Beach driving and rust

[corkster Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close corkster]

Another question from the noob.

We have settled on a petrol so that is fine, but, I have been reading about the whole electronic rust protection vs every other treatment or just washing them after. Totally confused and think I might be over researching on the fishing, caravaning and 4x4 forums. Horror stories just make for gut wrenching reading, but I wonder how much is the same story being recycled, or embellished. Anyway, as I will be driving to Fraser, double Island and Bribie Island about 3 times a year for long weekends, is just cleaning afterwards sufficient. Are those cars meant to cope with this type of activity or will I need to do something to augment this cleaning. My dad has the erp from new but I struggle to trust something banned in other countries as a gimmick. Just don't want to wreck my new car. Wife says if it can't go to the beach, I will be buying and old 120 series for half the price. Not that I mind, still a Prado, just not the one I want NOW, RIGHT NOW.

Cheers, and thanks again.

Corkster.

[Muz Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Muz]

Hi Corkster,

The electronic rust protection thing always seems to draw a divided opinion from people on any forum. All I would say is I had it on a previous vehicle, already installed when i bought it second hand, and I ended up with two rust spots, one right next to the anode on the firewall. I would not have been happy if I had paid to have it installed.

There is a place here in Brisbane that has been there for as long as I can remember called Downey Street Lobritorium at Geebung. I have never been there but they must do something right to still be in business after all these years.

Paul

[SimpleSi Member Find all posts View Profile Close SimpleSi]

My theory - I don't think you can guarantee any type of rust proofing. I've just bought a 2nd hand GXL diesel(2010 wi. 40,000km) and have installed the ERPS. I also just rang Downey St Lubritorium Muz mentioned, and for an extra $450, I'm planning an underbody spray. That and a solid clean after each beach run, and I'd be surprised to see any rust in the next 5-10 years.

Don't forget, I believe a new Prado will come with a 5yr guarantee against rust (not sure of the in's and out's and stand to be corrected).

PS Buy a diesel, you wife won't know the difference, just make sure you fill it up each time... ;-)

[Greigrob Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Greigrob]

My theory - being scottish (bring on the tight arse jokes!!) there was always a fair bit of salt sprayed on the roads in winter to melt the ice/snow and I never had a problem with rust. I kept my cars clean but they were exposed to salt for the best part of 4 months a year. Gladly we dont have that problem here in sunny QLD. On return from the beach I give the car a good wash and hose out, Then go for a run down the Condomine river road through the 14 river crossings! makes cleaning easier and a bit of fun!

[Signature035 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Signature035]

9 year old Prado that has done extensive beach driving and the only rust I have is on a couple of bare patches on the ARB Bar. I clean it well when I get home, and when I remember, give it a Lanolin spray underneath before a beach trip.

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

Clean thoroughly after the beach in my opinion. A good coating of dust before helps too.

[dreamon Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dreamon]

What or how to you do a lanolin spray before you go

[Signature035 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Signature035]

What or how to you do a lanolin spray before you go

My local Harware sells 1ltr pump bottles, have a look at the Lanotec web page;


http://www.lanotec.com.au/pdf/Brochu...20Brochure.pdf

[butane8 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close butane8]

My local Harware sells 1ltr pump bottles, have a look at the Lanotec web page;


http://www.lanotec.com.au/pdf/Brochu...20Brochure.pdf

mate , i belieive that is that it is the ducks gutz.. but its expensive once you work out that u want to use it on everything and everywhere... i keep a can in the shed but mines still empty... as a reminder.... best thing to spray a outboard engine with... but truth be told it does hold on to salt too... on the surface.. but it had a real THIICK coat..... very good stuff

cheers butane

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

I've frequented Fraser and Double Island Point combined for 3 to 4 times a year on average and have done so for 5 and a half years in my Prado. I just give it a thorough clean afterwards and I don't have any rust that I'm aware of. I wouldn't worry too much about it, Corkster. If you went there 26 times a year then I'd look at additional protection. A good source to ask would be the Fraser Is rangers. Ask if they have anything fitted or applied to their Landcruiser utes or not, and whether they have any signs of rust after 2 to 3 years. But then again they'd probably never look under their cars or even care.

[Ghost Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ghost]

I have been mulling this over myself, at the moment after I get home from any beach work I park the car on the grass over the top of one of those green soaker hose, let it soak the underside for a good 45 mins, then give the topside a real good tub with chemtech car wash, answer as hitting the underside and inside the chassis rails etc with the hose to flush any salt and sand out, so far so good.

I have been interested in the electronic rust protection, but again you hear so many to and against stories hard to believe what you read sometimes

[gumboot Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close gumboot]

+1 for the Lanotec spray.

[kav Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close kav]

my car goes to the beach 2- 3 times a week , no problems yet . here's the biggest tip . DON"T do what the idiots in the adds do and drive it through salt water on the beach yelling yippee look at the spray going everywhere . just point the hose at it when you get home . in my experience the only cars in my family that rusted really badly were the ones that were rust proofed when new .

[cbm8880 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cbm8880]

My Lanotec Experience

So I was looking for an alternative/longer lasting alternative to Inox for our recent trip to Fraser with the camper. I sprayed the Lanotec on about 10 days beforehand, hoping it would dry to a clear non sticky surface, but it just didn't happen and we ended up coming back with caked on sand. The up side is that the underbody was protected from the salt water, but even after a solid underbody hosing into every area i could, I've still got lots of sand all over any surface that the Lanotec touched.

I think I will go back to Inox, even though it doesn't last as long, but in the interim what is the best way to remove the Lanotec and sand? Should I spray a degreaser across they whole underbody and will it cause any problems to any components under there?

Any other ideas?

Cheers.

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

Geez, I don't think you'll ever get it off now you poor bugger. Imagine how much sand you'd have in your chassis rails. I've never personally seen lanotec dry on a surface and even after a long time it's sticky and gooey. Must take months & months if at all? I've since coated the underbody of my car with countless cans of fish oil. I lost count of how many cans. It would've been over 20 cans I emptied through the chassis rails and on all angles of everything under the car. Everything was covered nice and thick with the stuff and it was dripping for hours afterwards. I removed all guards and coated them. Left them for a week to cure in the sun and then coated them in black paint before re-fitting. The car was left parked for 2 weeks while curing and it still stank horribly after that time. The fish oil developed a skin, but was still soft to touch after 2 weeks so I went to a state forest and sealed with it plenty of dust on high speed dirt tracks. That was ages ago. I did it for peace of mind since I'll keep the car for a long time and it didn't cost much as Super Cheap had a special on at the time. That stuff gets in everywhere and penetrates well. I just had smelly skin for 3 days no matter how many times and how much I scrubbed in the shower because I got right under the car properly when I did it and got covered in the stuff when it was dripping.... I'll re-do it once every 18-24 months.

I imagine Inox would be pretty useless for use on the underbody and wouldn't put up with the elements very well. I used to have non-stop corrosion issues with my battery trays, metal battery clamps and the small wing nuts due to the wet cell deep cycle battery being discharged and re-charged constantly from use. Every few months I'd take both batteries out, remove the surface rusting and coat the trays with Inox and put the batteries back in. Then I'd coat the metal battery clamp brackets and wing nuts in Inox. I'd do the same again a couple of months later and the Inox did nothing to prevent the corrosion from flaring up again. Then again and again still with the same useless results. The Inox was drying up and disappearing from where it had been applied in abundance previously. Ended up fish oiling them when I did the rest of the car and the problem is solved. I've found Inox not much better than RP7 for lasting results (or severe lack of). And yes, it does wash off with water even though the can suggests otherwise. Pretty much good enough for internal door hinges and locks. Wouldn't trust it for lasting external use when exposed to the elements and expect it to protect the surface from anything. And when driving you've got strong wind. Strong spray when driving on wet roads like using a high pressure hose at the car wash. Severe hot & cold. And on the beach the sand blasting will render it useless also.

As for removing the lanotec. Go to a professional rust proofing mob and get them to steam clean the underneath. That will clean it off and leave your chassis squeaky clean for something else to be applied.