I wish I'd ordered Ford's northern rust treatment- I forget the name for it- but there is a metal treatment available for people who live in certain states and Canada. I'm not 100% positive, but I'm fairly sure that this is what it is= Metal Shield If you check the Testimonial pages, you'll see who uses that product, and what for since it has so many uses. One day it will grace the underside of my roof and floor for sound deadening and thermal transfer.
Yup! I paid the extra bucks for the treatment before delivery of the new car. I have viewed most such "treatments" with suspicion, as a way for the dealer to pack his profit margin, but I questioned the dealer in detail on
exactly what they do and it is far more than just spraying tar crap onto the bottom of the car. And according to what I read, the treatment actually does some good. So I bought it.
Cars are better protected at the factory level against rust than ever before, primarily because of better paints, self-sealing primers and the increased use of double-sided galvanized steel. But Ford seems to be a mixed bag as far as rust-resistance is concerned. As I said in another post, I have never seen a rusty Ford Focus; yet, there are so many Tauruses out here with advanced leprosy, like so many biodegradable rolling sleds, it was enough to give me pause. Since the last Ford I owned was a 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 XL coupe
(I still kick myself for ever selling it [?|] ), I felt nervous enough that I wanted to provide every edge for my new Focus right from the beginning.
My previous two cars, both VWs, an '89 Golf GTI and a '99 Jetta GLI, when new both dripped this oozy waxy crap from their drain holes and other places when left in the hot summer sun. Apparently, this "cavity wax" as VW called it, is applied at the factory. It is a wax/foam that is injected into the body cavities before final baking of the painted car body. The baking causes the wax to melt and coat every inside surface - the inner doors, the inside of the trunk lid, the rocker panels, etc. It is self-sealing; if something gouges the coating somehow, it seals it within minutes. I owned my late and lamented '89 GTI for 10 years
(until some stupid lady, while trying to run a yellow light and failing to see me stopped for a left turn, rear-ended my beloved VeeWee at about 60 mph, totalling the GTI and nearly totalling yours truly) and over 120,000 miles and until the day it died
(was murdered), it was rust-free, depite not being garaged during most of that time. In Wisconsin, that is a special accomplishment. That is why, after I got out of the hospital, I took my insurance settlement and bought another new VW, despite the fact that though that GTI had been a joy to drive, it wasn't exactly the Maytag appliance that is my wife's Toyota Corolla.
From what the dealer described, part of this after-market treatment involved this same type of self-sealing cavity wax that VW/Audi uses as a factory process
(Perhaps these unseen and unsung extras are part of the reason VWs have been more expensive than most cars in their class.). Since my VWs stood up so well over time, I thought I would take a chance with this aftermarket process on my Focus.
I'll tell you in 10 years how well it worked! [
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