Electronic Rust Proofing

[Jordan]

I was in touch with MB about rust proofing and they are no longer using a spray application.  They now recommend an electronic rust inhibitor that attaches to your vehicle and is transportable to other vehicles if you sell your car.  It sends out a repetative electronic pulse that is suppose to stop the development of rust.  If you already have rust it is suppose to prevent further rusting.  Does anyone have one of these devices (called a TC-2000)?  Here in Canada it is $700, 5 year warrenty on used vehicles and lifetime on new.  MB says it takes about an hour to install.  Sounds like a great idea as it gets away from the mess of spraying but does it actually work?  I would be interested in anyones experience with these units if they know anything about them or have used them.
Thanks
Marcus

[Larry & Norma]

http://corrosion-doctors.org/Car/car-electronic-rust.htm

You may want to read this.

[Jordan]

Thanks.  If the article is to be believed, why is Mercedes flogging this to thier customers?

[Larry & Norma]

I don't know, maybe things have moved on since that article was written?

[mdsalemi]

I can tell you this, from 6 years in the car wash business and having seen rust buckets to sparkling new vehicles that were 20 years old:

Clean your car regularly and all of your rust issues will be minimized.

I saw 1986 Taurus cars, like new.  2001 Taurus cars like Swiss Cheese.  The former were garaged and cleaned regularly.  The latter, only when caked with mud, or salt and ice.  Do the math as they say.  You could even tell alot simply by the owner!

[al_lieffring]

This topic seems to show up every year at this time. I can't Imagine that this gizmo comes out of a blue "original tiel" box. The hard sell is coming from a dealership that wants to sell this snake oil to it's deep pocket customers. If Daimler Benz found out that it realy worked, they would be installed at the factory, not sold as a hoakie dealer installed item.

[dseretakis]

I can tell you this, from 6 years in the car wash business and having seen rust buckets to sparkling new vehicles that were 20 years old:

Clean your car regularly and all of your rust issues will be minimized.

I saw 1986 Taurus cars, like new.  2001 Taurus cars like Swiss Cheese.  The former were garaged and cleaned regularly.  The latter, only when caked with mud, or salt and ice.  Do the math as they say.  You could even tell alot simply by the owner!

From your observations, were cars that were driven on salty roads but washed regularly also free of rust?  A thorough cleaning, including the underbody and wheel wells, as well as behind the fender lip/flares should definitely.  In my experience, however, a car will rust if driven on salty roads.

[mdsalemi]

dseretakis,

In the winter in Michigan, around the Detroit area, ALL the roads are salted except for the very few around certain small lakes and in the cases of fresh concrete.  The cars that came into my car wash in the winter all were full of snow, ice, mud, dirt and the mostly invisible salt as well.

It was simply a matter of regular care.  You could tell just by looking at the car (and the person driving it) what level of care the car received.  There were plenty of cars 10-20 years old that were pristine, and these were cars washed regularly, underbody a given, and mostly garaged, too.  Remember, sun and tree sap, etc. do a number on a car's finish that compromises its integrity.  There were plenty of cars newer with visible rust; damage never repaired, spots not touched up, etc.

While it was certainly ad hoc observation and not a scientific poll, it was very obvious what was happening.  Clean cars lasted longer.  Good care and solid ownership paid dividends.  I saw probably 1,500 cars a week for 6 years, so though unscientific, it was very obvious.

[Rick007]

Did you know our Pagoda has 2 anode plates under the rubber rearaxle stops . This in a way is what they use on ships to prevent
The steel to corrode due to electric currents between different metals . This plate is sacrificed for the surrounding metal . Don't know if this works on cars do .....not on mine at least . ....

[114015]

This plate is sacrificed for the surrounding metal . Don't know if this works on cars do .....not on mine at least . ....

Rick ...! 
You are kidding with the readers here... anode plates...!

Although ... wow, you are right; SLS "really" calls them anode plates... 
However, the factory parts lists do not.
And  honestly, those deteriorate heavily in salty climates, but they don't prevent the cars from falling into rusty oblivion.
I think their real function is more of a spacer for the rubber buffers but not more.

Best,
Achim

[Rick007]

No not kidding with forum members ......wouldn't dare SLS really calls them anodes and charges a healthy price .
I mean €80,- a piece for a spacer ?
But honestly Achim when chopping them of off my bodywork they were really heavily deteriorated , and I can't believe they
Just would use them as a spacer . I mean just make the backplate of the stops a bit thicker or enlarge the rubber a bit .
The plates even are attached to bare metal ......to make better contact maby ? But then again I will not argue with you on these matters because you're probably right ........

I know one thing do ....if it was meant to be a corrosion inhibitor ....they don't work

[GGR]

mdsalemi,

I was told to never wash my car at a carwash when roads are salted because the water being recycled, it is full of salt from previous cars having used the carwash. Is that true?

[mdsalemi]

Water is almost never recycled at a self-serve car wash; it is too difficult to control what people dump down the drains 24/7, and many compounds (such as emulsified oils and greases from gunk engine cleaner) can make them fail.  With an almost insignificant (there's always somebody) number, you can be assured that the rinse water at a self serve is pure, and not recycled.

At a tunnel wash (the automated kind that drag your car through) that is a different story.  Older ones generally do not recycle water, some newer ones and in certain jurisdictions (like the American West) might recycle water but ONLY for use in the soap/detergent application.  Water used in rinsing and in final rinsing, is nearly always fresh.  If you used recycled water in a rinse or final rinse you might end up with films on the car as the water isn't perfectly clean.

The equipment to recycle car wash water needs a series of buried settling tanks; complex underground plumbing; above ground access.  Then it needs an expensive, maintenance-intensive equipment set to filter and treat the water; with odor removers, bio-digesters, oil removers, etc.  Simple things like silicones (think Armor All) can clog things up.

They only make sense in the tunnel washes, only high volume, and only where required by law.

Most Pagoda owners who use a commercial car wash would choose a self serve, not a tunnel and therefore need not worry about a salt water rinse.  If in doubt ask the operator or owner.  Avoid anyplace where the water smells funny.

[menesesjesse]

Just a note but I bought a PT cruiser in 2004 and they are notorious for rust here. I bought my car in Okinawa which has alot of salt on the air.  The cars rust very quickly on this island and washing helps but I am amazed to see what the air there is capable of.  So what is my point?  The japanese dealer installed an electronic rust inhibitor upon my receipt of the car.  We still have the car in Okinawa and it is still rust free.  My wife is not good at keeping the body washed either.  Based I this experience I am sold on the unit. 

[mbzse]

.../.. SLS really calls them anodes and charges a healthy price.../... when chopping them of off my bodywork they were really heavily deteriorated , and I can't believe they
just would use them as a spacer. .../...The plates even are attached to bare metal ......to make better contact maybe?

This is an interesting subject. I have just removed the bump stop on a 280SL that has run on salty roads here in Sweden. The zink(?) oval "anode plates"
were certainly much corroded, and had swollen up, due to the oxide expanding, to the point of seriously bending the backing plate of the bump stop
Rubber came off, see pictures. The expanded, loose oxide which was like a whitish powder is not shown.
So, I tend to agree, these oval spacer parts really function as corrosion inhibitors (anodes)
Hmm, one can always aquire new knowledge about our cars...
/Hans in Sweden

[Rick007]

Yep those are the ones i mean ... On my car they were completely gone as well .
It seemed to be a sort of zinc material , but found the price a bit high , so made them myself from aluminum now.
And since they don't do thing to prevent rust , thought that would do the same thing and looks almost the same ..