Rust - Corrosion warranty.

You will always see surface rust on the underside of the vehicle, its normal. What you want to be looking for is perforation, and the corrosion warranty covers specifically that...

 

Because your car is doomed (thermodynamically) to eventually become a pile of iron oxide. This is one of the only things that I clearly remember from taking a graduate class in corrosion. You can slow down the process, but both the driving force (energy available for reaction) and the kinetics (speed of the reaction) are favorable for "rust".

Your environment is better for rust formation (salt water fog is a nice electrolyte) compared to the environment in Arizona, but be thankful that you don't live in Detroit or Buffalo.

Nah, it won't rust through fast enough unless you go out and splash acid on it to speed up the reaction. That is why it is a "perforation" warranty; even in Buffalo it takes 6 years before the body starts to have new holes in it.

You might, but it probably isn't rusting fast enough to functionally damage the car before it dies from some other affliction. Spraying it with oil would probably slow down the surface rust on the underside. I know that my Ford doesn't have any surface rust on the parts where the oil leaks from the underside and coats the transmission crossmember.

Relax and think happy thoughts.

 

Don't you remember the environmentally friendly commercial Toyota put out during the Olympics where the car faded away into the Earth...? Dude, you bought an green car.

 

You can always apply "undercoating" but it will add weight to the Prius and thus reduce its mpg. It's a spray tar that bonds to the underside, but you would need to clean off the existing corrosion for it to stick properly.

 

from what i was told in quebec, (and it makes some sense)

Toyota does not recommend undercoating or rust protection on hybrid cars. The reason being is that it could create an unwanted link between circuit and well you know the rest!

all dealership i've been to in quebec were on the same page when it came to that, however, in Halifax, it was another story. nobody had heard that before except one mechanic who agreed with the previous version.

what do you guys think? what have you been told?

thx

 

A problem with tar/asphalt like undercoatings is that unless done perfectly they can trap rust and moisture and your car can corrode away hidden by the undercoating. Once a car leaves the factory it becomes difficult or economically impractical to effectively apply a tar type undercoating. As mentioned, they also add weight.

There are anti-rust treatments that are more of an oily-waxy treatment with chemicals added to suppress rusting. Krown in the GWN is one with a good reputation according to my GWN contacts. Krown dealers even shoot it into car body cavities by making a small hole and shooting it on with a long nozzle.

I seriously question the story about Toyota being concerned about an "unwanted link between circuit and well you know the rest". Salty water and slush from salted roads is a far bigger electrical hazard than any undercoat.

 

This absolutely made my morning.

 

+1
I was thinking, "It's not a bug, it's feature."

 

Normal on all cars but in almost all cases your car's body will rust to hell before the undercarriage, that's why you can see old rusty vehicles that are still functioning.

Regarding oil I've heard some people regularly spray the bottom of their vehicle with oil to slow the rusting process. Seems environmentally unsound, though. I just don't bother doing anything for better or worse.