Winter underbody protection

Anonymous · September 16, 2006, 16:41

This is not MR2 specific but I remember not being happy with the state of my 2's underbody after a couple of winters so it may be of some interest.

My S2000 has just had about £2k s:shock: :shock: s:shock: worth of work done under warranty. I was determined to get some added protection as the weasels had tried to get out of the warranty claim s:x :x s:x

Carried out by Michael who is the chap who runs http://www.rustmaster.co.uk and appears on said website.

Dropped it off and came back four hours later - all done. I have not been under the car properly but looking from the underneath side it looks excellent. I had new front lower wishbones and front subframe due to corrosion of the suspension alignment bolts but some of the cross braces and other chassis elements also had rust from 2 winters.

Pics below with one pre-treatment shot from this spring.

The car cabin reeks of the stuff but a friend who had done itself had warned of this and it goes away after a couple of days.

Michael seems a top bloke and offers a free touch up service. My car goes up on his website as car of the week next week if you want to see more pics.

Wish I had thought about doing this before but next time I have a new car, it goes in straight away for the same again. Big thumbs to Rustmaster s:D

s:D

Slacey · September 16, 2006, 18:03

How much was this? I need to get the Griff done this winter, and I'd like to know whether it's worth paying or spening a fews days DIY'ing.

philster_d · September 16, 2006, 19:55

and what is the life of it ?

Anonymous · September 16, 2006, 20:14

£258 all in.

This was the underbody work, it would have be more if I had gone for the full cavity treatment but I didn't feel the need for the doors, bonnet etc to be done.

I don't know how it will last but the stuff is pretty thick and probably more comprehensively than if done by myself on a few axle stands. However long, I reckon it is going to be better than 2 years which put paid to some of the OEM car's suspension.

The stuff is filthy and gets everywhere. I got a small bit on my hand and ended up chasing the stuff down as it sticks to everything.

markiii · September 16, 2006, 23:55

hmm your not far away, I mate have to pop in for a look see

Anonymous · September 17, 2006, 10:53

Quotehmm your not far away, I mate have to pop in for a look see

Drop me a PM if you would like. His website also usually has a car of the week with before and after pics with previous vehicles linked at the bottom of that page.

philster_d · September 17, 2006, 12:07

my final question is how messy is it if you needed to do some work on a part that has been covered ?

Anonymous · September 17, 2006, 17:13

The stuff is messy and if you are frequently under your car then this is not going to be a welcome feature. I haven't been and don't intend on making any changes. The exhaust and its manifold are not done as part of the process as it just melts off, so they could probably be changed OK.

Water (obviously) doesn't shift it, you need white spirit which takes it off no problem.

I am leaving it to dry out for a couple of days before washing the car so it sets, but once done I believe it becomes tacky to touch.

Michael did offer to cover over any replacement parts for free. His website also says ..

QuoteAt Rustmaster we believe it's simply good practice to say that if rust comes through our treatment within 3 years then we'll re-coat it. No quibbles, no big deal. Annual inspections are a good idea and we won't charge for this as long as you book it in with us first. At the same time we'll happily touch up any damage to the hardwax caused by abrasion whilst off roading for example.

I did this because I want to keep the car beyond its warranty period and the underbody was not coping with our winters as I use it every day and can't garage it. In total I have spent just over £500 trying to ensure the car lasts better than it did the first two years. I could have been it hit with the £2k bill that the warranty thankfully covered and potentially up to £3-4k if I had left it just as is (this is for an issue specific to the S2000).

Tem · September 17, 2006, 18:38

Quote from: "Lusaka"Water (obviously) doesn't shift it, you need white spirit which takes it off no problem.

Are you sure it's that easy? s:shock: :shock: s:shock:

The stuff over here couldn't care less about spirit. You need a chisel and a hammer to smash it off bit by bit. Bloody slow and annoying process, not that you should have any need to do that for a decade or so anyway.

Anonymous · September 17, 2006, 21:21

Hi Tem

White spirit applied straight on has worked fine so far as I unfortunately had it on my wheels due to overspray, a few bits on the external bodywork and one of the leather seats (my fault, it really will follow you everywhere s:roll: :roll: s:roll: )

I haven't tried it on the underneath so you could be right that it could be more difficult once fully dried and depending on how much you want to remove and how deep it is.

At the end of the day if you need to be taking it off and re-applying it, it may not be ideal for one's purposes. I certainly wouldn't want to be taking it all off for whatever reason.

Tem · September 18, 2006, 05:08

Quote from: "Lusaka"White spirit applied straight on has worked fine so far as I unfortunately had it on my wheels due to overspray, a few bits on the external bodywork and one of the leather seats (my fault, it really will follow you everywhere s:roll: :roll: s:roll: )

I haven't tried it on the underneath so you could be right that it could be more difficult once fully dried and depending on how much you want to remove and how deep it is.

Ah, yes. I meant the underside with a thick layer that has completely dried off. Overspray is quite easy. s8)

s8)

QuoteAt the end of the day if you need to be taking it off and re-applying it, it may not be ideal for one's purposes. I certainly wouldn't want to be taking it all off for whatever reason.

If you keep the car "forever" and drive on salt, you probably do get a need to take it off after it starts to rust under there. s:? :? s:? It'll probably take a decade or more, but it'll happen. s:? :? s:? Nothing to worry about within few years though.