Rust Stopper

[uncledj]

I bought a 2014 Expedition a month or so ago, and so far I'm luvin' it, and plan on keeping it for quite a while.

Being that I live in Central Ohio, and with the Winter roads and year round humidity, it's tough to keep my vehicles from rusting.

I've been fighting that battle with rust on my old Dodge Pickup for years and have done pretty well, but can only hold off the inevitable for so long.

Anyhoo, I was looking for ways to protect this Expedition and came across these electronic anti-rust devices.

Anyone have an opinion on these things? Do they actually work or is it just a gimmick?

I read where I would need 4 or so for my Expy.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rust-Stopper-Electronic-Rust-Protection-Anti-Corrosion-Device-Winter-Promo-/141270761419?_trksid=p2385738.m4383.l4275.c10

Edited April 7, 2018 by uncledj
Added link

[zagger]

Anyone have an opinion on these things? Do they actually work or is it just a gimmick?

 

Pretty interesting. I read through their website and it isn't super clear what you should expect to see. I would guess that the little rectangular metal pieces are sacrificial electrodes which will gradually be consumed - making a regular replacement necessary. But that is mostly a guess. https://www.marineinsight.com/tech/understanding-sacrificial-anodes-on-ships/

zag

[KeithR]

I was the service manager at a dealership where we sold those things as part of a protection package. The package was very expensive but you were mostly paying for the warranty. I put through very few claims for rust and we live in the land of snow and salt for 6 months of the year. I also didn't see any problems with rust with those that didn't have them. Those are older technology - the newest style just plug in under your dash where a tech would plug in a diagnostic tool.Those 2 bars would be mounted in the rain gutters under the hood. You would have to scratch the paint under them in order for them to make contact with the vehicle. One thing you have to keep in mind is any part of your vehicle that is isolated by rubber won't get the charge passing thru it so you may have to install a jumper wire - if the pan of a pickup is mounted on rubber mounts the current can't pass thru. I'm sure every model of vehicle has different qualities of metal in them but I only know about imports and in our extreme area rust wasn't an issue either way. The rep that we bought them from was trying to sell me a demo tool that would show a customer by touching the rotor how the charge was going thru the vehicle (it did show that it did) - I wouldn't go near it as that was the major issue with rotors etc in our area was rust and our techs spent most of their time servicing/replacing rotors that's exposed metal tho). One thing to keep in mind is the parasitic draw when you add something that that's running all the time - may cause battery issues. I do know the manuf did extensive testing on them and there was nothing official said but they gave me the impression it was a gimmick - again you were mostly paying for the warranty that most likely you wouldn't use. A money maker for the finance department. They would be linked to the manuf but the manuf wouldn't put their name on them which would give you some doubt about the technology. I was also told that its similar technology that is used on railway lines to prevent rust. They say every so far on a railway line there are box's mounted that do the same sort of thing - I dunno we don't have any trains on our island. Also Hydro stations use something similar on their surge tanks to prevent rust ?

 

For what they cost its worth a try I guess. I'm not so sure that you would need more than one - we never had to.

 

Just my opinions from what I experienced working at a dealership.

[zagger]

Keith,

I have to wonder if things like car doors, which may have nylon hinge components and grease at the hinges and latches, would be too electrically isolated from the rest of the body and wouldn't be protected. Any idea how often the sacrificial pieces need to be replaced?

zag

[KeithR]

Keith,

I have to wonder if things like car doors, which may have nylon hinge components and grease at the hinges and latches, would be too electrically isolated from the rest of the body and wouldn't be protected. Any idea how often the sacrificial pieces need to be replaced?

zag

 

I would think anything isolated would not be protected. We installed that style for 2-3 years and saw no need to replace any of the bars. But then again it wasn't long before they moved away from that style. Before that it was a sheet metal screw attached on the opposite side from the module connected by a wire. It will be interesting to see what comes next. If they work so well it would make you wonder why so many styles in a few yrs?. And I wonder why the vehicle manufacturer wouldn't install them for the cost if it was going to protect the body panels of their vehicles.

[uncledj]

I would think anything isolated would not be protected. We installed that style for 2-3 years and saw no need to replace any of the bars. But then again it wasn't long before they moved away from that style. Before that it was a sheet metal screw attached on the opposite side from the module connected by a wire. It will be interesting to see what comes next. If they work so well it would make you wonder why so many styles in a few yrs?. And I wonder why the vehicle manufacturer wouldn't install them for the cost if it was going to protect the body panels of their vehicles.

 

I got the impression that the more devices the better, to protect the body and chassis.

Before I got the Expedition, I came real close to buying a newer Dodge Ram with the 4 door cab, but decided against it because I have an old Dodge that still serves the purpose, and sometimes I need to beat my truck up a bit, and wouldn't want to do that, considering the expense.

The other, bigger turn off is that it seems like the majority of Dodge trucks 5 years or older show rust, ...some of them severe.

I didn't want to spend 30k + for a used vehicle that'd be rusted out in a few years. It kind of makes me wonder if the manufacturer doesn't mind if they rust so that you'll want to buy a new one.

My 01 Dodge Ram has tried to rust out in all the typical spots, but I've kept on top of it, cleaning off the rust when it appears and getting it down to bare metal and spraying with rust converter paint. I'd noticed that on the doors, after removing the door panel to get at the inside, there's only a primer paint and no apparent sealer where the door skin and inner door meet. That would be such an easy thing for the manufacturer to address to prevent rust, but they chose not to. I like the Dodge Trucks, IMHO they're the heaviest built, but am very disappointed in that aspect of manufacture.

Planned obsolescence.

[zagger]

It kind of makes me wonder if the manufacturer doesn't mind if they rust so that you'll want to buy a new one. Planned obsolescence.

 

I have an old Saturn station wagon with an entirely plastic outer body, except for the engine hood. After nearly 200,000 miles on the snowy and salty roads of Wisconsin, the only places that have a little bit of rust are on the edges of the door sills under the two rear doors. Basically, the car looks as good as new and still runs great. Of course, the Saturn brand was closed down in 2009. I have to wonder if the designs simply lasted too long and cut into profits that might be made on new vehicles. I don't know, but I am suspicious. I originally bought the car to haul my kids to school - but the kids are now grown up and I'm still driving it. I care much more about bikes and I just want my cars to keep running.

zag

[saddlebum]

Bottom line electronic rust protectors work on the anode/cathode principle. The work great for underground steel storage tanks, bridges and ships, anything that is in contact with water. So unless you plan on doing like Freebird and plan to park your vehicle in the pond or a swimming pool save your money. They also require electricity so once your battery drains down they don't work period and they do over time drain the battery though would not be an issue on a daily driven vehicle but would be on one in storage.

 

Here is a study by the Canadian Army https://corrosionfree.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Dept-of-Defence-Report-Highlighted-Text-copy.pdf

Note! Since Corrosion free performed best in this study they obviously highlighted everything in there favor but the document is still an eye opening read and the Canadian Army did also make use of US Army criteria and check list in their study. Being a Canadian document it is written in both English and French so the document appears longer than it is. You will also notice in this study that the Electronic device performed poorly.