Hey everyone,

Now that I have imported by pristine California '98 S70 to Canada, I want to make sure it stays rust-free as long as possible. It's been a while since I had to rust-proof a car and I am not sure what kind of factory protection mine comes with. There appear to be oil coatings and rubber coatings, of brands suc as Ziebart, RustCheck etc.

Any recommendations?

You already have your answer - but it may be worth pointing out that aftermarket "rustproofing" coatings often crack or partially pull away from the surface they're on. Then they actually serve to trap and retain salty water and dirt.

The BODY of my car doesn't have a speck of rust, and that's even after a lot of time spent at 80mph in direct salt spray.

The things that corrode on the car are the things that Ziebart won't do anything for, aluminum parts, fittings, brackets, even the plated stuff. The steel wheels I use for my snow tires look terrible. But the BODY of mine is completely rust free. Save your money, and buy a can of WD40 and go over the brackets and stuff.

-BTC

'98 V70 T5 5-speed, 165k mi, front IPD stabilizer bar, rear factory HD bar, Bilstein HD, Volvo strut tower brace and skidplate, e-codes, V-1, Mobil-1 since new

"The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair." -- Douglas Adams (1952-2001)

LPS3 works well for the engine area and steel components underneath. Corrosion-X or Boeshield 29 works well on aluminum to prevent corrosion. About $10-15 for a spray can.

ok...if your going to go it do it yourself! If your goign to do it yourself you NEED a compresor and an underseal gun (no really you do!)

armed with this and about a gallon of 'waxoil' or similar (clear wax and adatives mixture thinned with white spirit) let it down to approx 50-60% with white spirits and attch probe to the end of gun (tube with omni directional spray on the end) remove ALL rubber bungs from the sills etc and shove probe into sills/box sections bits where you cant otherwise reach an d retract praying as you go.....fit spray nozzle to gun and go the same on any sheet metal joins vissable under the vehicle...remove door lock striker platres etc to givve access to inside or a,b,c and d pillars and do the same - pull internal door cars and do the same...

leave for 48 hours to dry, repeat..

now load gun with Shultz or similar (black bitchumen based preparation)and spray a continuos coat over the unserside of the vehicle...mask first so any overspray doesnbt end up onteh paint...if it DOES you can wipe off with white spirit (polish paintwork afterwards!)

repeat a day later.

now apply a coat of prayed waxoil over hte suspension componants (though obviously NOT the wheels/brakes - mask these FIRST...

your done probably 15-20 hours of work and 2-3 gallons of assorted stuff + white spirit - really messy and fairly unpleasent but anything else is a waste of time!

Tina,
Glad to see that you are doing well north of the border. Spend $5.00US on a good can of paste wax and wax the whole car, including the door jams and bottom inside metal of the doors and trunk lid. If it's painted, wax it!
An after market "rust proofing" will not help your car at all.

Klaus
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(1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)

I fully agree with the previous poster. my 10 year old 850 shows no rust anywhere, and it lives and drives in NYC, where they dump tons of salt on the road.
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Volvo 850 GTL, 136K, all stock (almost)

Lucky you !!! My almost 10 years (2 more weeks) 850 started to have rust in the passenger side fender, right above the rocker panel, next the the front edge of the passenger side door. I am going to remove the bubbled paint & rust and then treat the area with POR15 and touch up paint. The other area which starts to develop rust is the passenger side tailgate hinge opening. The opening of which the tailgate arm goes through when opening/closing the tailgate. I also removed the rust and bubbled paint there. Then applied a thin layer of POR15 and double layers of touchup paint.

I will keep an eye on these 2 area and the whole car too ....

Ching-Ho Cheng
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1995 855 NA, Bilstein Strut & Shocks, Volvo Protective Grill, K&N Filter, E-Code Lens, ClearCorner Light, Alpine CD-Changer, AutoDim RearView Mirror, 6000K HID

Volvo's are factory rust proofed, have been since the mid 80s and earlier and rust simply isn't an issue. Old Volvos outlast most other cars as far as rust is concerned, even costlier cars like MB and BMW. You'll just be throwing away good money in adding more rustproofing to that car.

I agree it has the best rust protection on the market but there are a few weak spots that needs attention at least here in the swedish climate...

Amen! Want your car to rust? Get it rust proofed. Have a high school drop out drill holes in your car to spray goop inside. Rust begins at all the holes!


Run away from aftermarket rustproofing!

Hehe OK I got the message, thanks everyone - no Ziebart or commercial rustproofing for me!

My old '81 240 (last Volvo I had in Canada) was pretty rusted when I bought it but I guess Volvo has improved on that score.

I wax every 4 months so I will make sure it gets a thorough job this fall, and the WD-40 for all the hinges, locks etc sounds like a good idea - except the smell of that stuff makes me gag! Any particular areas I should pay attention to?

I don't get online as much as I did with my job in CA, so thanks for the "hello" Klaus :) We are all settled in our new place in Stratford, ON... loving it here!

Major issues over here, wet roads with lots of salt during the winter...:
1. The aluminum bearing blocks inside the rear axle corrode due to galvanic corrosion. Corrosion stops if the blocks are soaked with engine oil but it lasts only about a year. Covered by the corrosion warranty but not very likely to fail before the warranty has expired.
2. The hooks carrying the exhaust system rust away long before the tubing is gone. 3:rd part clamp-on spare parts are available at least over here.. Some grease on the hooks solves the problem for a while.
3. Lower front spring seats rust. Dig out the dirt and pour some engine oil in them and they are fine for at least a year
4. Rear brakes.. if you drive in an energy-saving way (as I do), discs and calipers suffer badly from rust. A good practice is to brake firmly just before parking the car after driving in wet conditions, that will help the brakes to dry up. Volvo went from cromate to white zink due to environmental concerns, problem is that white zink does not last very long
5. Brake shields rust, the zinc layer only lasts a few years. Probably not very expensive to replace. If I get new ones I will spray them with wax.. That is by the way recommended on all galvanized parts by corrosion experts
6. Rear wheel-arcs, the area just behind the wheel has no body coat, I have got some small rust spots there. Spray wax or grease..
7. Stabilizer bar links and balljoints fail due corrosion caused by water entering the rubber boots. Solution: seal the edges of the boots with some grease and the balljoints will last twice as long

I think it is essential to lift the car and inspect the chassis carefully once per year. Grease or engine oil effectively stops already developed rust. The disadvantage is that dust and dirt sticks to it..
Spray wax lasts longer but dont apply on rusty surfaces, it may trap water and allow the rust to develop deeper under the surface
Washing with high pressure is effective but be careful, never spray toward wheel bearings or balljoints, water may be enter and cause failures later
Paintwork: Wash away salt immediately, wax often...

dont use used engine oil...its quite corrosive and can cause more damage than it solves!

using oil also isnt exactly environmentally sound either as it washes off into the water table...but in the amounts we are talking - does it matter well i guess thats an individual choice...

I also would be carefull about waxing brake shields (particularly on the inside) they get pretty warm and you REALLY dont want that wax going liquid and somehoiw gettin on your pads/disks - it could spoil your whole day (holly cow batman - no brakes!)

otherwise IU cant fault the logic

Hi Tina,
There are arguments on both sides regarding rust-proofing.
My 94 has only a few spots of surface rust in the seams where the the rear door openings meet the ground effects and can't be seen with the doors closed (really can't be seen with them open either, - very small.)
If you do decide to have your car sprayed, then I would recommend (Now don't laugh...Walmart!) Yup, Walmart has an excellent reputation down here in Belleville, and this is coming from guys who own classic cars; not that they drive them in winter, but usually have them rust-proofed before being stored for the winter.
As for hinge lubricants DO NOT use WD40. It is way too thin and will disolve long before the end of winter. It also washes away the factory stuff that should be used (Lithium grease, a.k.a. White grease or "Jigaloo" - available at Home Depot.) Another risk of using WD40 is that it can cause rust to migrate. Ie: If you spray a rusty spot the rust will travel in the drips of the WD40, and when the lubricant dissolves you have a rust deposit.
Another good idea I employ is to give all your door and window seals a thin wipe with Vaseline before freeze up. This will keep your doors opening and your windows going up & down over the winter.
Happy motoring,
Armie

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Imagine all the people...

dont use wd40 its really not a good idea, the reasons are as follows:-

1. it contains silicone, get it anywhere on your cr and if you ever need anything painting it will make the job a right ache!

2. it doesnt lubricate very well

3. it tends to make dirt stick to it, but it doesnt have enough 'body' to alllow the dirt to move

4. it has a reputation for causeing damage to plastics/wirring looms

do door hinges etc with spray grease (much better) lithium is good, but leave white marks, my favourite is the type for motorcycle chains...sprays on nice and easy then 'sets' designed not the be thrown of chains and to be wash resistant so you KNOW its goign to stay on your hinges!

dont forget to do bonnet hinges and latch mechanism!

seen a early 90's 740 nicely rusted out (boot floor, rear inner wings, rear valance, 3 days work in the shop welding it back together!...sure the rust proofing was good WHEN they left he factory but it may WELL have been damaged by now - thats why you re-seal! and you may as well do the internal structures in case they missed a bit and to account for condensation (the biggest casue of terminal rust in cars)

I'll have to second the avoid WD 40 advice. I've never figured out all the hype over the stuff although "Harry Homeowners" love it along with their $20. Black & Decker tools. In addition to the mentioned problems, it's worse than useless as a penetrating solvent next to products like PBlaster, worthless as a long term contact cleaner as it leaves a residue and doesn't prevent rust to any degree. I sprayed the cast iron top of my old table saw with it and it rusted again in a week just from the summer humidity.

bl

Yes, the old 240s weren't well protected UNTIL ~'86 (I believe) and the earlier ones rusted badly.....eventually. I think even those still outlasted most US and Japanese cars from that era.

Hello Tina...great to see you're still kickin it! My opinion is to high pressure wash under the car and joints after it's been in the salt. Good luck and hope to see more of your posts! How's the software working out for you? LOL Write me sometime. badger36-at-knology.net
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1998 S70 T5 Emarald Green Metallic, 2004 V70 2.5T Ruby Red, Previous Owner of Black '94 850 Turbo Wagon