Rustproofing?

[Darci]

Anybody getting their Smart rustproofed? I am used to getting my old Jeep coated with rust inhibitor yearly for our lovely Ontario salt encrusted winters. I am trying to decide whether to do the same with the Smart.

[John_H]

What would you rust-proof? The goop is intended to protect exposed metal. Where do you have exposed metal to apply goop to?

[jimvw57]

Ummmm it is a plastic bodied car, I don't think there is much exposed metal and what there is, is mostly powder coated. Salt shouldn't be a problem.

[Darci]

Would rustproofing not protect the metal frame and underbits?
The stuff does seep into the same ares that salty road spray would.

[Old smart]

Somewhere along the line I recall that the steel tridion is zinc-galvanized before being powder-coated.

[jwight]

Yep, plastic body panels; everything else is metal, including the undercarriage. Will rustproofing help? Probably, and it can't hurt (if done correctly.) However, it will add some weight. Don't know if Ziebart has any info on rustproofing the smart or not but you might ask 'em.

[John_H]

Who can you trust to "correctly" rustproof a plastic bodied, plastic underbellied car? "Just spray it on the under-parts." ??

[SubSlr88]

Living in FL years ago I used to take my new cars to Ziebart and have them rustproofed at a pretty hefty cost - but they did have a great guarantee.
When I got to Denver in the late 70's I looked for a rustproofer to do a car I bought there - there was only one or two in the whole of Denver~! I was told to just drive the car over a sprinkler in the spring and let it run for ten minutes or so. And when washing the car in the winter to spray inside the wheel wells and undercarriage real well to get all the crud off . . . and it worked. In the 20 years I lived there I never had a car or truck rust.
Of course Denver is very very dry, too. . .
I'm back in FL and don't think the cars today, smart included, need rustproofing. There are so many new manufacturing techniques that have pretty much eliminated the rusting problems of the past. . .

[Darci]

Well maybe I am getting too long in tooth and remember rusted out cars from the 60's and later!
My 1st car was an '86 Pontiac that was getting rust holes before I sold it.
My 2nd car was a '92 GMC van that rusted also.
When I bought my '02 Jeep I started using Krown rustproofing yearly and so far no rust. Maybe it has nothing to do with the treatments because even the Jeep's body is 1/2 plastic.
I want to keep my Smart for a while (although some miserable cur attacked it last night and slashed both it's front tires!!!!!!)

[BigWarpGuy]

Slashed both front tires? Some people have no respect for other peoples property.