Electronic Rust Protection

[J. Christian]

I was watching the "Two Guys Garage" program on the Speed channel, and they were installing an electronic rust protection system. https://www.counteractrust.com This is the first time I've ever seen anything like this. Does anyone have any experience with something like this? Is it worth looking into, or is it a scam?

[ 12-22-2002: Message edited by: J. Christian ]</p>

 

[aerog]

A friend of mine has a very late RX7 and it has an electronic corrosion protection system in it (came from the dealer like that). It has some aluminum body panels on it which might be part of the reason. Anyway, no rust so far

 

[Guest]

we use an electronic system to protect our water tower at work, and it has been in place for 45 years

 

[Lurker]

I'm no engineer, but I would have to question the value of this sort of thing in a car.

The idea is that when you have dissimular metals making contact, the more dense metal "gives up" electrons to the less dense metal promoting corrosion. I would think that this process would be so slow in a car that your effort would be better placed in soap, water and occasional wax.

With a boat or water tank the water would give an extra path for the electronic discharge, so some kind of protection would be critical. I've read that bridges have systems that reverse (and equalize) the normal current flow to prevent corrosion.

 

[thegoodbeamer]

They advertised this many years ago in the back pages of Popular Mechanics. How many I don't remember but back in the 60's for sure.I have one in my 2002 Dakota.It comes with Chryslers Gold program which extends the warranty on everything to a full 5 years.Mind you it costs extra but to even have the upholstery protected is I think worth it.

[ 12-23-2002: Message edited by: thegoodbeamer ]</p>

 

[Steve]

This system was designed for use on larger contiguous items such as pipelines, water tanks and so on. The jury is still out as to whether or not it works on cars. Keep this in mind. Modern cars are made with excellent rustproofing these days, which is why establishments such as Ziebart are finding their traditional business of rustproofing dwindling away to almost nothing. (I used to work for Ziebart). This is why they have diversified into accessories, installation, auto glass, etcetera. They will tell you that all cars need rustproofing, even new ones, but european cars, even some American, have galvanised panels that do not rust. Late eighties onwards, Audi, BMW, Porsche, VW and Mercedes Benz all had galvanised steel. When was the last time you saw a rusty German car, other than the really old ones? If it is brand new and you plan on keeping the car until the wheels fall off, then maybe it is worth a try. On anything that is not brand new, then throwing your money down a rat hole will have the same effect, especially as you live in the snowbelt. I have a bridge for sale. I guarantee that it won't rust either. Sorry, don't wish to tease.

Older LBCs will have rust, if only surface rust, inside of box sections and rocker panels, unless they have been properly rebuilt with rust protection applied during the process. You cannot kill that rust, short of tearing apart the bodyshell, but you can smother it and stop the process. Waxoyl, a British product, has an excellent reputation. It has been around for years and Brits swear by it. Believe me, if it is effective in the UK it will work anywhere. Constant damp, relatively humid, never too hot, never too cold, lots of salt in the winter months, this stuff was designed for the job. Apply it once a year and you are in good shape. In addition, it will cost a lot less than the electrical setup.

 

[kindofblue]

The Tappet Brothers on "Car Talk" took a call about this last weekend. THey said the same that has been echoed here, works well for Large items immersed in water, useless on cars. Sadly the women got taken at her dealer for this stuff...

 

[aerog]

I wonder if the RX7 didn't have it added as a dealer-profit item under another sale that didn't go through or something - this one came as a "stock" item, but for some reason I doubt it.

On the other hand, you could almost consider a vehicle in central Florida a metal object immersed in water - darn near is (good amount of water from sundown to mid-morning most days).