Any under-carriage rust from winter road salt?

Why are you SHOUTING?

 

In my experience the most trouble prone zones are the wheel wells and rocker panels. Manufacturers have been escelating the plastic liners in those zones. Sometimes the fasteners are relatively easy to remove, some times not so easy.

Often it's necessary to remove the wheel to get at the fasteners and/or remove the liners. Or just to gain access.

The kind of dust/dirt/mud in behind the liners can vary. Sometimes it's sparse, dry stuff, likely not that rust promoting. But near the bottom corners of the wheel wells, and in behind rocker panel covers it can get wet and muddy.

 

Yes I noticed some rust on the suspension parts when I purchase my 2006 fourteen mths ago. I wash the underside of my car whenever it gets near salt. That keeps things under control. Hal

 

I haven't seen any rust on the body parts, just on the exhaust flanges and engine mounts (where the paint is scratched and around the bolts where it isn't painted). Some of the screws that hold the plastic in the wheel wells are loosing their plating and beginning to rust. I replace them with stainless fasteners. But we don't traditionally have salt corrosion problems here. It's the eastern provinces and US states that get that.

 

Actually that's not a good idea. I grew up in VT and the old timers never washed the car all winter. Water and air activates the salt. Your better off keeping it crusted under there till spring.
The best way to protect the underside is to keep it lubricated. They used to spray bunker oil under there cars but the EPA stopped that. I have all suspension parts lubricated with spray grease on my car. No squeeks & nothings rusted.

 

Used to be "the hot setup", but these days it's recognized that it holds (and hides from washing) salt debris against the metal. So it isn't encouraged. Proper coating of the metal in the first place is the way to prevent rust. Either plating (with toxic metal ) or painting (with toxic paint ).

Prius comes with undercoating, if the dealer is trying to sell it to you as an extra. The paint is also just fine without the "Ming Plating" or whatever they try to sell. And the interior is just fine without the "Scotchguard treatment" they try to sell.

 

In a word no

I have a 2002 prius with 241000 miles no rust.

I had a 2005 prius traded with 97000 miles no rust

My wife has a 2009 prius with 41000 miles no rust.

WE live in Minnesota, land salt and sand.

I believe Toyotas factory undercoating work very good.

Tom

 

just sold our 04 in the spring, driven all over northern new england for 8 years. a bit of surface rust on the exposed metal parts underneath, but nothing serious. what would you regard as an issue?

 

i haven't seen a rust bucket since the 70's, but it could be because there are so many new cars on the road. my daughters 99 accord did have some severe rust on the front of the hood and a few other areas, but the undercarraige seemed okay and passed inspection. i had a 72 fiat 124 sedan in 1980, now that was a rust bucket and new hampster would not pass it.

 

Manufacturers seem to have gotten a pretty good handle on the sheet metal corrosion issues of the past. However, it seems to have gone the opposite way with chassis and fastener corrosion. Being on the repair end, I am seeing more corroded and seized suspension parts, fasteners and brake lines on newer model cars than ever before. I don't know whether its a different composition of the steel used, lack of coatings, or a combination of the above. For example, I just replaced all the brake lines on a 2005 Chevy Pickup w/25k due to multiple rusted lines (including one leaker). Vehicle is not a plow truck, and has been in NJ since new.

 

yikes! i have an 05 dakota, i better have them take a good look next time i have the oil changed.

 

my daughter's is loaded, is it covered under warranty? i'm afraid they are going to reject her safety inspection one of these years.

 

it's an 08, used to be mine until i got my pip. apologies, but i don't have a camera or a way to post pics. i'm old,i'm confused.

 

I've heard it said that no amount of saltwater is safe to drive through for a hybrid vehicle. This is going to sound foolish, I suppose, but what about road salt combining with snow/slush/melted snow? If seawater is not safe to drive through, what prevents road salt from getting somewhere it shouldn't?