I live in the snow belt (S.E. Michigan) and most winters we have as much salt on the roads as snow. Manufacturers are doing much better than they used to with rust prevention on new vehicles. I had an '02 HL that did not have any rust proofing and when I got rid of it in '11 it had no rust. My wife is currently driving an '02 Honda Civic we bought new - it was never rustproofed and has no rust.

I have no plans on doing anything with my '18 other than washing it.

 

Each method has pros and cons. You know krown will drill holes into your brand new car. Can you live with that?

Heck no.. waste of money and adds weight.. just get the underside blasted at the car wash

Thatsnazzyiphoneguy, Not sure if you are aware that:
1. As soon as your dealership (or any professional aftermarket shop) applies the rust proofing under your HL, whichever the product/rustproof was used will take over the corrosion warranty instead of by Toyota...
2. The so called "lifetime" warranty has its underline requirements (differ by product/brands), basically requires you on an annual basis (if not bi-annually) to bring your HL in for check-up or touch-ups or perhaps additional application... if you missed an annual check-up, you could possibly void the warranty right there - You want to check with your dealership, make sure everything are done in writing for your protection.
3. Before applying the rustproofing, they usually pressure wash the under chassis then blow dry; once in a while if the technician being careless (or taking short cuts for drying time), water pocket(s) can be trapped under the rustproof... You guessed it, premature corrosion begins.

My point, I agree with the above members by leaving the already factory treated sheet metal/chassis alone since the factory corrosion treatment has far improved since years and years ago. I live in the Chicago area, no road-salt shortage in the winter here, so every other week or so during the winter I would bring my car to a local self-wash place to power wash (I only use the high pressure Rinse cycle with clear water - No Soap) the under chassis (and the whole car if the weather is clear that day). So far, I have not had any of my cars with any rust spot. :wink:

Less then 99.99% of all the cars on the road don't live in an area where it'll make much of a difference. But there are places where it does, and it DOES work.
However I'd NEVER have it done through the dealer. Only a dedicated shop that specializes in in it. Upstate NY or Upper Michigan where towns and cities average over 100" of snow a year and thus the cities/towns use tons of road salt. You vehicle is subjected to a constant bath or road salt. Vehicles here in Southern NH and MA don't show any signs of rust even after 8 years....those same vehicles in upstate NY are rusting out after 8 years. Manufacturers have improved their vehicles from rusting out...but some places still need to give the vehicles some added help.


The biggest problem people had with the old rust proofing systems was the way it was applied. If applied correctly they worked extremely well. I've seen identical vehicles where one had properly applied rust proofing and the other didn't. The properly applied rust proofing vehicle lasted 10 years before any sign of rust. The other vehicle wouldn't pass inspection because of major rust issues after 6 years.

the dealer jsut contacted me again (seems like there trying to beg for it) to rrust proof my underbody of my new car thats coming it. first it was 1200, then 1100 now 799 plux taxes "just for the underside".

so the way i see it, i shouldnt have a problem with just leaving it bare with whatever factory corrision resistance has on it? or at minumum, just get those 100 dollar oil sprays underneath?

the only pressure i have right now is, i know for the dealership to put there "stuff" on, they need to do it when the vehicle is brand new .

 

Each method has pros and cons. You know krown will drill holes into your brand new car. Can you live with that?

 

Heck no.. waste of money and adds weight.. just get the underside blasted at the car wash

 

I remember at least one or a couple members doing it as they live in a high snow road salt areas. But NOT for $1000, nor 1200!

I think this is about a $600 on average. I would shop and check what type of tar or rubber compound they use. Get a written warranty from a reputable shop.

 

Thatsnazzyiphoneguy, Not sure if you are aware that:
1. As soon as your dealership (or any professional aftermarket shop) applies the rust proofing under your HL, whichever the product/rustproof was used will take over the corrosion warranty instead of by Toyota...
2. The so called "lifetime" warranty has its underline requirements (differ by product/brands), basically requires you on an annual basis (if not bi-annually) to bring your HL in for check-up or touch-ups or perhaps additional application... if you missed an annual check-up, you could possibly void the warranty right there - You want to check with your dealership, make sure everything are done in writing for your protection.
3. Before applying the rustproofing, they usually pressure wash the under chassis then blow dry; once in a while if the technician being careless (or taking short cuts for drying time), water pocket(s) can be trapped under the rustproof... You guessed it, premature corrosion begins.

My point, I agree with the above members by leaving the already factory treated sheet metal/chassis alone since the factory corrosion treatment has far improved since years and years ago. I live in the Chicago area, no road-salt shortage in the winter here, so every other week or so during the winter I would bring my car to a local self-wash place to power wash (I only use the high pressure Rinse cycle with clear water - No Soap) the under chassis (and the whole car if the weather is clear that day). So far, I have not had any of my cars with any rust spot. :wink:

 

Less then 99.99% of all the cars on the road don't live in an area where it'll make much of a difference. But there are places where it does, and it DOES work.
However I'd NEVER have it done through the dealer. Only a dedicated shop that specializes in in it. Upstate NY or Upper Michigan where towns and cities average over 100" of snow a year and thus the cities/towns use tons of road salt. You vehicle is subjected to a constant bath or road salt. Vehicles here in Southern NH and MA don't show any signs of rust even after 8 years....those same vehicles in upstate NY are rusting out after 8 years. Manufacturers have improved their vehicles from rusting out...but some places still need to give the vehicles some added help.


The biggest problem people had with the old rust proofing systems was the way it was applied. If applied correctly they worked extremely well. I've seen identical vehicles where one had properly applied rust proofing and the other didn't. The properly applied rust proofing vehicle lasted 10 years before any sign of rust. The other vehicle wouldn't pass inspection because of major rust issues after 6 years.

 

... one more, I considered it as "good thing" with our HL is in the mid section of the under chassis, it's fairly well covered/protected with a combination of black plastic and aluminum shields. I only sprayed some (one of those rubberized undercoating out of a can stuff for $7) at the rear as I was installing my OEM hitch.

 

so moral is. undercoating is a scam from the dealership unless its free anyway

 

Can't call them all scam, but definitely everything they sell are grossly over priced - Thank goodness for online stores and other membership discounts.

P.S. As for tires, make sure to check each tire for matching as well as latest 4-digit date codes (WWYY) on the sidewall. Since it's not everyone buys tires from dealerships, sometimes their tires can be just not as fresh as those from say Discount tires (even there still be sure you get a matching set).
WW => number of week (up to 52) for that year the tire was manufactured
YY => the last two digits of the year manufactured
3217 => equates to the 32nd week in year 2017...

 

The dealerships just dropped the price again for me for 799 for just an undercoat. Still grossly overpriced?

Same with there 1600 dollar winter tires?

 

Rust Check / Krown / Fluid Film. You can buy a lifetime supply for a couple cars for less than $500 if you can DIY. They sell kits online. FF kit I bought came with 5 gallons. I purchased the sprayer, extension wand, and flex extension to go inside doors for $50 elsewhere. All in including the ramps I am at less than $400 cad.

I spent 2.5 hours just this morning on wifeys Camry. Pulled the factory body plugs, and door stops. Shove the wand in the hole and pull the trigger to do the doors, hood and trunk. Rolled it up on $40 ramps from WallyMart to do the underside ( again pulling only factory body plugs ). Removed a couple of the plastic covers to hit the fuel and brake lines real good as they tend to rot out before the body nowadays. The calcium and brine they put on the roads now is a real mess.

I have done the Camry, the Safari van, and touched up inside the frame rails on the Monte ( as they were never sprayed inside before ). Thus far I have used less than half of the 5 gallon bucket.

In the past I have paid for rust proofing. They dont take off the plastic covers on the fuel / brake lines. Nor do they drop the spare, or get it anywhere that is not visible ( like reaching up with the extension sprayer to get on top of the fuel tank, or where the top of the rear bumper meets the rear quarter ).

 

I live in Michigan - - so if a car is going to rust, it is going to do it here, with our heavily salted winter roads.

That said, I have not rustproofed my last several cars (exception noted below) and have not had an issue with rust. Every 1st generation Highlander I have seen has zero rust on it, which gives me confidence my 3rd generation 2014 will do just fine.

I did just undercoat and rustproof a brand new 2017 Jeep Wrangler.... only because I felt it was a 'different' type of beast. Lots of 'exposed' areas and I don't feel the panels are built/protected like modern cars. I knew this going into the purchase.... I was buying a crudely built, but amazingly capable off-road vehicle. There is nothing else like it...and it is a complete blast to drive. But, I felt I needed to go the extra mile to protect it. Case in point: the door and hood hinges literally have NO PAINT beneath them on the door panels and the hood...so you have the backside bare metal of the hinge in contact with bare metal of the hinge profile beneath it. They attach the hinges to the bare metal panels in the production facility and THEN paint them. Stuff like that....

Highlanders and modern day automobiles though - I wouldn't worry at all about rust.

If I lived in an area that has snow, I would definitely have it undercoated. Toyotas have a lot of issues with frame rust and corrosion. From old to new, I've seen 2 year old cars start rusting bad.... They also have recalls for frame rust. GM seems to do a good job at coating the cars from the factory so they don't have many issues with rust. I only take my HL to the snow twice a year and when I get home I wash the complete underside and wheel wells very well.

So I got my snow tires. Bridgestone blizzaks. With black steel rims. Figured why get nice rims when there gonna be covered with salt snow and slush anyways.

I was expecting the tire pressure monitor warning light to come on...but it never did. The garage did not put sensors on the snow tires. I thought highlanders had it?

 

I live in Michigan - - so if a car is going to rust, it is going to do it here, with our heavily salted winter roads.

That said, I have not rustproofed my last several cars (exception noted below) and have not had an issue with rust. Every 1st generation Highlander I have seen has zero rust on it, which gives me confidence my 3rd generation 2014 will do just fine.

I did just undercoat and rustproof a brand new 2017 Jeep Wrangler.... only because I felt it was a 'different' type of beast. Lots of 'exposed' areas and I don't feel the panels are built/protected like modern cars. I knew this going into the purchase.... I was buying a crudely built, but amazingly capable off-road vehicle. There is nothing else like it...and it is a complete blast to drive. But, I felt I needed to go the extra mile to protect it. Case in point: the door and hood hinges literally have NO PAINT beneath them on the door panels and the hood...so you have the backside bare metal of the hinge in contact with bare metal of the hinge profile beneath it. They attach the hinges to the bare metal panels in the production facility and THEN paint them. Stuff like that....

Highlanders and modern day automobiles though - I wouldn't worry at all about rust.

 

If I lived in an area that has snow, I would definitely have it undercoated. Toyotas have a lot of issues with frame rust and corrosion. From old to new, I've seen 2 year old cars start rusting bad.... They also have recalls for frame rust. GM seems to do a good job at coating the cars from the factory so they don't have many issues with rust. I only take my HL to the snow twice a year and when I get home I wash the complete underside and wheel wells very well.

 

If I lived in an area that has snow, I would definitely have it undercoated.

There's snow and then there's SNOW.


Here in Southern NH - we average about 40" of snow a year. The town where I grew up in upstate NY averages over 200" a year.


Toyota had a problem with earlier models and rust. Their frame issue was really related to one vehicle and for only a few years. Other models and years never had a problem.

 

Most cars do not need it with the corrosion controls manufactures have now and if the installers does a poor job might cause more problems if he blocks any drains.

 

If you go back to when car manufacturers started to drastically improve vehicles ability to resist rust - they almost all relate to white paper printed by a college professor at Syracuse University. He and his colleagues did a study of vehicles that rusted more then others and why some vehicles didn't rust. Their paper gave manufacturers a lot of insight to why vehicles rust. Some simple things - have every possible surface exposed to the outside drain somehow. There should be no places where there could be standing water. All metals need to be treated at factory....and the list goes on. Within a year after that paper was written there was a drastic decrease in cars rusting out. It was almost overnight.

 

its a pretty crappy system if it takes that long to detect an issue with tire pressure.

It doesn't take that long. Mine detected a tire pressure issue in seconds.


In all likelihood there wasn't a problem til 20 minutes in trip.

 

I have a 2004 hl with 236,000 miles parked outside and driven every day in north Jersey where they pour the salt deeper than the snow. The underside is starting to show it's age, but no rust anywhere on this car

 

I live in Iowa and the liquid road salt/brine can and does get everywhere. I read an article once that said to take a lawn sprinkler and break your car into quadrants (mentally not literally) and put the sprinkler under the car for about 10 minutes per quadrant in the spring. This helps rinse all that stuff out. I use a sprinkler similar to the pic I attached and have never had any rust issues.

 

Would it not be easier to drive through those touch less car washes that spray the underside?

 

I wondered about it too, but found some answers to that. They essentially said that the under body cleaner at most car washes would be like running through a shower when you are dirty. It will get some off, but you need a longer more consistent spray to really get it rinsed off well. Seemed reasonable so I figure even if it is a bit of over kill, it can't hurt (unless something isn't waterproofed correctly).

 

Rust proofing?

it's a joke, a money grab, at any price you are being taken to the cleaners, walk away.