Undercoating / rustproofing Mavericks. RU?

[Jer]

just got mine and since I plan on keeping it a long time (10+ years) I do want to provide extra protection. cost cutting on vehicles I expect will show up as rust down the line. and then it is too late.

This is an excellent video. I did my Maverick like this using Blast Surface Shield with a professional rust proofing gun and wand attachments. If you look at the way the Maverick is built you will see how there are many areas for salt and brine in snow country
to get trapped behind fenders and wheel liners. To wash it the right way you would have to remove the wheel liners and bottom shields. So if you live in snow country those areas need rust proofing if you plan on keeping the vehicle over five years.

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[581u812]

I doubt it is needed.

Unless you are like me at 39 years old driving a suv you bought new at 19. Now my liberty is so rusted underneath I'm wishing I coated it Long ago

 

[Jer]

Unless you are like me at 39 years old driving a suv you bought new at 19. Now my liberty is so rusted underneath I'm wishing I coated it Long ago

Wow, you have owned that for 20 years ? That's great ! How many miles on it ?

 

[Xjeepguy]

I just had mine done for the second time , last Nov and again this week. Oil based spray , removed plates fx4 , droped felt liners, pop tailghts and get in there with a long wand. When i looked at drive shaft it was 2/3 sprayed last year as we did not rotate it while spraying and now its 1/3 rusted color and 2/3 factory steel color the stuff really works as a shield. Hood is the only aluminum i believe so you can get all engine bay easily. Also dropped spare and do the wheel and mechanism. Drilled the doors as well. I keep my vehicles about 15 years and never had much rust and never repainted a car. My Jeep tj was pretty rusty at the end but it was 18yrs and they were prone to rust in certain spots.

If the steel on the unibody maverick is good ? we should be ok as vehicle frames are usually the worst for rust as the box frames fill with salt and mud that cant easily be cleaned out.

 

[Finnster]

I have access to a lift, so it will be self-applied Blaster Super Shield for my under coating, yearly. With CRC SP-400 for all under hood areas that are reachable by hand, because it stiffens up nicely and doesn't rub off just with a touch.

Inside doors and tailgate I use WoolWax in the can(gallon can) and dilute it with mineral oil to make it runny enough to migrate to all areas of the lower door panels, etc.

I haven't yet had to drill holes. I can usually access the doors and tailgate through existing holes. I then immediately park uphill for 10 minutes, and then down hill, to allow the mixture to cover the entire bottom of the panel! All internal panel rust starts at the bottom! Go to a junkyard and see for yourself!
Be sure not to block the door weep holes that are there to drain water that gets past window seals.
Youtube is a great source of information.

 

[Dynawide]

We bought our 2005 Equinox brand new in 2004 and it had zero undercoating, drove it 18 years through every miserable wisconsin winter and had 208,000 miles on it. Had it hauled away a few weeks ago even though it still ran great because the frame and particularly the k member were so rotted the engine was ready to fall out. We bought a 2010 Kia Soul in 2009 and it has been through the same wisconsin winters and currently has 187,000 miles on it. When we bought it my wife had the dealer do their rust proofing bit...I don't know what product they used but it is fantastic and the car has no rust. Sure I have had to replace the typical wear & tear items such as struts, brakes, etc but the underneath of it is pristine. As a result I am now a big fan of the undercoating process and have actually considered taking the Maverick once it actually gets built to that Kia dealer and have them work their magic.

 

[Jer]

We bought our 2005 Equinox brand new in 2004 and it had zero undercoating, drove it 18 years through every miserable wisconsin winter and had 208,000 miles on it. Had it hauled away a few weeks ago even though it still ran great because the frame and particularly the k member were so rotted the engine was ready to fall out. We bought a 2010 Kia Soul in 2009 and it has been through the same wisconsin winters and currently has 187,000 miles on it. When we bought it my wife had the dealer do their rust proofing bit...I don't know what product they used but it is fantastic and the car has no rust. Sure I have had to replace the typical wear & tear items such as struts, brakes, etc but the underneath of it is pristine. As a result I am now a big fan of the undercoating process and have actually considered taking the Maverick once it actually gets built to that Kia dealer and have them work their magic.

Sounds like they know what they are doing.

 

[581u812]

Wow, you have owned that for 20 years ? That's great ! How many miles on it ?

It only has around 120k on it. Always been a Toyota guy but joined the Electrical Union when I was 19 and started on a huge Union job at a powerhouse. I was getting threats about my Japanese Toyota truck lol (when Union's made that an issue) so I bought my first American made SUV. They used to make them in Toledo, OH.

Drove it daily for about 5 years then got a 98 corolla with 80k that now has almost 250k. So the Liberty sat unless camping pulling or winter driving.

I've had way less issues with my corolla than my jeep even though corolla has over double mileage and older

This Maverick will be my first Ford so fingers crossed for some reliability.

 

[reciprocating_ravioli]

We bought our 2005 Equinox brand new in 2004 and it had zero undercoating, drove it 18 years through every miserable wisconsin winter and had 208,000 miles on it. Had it hauled away a few weeks ago even though it still ran great because the frame and particularly the k member were so rotted the engine was ready to fall out. We bought a 2010 Kia Soul in 2009 and it has been through the same wisconsin winters and currently has 187,000 miles on it. When we bought it my wife had the dealer do their rust proofing bit...I don't know what product they used but it is fantastic and the car has no rust. Sure I have had to replace the typical wear & tear items such as struts, brakes, etc but the underneath of it is pristine. As a result I am now a big fan of the undercoating process and have actually considered taking the Maverick once it actually gets built to that Kia dealer and have them work their magic.

Did you do any under carriage flushes during the winter?

 

[Sleeper 7]

I undercoa

Like many of us, waiting for my build date just gives me more time to think about what I want to do to my CG 2.0 XLT AWD loaded except for moonroof and FX4.

I have asked two dealerships for what they would use (to be fair, only a couple of days out from asking). I also talked with Chad today at a Ziebart franchise in Bloomington, MN who quoted $799 for both undercoating and rustproofing applications (yearly update for $60.00 to keep warranty up). There was some disconnect about if the shields (for air flow mpg) would be removed during their process, so I sent the video of underneath a Maverick 2.0 AWD.

For those of us who live in snow country, are you thinking of undercoating/ rustproofing your Maverick and if so, who are you planning to use and why?

thanks to all

Thats robbery! Had my fusion done last year for 150.00 at NH undercoating. Only reason I payed that was because I cant get under the Fusion to do it myself even on ramps. I have a 14 ram dump truck that has 0 surface rust after 8 years. Buy a gallon of fluid film and a cheap spray gun and do yourself every Fall.

 

[Jraoffroad]

We bought our 2005 Equinox brand new in 2004 and it had zero undercoating, drove it 18 years through every miserable wisconsin winter and had 208,000 miles on it. Had it hauled away a few weeks ago even though it still ran great because the frame and particularly the k member were so rotted the engine was ready to fall out. We bought a 2010 Kia Soul in 2009 and it has been through the same wisconsin winters and currently has 187,000 miles on it. When we bought it my wife had the dealer do their rust proofing bit...I don't know what product they used but it is fantastic and the car has no rust. Sure I have had to replace the typical wear & tear items such as struts, brakes, etc but the underneath of it is pristine. As a result I am now a big fan of the undercoating process and have actually considered taking the Maverick once it actually gets built to that Kia dealer and have them work their magic.

That is more the Kia Soul than the rust proofing. I have a 19 and I fluid film every fall did that the first year and after looking at it good haven't done it since. Every single seam on the metal is filled with filler before it is painted. There's really no where for stuff to collect and start rusting.

 

[onetequilatwo]

My feeling is to go with NH Oil as they work a lot with their products and dealers. Do it once and even though it may not last underneath. wait 2-3 years and do it again. It's not that expensive and my method maybe a little half ass, but consider a good compromise and to effective for my needs as always plan on keeping my vehicles, but who knows. Believe the EV credit last through 2032 so will trade by then.

 

[Aherpa]

The info I could find about sodium chloride on aluminum was that while aluminum does not rust, it changes the color. That said, if I lived in an area that did not have snow, undercoating/ rustproofing would not be a concern.

While that color change is not 'rust' it is metal corrosion, or, oxidation.

I installed an electronic rust inhibitor on my 1980 RX7 with good results. I had the car stored for many years so it was not out and about in Iowa winters, so not really a good test.

I don't know if this type of rust protection has gotten better over the years or not, but it was relatively inexpensive and easy to install.

 

[Bob The Builder]

Depends where you live. Up here, every mile of road will see 25 tons of road salt over the course of the winter. That's right, 25 tons, not a typo. After a few years, the bottom of your truck looks like the Titanic, without all those barnacles. My 17 year old Ranger is still on the road, in good shape and fully inspectable due to annual rustproofing. So yes, it does work if installed correctly.

 

[Xjeepguy]

I guess what i was saying ,, when i first sprayed (upwards) only exposed driveshaft got oil so the 1/3 of the driveshaft on the top did not get any spray as i did not rotate driveshaft so after last winter ,, it was day and night between what got sprayed and what got missed the first time… so for 150$$ once a year its a bargain. I payed the dealer for undercoat once and that was a 2003 Jeep Liberty and it rotted to the ground. It was the case with all Liberty’s but still it cost like 800$ at the time, never again! When I purchase a new vehicle i tell salesman up front, MSRP and nothing extra as my family has repair shop so dealer will never see me again unless its for warranty work. But I live in Canada and winter Roads are covered in salt so some form of undercoat a must.

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