I live in Wisconsin and as a lot of you are aware of road salt eats cars for breakfast especially whensometimes a couple months go by before you can even think about washing it since its so cold . I was wondering my Baja is a 2003 and I am considering getting it rust proofed. I talked to Ziebart and they told me that it would cost around 500 dollars. This includes some type of chemical that stops any current rust that is on the car from spreading. I have rust starting to form around both front fog lights and on the screw holes were the stupid crappy factory tonneau cover used to go before it completely fell apart not bad rust but it's rust and it pisses me off because I want my Baja to last forever or at least I want to get 400,000 miles . Anyway they also will spray some oil based undercoating underneath and will spray all the doors wheel wells and in the little cranny areas with some other rust proof chemical. Should I get this done??? I really want to but I don't know if its worth it since its a 03 and it has already been through some winters. Please tell me your thoughts on this. Thanks!!!!
save your $$ and wash it frequently (1/mth in winter), the most proactive part of maintanence, is keeping all things clean.
Thats just my opinion, im a Red Seal Millwright with yrs of experience in maintanance, Always seemed to work with the vehicles we had over the years. And you need to give it a 'name' to make it really work good for you..
My Baja is the first vehicle I rustproofed. I used Krown, based on an in-depth discussion I found online. Seemed to me that they had the best reputation.
Don't have much to say yet. Baja was new to me about nine months ago. No rust then, still none now. Is no news good news?
I will forewarn that the process makes a bit of a mess initially: a greasy film on everything external, as one might expect. I'd been advised that it's best applied on a warm, dry day and that I shouldn't wash the car for about a week after application. I've also noticed patches of dirty grease that appear on the rear doors after some driving. Nothing a wash won't fix, and a small price to play if the process works as well as advertised, but something you ought to be aware of.
@ Bobber: My folks had a number of 10-year plus cars as I was growing up, and they swore by NOT washing at all in winter: just a really good go at the very end of the season, and then regularly throughout the summer. The theory was that clearing away the muck opens up the seams for more salt to leech in; better to just leave it alone. Always made sense to me, but it's far from a scientific test.
I work at a body shop and we have a service called "Rust Check" and I have used it since I got my 05 Baja in 07...holes are drilled in door jambs, rockers, tail lamp openings etc and a fine red colred oil mist is sprayed into the openings with long tubes that reach into the dark hidden corners where rust seems to find it's way...also the undercarriage is sprayed and inside the engine compartment too...it is done once a year and I SWEAR by it not only because it works on my car but I have seen it work on literally thousands of vehicles....it costs about 100-120 dollars and it gets done once a year but I bet the Baja is still going rust free and strong in 10 years from now especially where I live in Snowy, road salty Syracuse...you can check out more information on rudyschmid.com to get the company pitch but I personally can vouch for it because my other car 1998 Lumina is still on the road and totally metal
here is a link and click on the rust check logo....
beekaybee555 wrote:
....it costs about 100-120 dollars and it gets done once a year but I bet the Baja is still going rust free and strong in 10 years from now especially where I live in Snowy, road salty Syracuse...
That's $1000-1200 after 10 years - no thanks.
Again, I reference the 225k mile, 1998 Forester that has made it through 12 snowy PA winters rust free - half of which with that corrosive brine crap sprayed on the road.
maybe $1200 seems like alot BUT it is way cheaper than any new car out there AND being no more baja's are made, we will see how an unprotected one looks after that time
. I was wondering my Baja is a 2003 and I am considering getting it rust proofed. I talked to Ziebart and they told me that it would cost around 500 dollars. This includes some type of chemical that stops any current rust that is on the car from spreading. I have rust starting to form around both front fog lights and on the screw holes were the stupid crappy factory tonneau cover used to go before it completely fell apart not bad rust but it's rust and it pisses me off because I want my Baja to last forever or at least I want to get 400,000 miles 
. Anyway they also will spray some oil based undercoating underneath and will spray all the doors wheel wells and in the little cranny areas with some other rust proof chemical. Should I get this done??? I really want to but I don't know if its worth it since its a 03 and it has already been through some winters. Please tell me your thoughts on this. Thanks!!!!
save your $$ and wash it frequently (1/mth in winter), the most proactive part of maintanence, is keeping all things clean.