Hi all,

I'd like to think I am very pedantic with my car. I always wash it by hand. Carefully. I almost never drive it in the rain and I always store it in the winter (Swedish winter roads are the most salt infested stretches of asphalt in the world).

I do, however, have to park the car outside on gravel in the summertime because I don't have my own garage.

On the plus side, we don't have the problem of scorching sun up here, but we do have dew. And I suspect this is the reason why some of the suspension parts have begun rusting. I'ts just surface rust, but it is really disturbing. The car has only 12k miles on the clock and I'm wondering if anyone knows of a way of removing the rust without tearing the whole suspension apart and sandblasting the parts?

I have read about Naval Jelly and dry ice blasting. Anyone know a good way?

 

Doesn't look that bad-they can get a lot worse than that. I go over the undersides & all the suspension parts of mine every year using a paintbrush with a light coat of old engine oil mixed with WD40, so it's a bit easier to work the brush into crevices etc.

 

I have used motor oil forever, literally, to coat rust prone parts until recently. Of course, motor oil is going to dry out/evaporate/disappear/whatever quickly until it is gone. I now use wax and from the most unlikely of sources . . . a toilet wax ring. They are a couple bucks at your local big box hardware store and that is a lifetime supply. Warmed, the wax will get very thin and is able to be easily brushed on and stays on. My opinion is that the wax protective coating lasts a lot longer that oil.

Ever noticed that new parts come with a wax coating?

Of course this is a Summer task as application in cold weather on cold parts will result in nothing more than a mess.

Heloise

 

I really like Test Point's suggestion - but first remove the surface rust with a wire brush, then coat the painted part with a 'rust eater' type coating, like POR15 or KURUST. Then puff some black paint over it, let it harden then apply the wax as TP suggests.

An old friend always applies used engine oil mixed with diesel to the underside of his wagon chassis and believe me it keeps the rust at bay too. But I think the wax idea is another level of protection.

 

I go over the undersides once a year with a stiff dry brush first to remove all the loose flakes, before coating with the engine oil mix.

This year I'll be switching to a rust-eater type coating & have another good undersealing session on a warm dry day, after first taking the car for a long fast drive to really warm the bodyshell up with the heat soak from the engine bay & drive off any light surface moisture...

 

OK, I give in. My mind has unboggled (particularly bearing in mind the thread title) but what in the name of Thomas Crapper is toilet wax ???
(FYI Thomas was the inventor of the Water Closet)

 

Steve, it's all gone a bit weird, crapper, toilet wax, ****, the mind does boggle, anyway check this out.....can be bought from B&Q and the wax is a tough one....

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=to...hrome&ie=UTF-8

Just make sure it's not a bum job...

 

How odd. All the gaskets for that joint I've ever encountered are foam rubber.
You live and, sometimes, you learn.

 

The foam type is the plumbing equivalent of Jaguar plastic bits. They are traditionally wax.

The wax broken into old diff oil, warmed and stirred, not shaken, might be a good recipe. The diff oil drained from a X308 feels waxy already when rubbed between the fingers.

Then there is the automatic oil dispenser ... a slow oil drip from the bottom of the engine can keep the under carriage rustfree with no work whatsoever on the part of the owner.

The thick formulation of "Fluid Film" is great. But, pricey .... must contain the best snake ... err lanolin ingredients in the world.

 

God Bless American Southwest!

So much crap (just to stay on topic!) I forgot since I left the snow belt.

 

Thank you all for the great (and sometimes unconventional) tips about how to keep the undercarriage rust free.

SeanB, you mentioned a wire brush. Should I use a soft one for rust this slight and do you know of any fluids of any sort that might make it easier to get it all off?

Thanks again guys!

 

Wire wool if you can get at the spots, what you need is to get back to bright metal then treat it, if not it's going to reappear very quickly. Painting over untreated rust is a no-no.

It saves doing it over and over again. Jaguar didn't defend these cars to last forever.

 

Perfect! Wire wool it is. Can't wait to get rid of it all. I'll be very thorough.