.

[710-oil-614]

Drive it and don't worry about it. Replace it with a better quality muffler and piping from the cat back and call it a day (in 5-6 years).

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[ianjay]

Stainless steel comes in many different grades and it is completely normal for a stainless system to show corrosion. It is generally more resistant to rust, but is no sure thing.
The stainless system on my 89 Cadillac lasted until I sold it in 2019 and it was a Canadian car. As far as protecting the body, I have used oil based spray systems which do a great job protecting the chassis and body. My 2008 Ranger has been oil sprayed since new and is rust free. It too has had 16 Canadian winters. It costs about 150 a year. Mechanics don't like working underneath (fortunately the Ranger rarely needs work) because it can get dirty (cleans up with soap and water).
My Mavericks have been oil treated and will last a very long time. Thick undercoating that dries and hardens is a recipe for disaster when it gets abraded and moisture wicks underneath. My brother's Jeep was done this way and has huge flaky sections where this happened.

 

[agmonaco]

Pretty generic statement not based in any actual fact.

I’m speaking from personal experience and personal observation. I just shopped and bought a 2010 F150 for my son. Looked all over and majority that were 10 years old, They almost all had serious rust issues from Northern areas. My 94 Ranger also rusted out. My Honda's and Lexus never had that issue. Just trying to find a good solution. One guy I met with a pristine 2012 F150 with 140,000 miles here in Pittsburgh undercoated it with oil film and injected the fenders and rocker panels with oil. When i get my Maverick I will do the same but the muffler and exhaust pipes have to be delt with another way. It obviously does not matter to you.

 

[Guv]

This was my Maverick Hybrid when it was 11 months old. Ford district manager agreed it needed replaced but I traded it in before they could.

I’ve never seen a newer car with a rusty exhaust like that. There are types of SS that will rust on up to food grade specs. If this were my truck it would be fixed or gone. My 22 FX4 doesn’t look like this. Is this more prevalent on hybrids due to lower temperatures and possibly more condensation because of intermittent operation? Our 100,000 mile C-Max didn’t look like this.

 

[agmonaco]

I’ve never seen a newer car with a rusty exhaust like that. There are types of SS that will rust on up to food grade specs. If this were my truck it would be fixed or gone. My 22 FX4 doesn’t look like this. Is this more prevalent on hybrids due to lower temperatures and possibly more condensation because of intermittent operation? Our 100,000 mile C-Max didn’t look like this.

That is probably exactly why this happens Thank you Keinodoggy!

 

[TwoTone]

I’m speaking from personal experience and personal observation. I just shopped and bought a 2010 F150 for my son. Looked all over and majority that were 10 years old, They almost all had serious rust issues from Northern areas. My 94 Ranger also rusted out. My Honda's and Lexus never had that issue. Just trying to find a good solution. One guy I met with a pristine 2012 F150 with 140,000 miles here in Pittsburgh undercoated it with oil film and injected the fenders and rocker panels with oil. When i get my Maverick I will do the same but the muffler and exhaust pipes have to be delt with another way. It obviously does not matter to you.

Personal experience is great but still irrelevant- Tiny sample size.

 

[agmonaco]

2024 with 12,000 miles. Drove it off the lot and into the snow (Wisconsin) but only 2-3,000 of those miles were in winter. Thought about painting it but above replies convinced me otherwise. As soon as it’s rusted through or the exhaust note changes it’ll be getting torn off and replaced with something stainless.

This is what I keep seeing. The mettle is not of high quality. And probably never gets hot enough unless you do long fast drives to drive out the inside moisture. Sooner or later it will probably rust out from inside also.

 

[MetalsGeek]

My wife's 2001 Escort had an exhaust system made from 400-series "muffler" stainless. It still looked pretty good when I sold it 20 years later. The cheapo carbon steel used on the Maverick is disappointing. Even aftermarket "aluminized" steel tubing would be much better.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

The first new vehicle I bought with a stainless steel exhaust system was a 1987 Ford Taurus. Since that time. I have never had to replace or repair the exhaust sys. on any vehicle that had a stainless steel exhaust. Even while living in the Midwest and driving through white clouds created by salty asphalt.
. Stainless steel exhaust systems almost put Midas out of business.
Muffler repair shops had to scramble and start offering other services to stay in business.

 

[Master Blaster]

Stainless steel comes in many different grades and it is completely normal for a stainless system to show corrosion. It is generally more resistant to rust, but is no sure thing.
The stainless system on my 89 Cadillac lasted until I sold it in 2019 and it was a Canadian car. As far as protecting the body, I have used oil based spray systems which do a great job protecting the chassis and body. My 2008 Ranger has been oil sprayed since new and is rust free. It too has had 16 Canadian winters. It costs about 150 a year. Mechanics don't like working underneath (fortunately the Ranger rarely needs work) because it can get dirty (cleans up with soap and water).
My Mavericks have been oil treated and will last a very long time. Thick undercoating that dries and hardens is a recipe for disaster when it gets abraded and moisture wicks underneath. My brother's Jeep was done this way and has huge flaky sections where this happened.

The problem with a stainless exhaust shows up in areas where they use winter salt, like the American rust belt and much of Canada. Wet salt breaks down into sodium and clorine, and clorine attacks stainless almost as much as it does mild steel.

 

[agmonaco]

Personal experience is great but still irrelevant- Tiny sample size.

Take a look at that Video on the beginning of this thread.

 

[TwoTone]

Take a look at that Video on the beginning of this thread.

Don't need to. You made a generic statement about Fords and rust as it were fact based on a tiny sample size. I pointed out the fallacy of your statement.

 

[Johnny maverick]

That's not rust. That's patina.

 

[Guv]

That's not rust. That's patina.

Or an STD from a Prius

 

[agmonaco]

You actually want to protect it? You'll need to have it sandblasted and ceramic coated. I'd guess at least $500 to do it right. Any other paint is going to burn off, especially when bathed in salt during the winter.

Me? I'd let it rust. It'll take many years to actually rust thru, if it ever does. It is a low-grade stainless steel, and is covered under your powertrain warranty, which is 5 years / 50,000 miles (could be longer - I read 8/80 above).

What does a new exhaust system cost, anyways? Probably about what it'll cost to have it ceramic coated.

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