Rod Croskery

While my 004 Cayenne S came from Vancouver with 125,000 km and no corrosion whatever, a winter of salty roads in Eastern Ontario may change that.

In the thread "Warrany and Repairs" I read of a Montreal Cayenne receiving new doors and a hatch due to premature corrosion.

Are there specific risks associated with allowing a skilled Krown Rustproofing tech access to my car?

I'm thinking about the windshield frame, doors and hatch. As well, the great absorbent mats of sound-proofing under the car look like salt-traps to me. Underneath there's one small crack in the vinyl cladding just aft of the right front lifting point. Should I find a way to caulk it?

In summary, has anyone tried oiling a Cayenne with a clear oil product like Krown for rust protection? Any horror stories?

Andy E.

Rod,

The Montreal Cayenne with the rusty doors is my GTS. The premature corrosion was a direct result of the factory omitting to apply the bare-metal seam sealer at the bottom of the doors. Whether or not I had applied a rust inhibitor such as Crown or Ziebart (do they still exist?), this would not have prevented the corrosion issue that I had experienced with my Cayenne.

Even though the factory body parts go through an extensive hot zinc/galvanizing procedure for corrosion prevention, wherever there is a bend/fold/weld, a bare-metal seam sealer (a type of caulking that is usually performed by a robot) is applied at the factory directly onto the seams. Omission of this sealant (in almost all cases) will result in premature corrosion.

This is not a usual circumstance as you would have heard many others complaining about premature corrosion on their body parts; meaning that in my particular case, the robot was either on break or Hans had forgotten to refill the sealant tubes. Either way, both PAG & the local dealer showed extremely goodwill by replacing these panels at no charge.

If this worries you, I would recommend that you perform an under-body inspection prior to purchase. Gone are the days when a Florida or California car was free of undercoating and corrosion protection. All production, regardless of it's final destination, are treated and coated in the same manner.

Rod Croskery

The premature corrosion was a direct result of the factory omitting to apply the bare-metal seam sealer at the bottom of the doors.

Andy:

Thanks for your response. That's useful information about the seam sealant. My main winter concern is storing a slushy car in an enclosed and heated-when-cold garage. It seems like a recipe for rust. But parking out in the cold can wreck the engine, from what I've read so far.

Maybe it'd be better to park outside except for in very cold weather and just drive the thing. I picked up a fine set of year-old Goodyear winter tires on replica rims on the weekend and we're looking forward to making brave tracks in the snow.

quickster2

Warm & moist is your worst enemy for corrosion. Most corrosion from winter salts happens once the weather turns warm. Car wash underbody washes actually do little but are better than nothing. From Amazon you can buy a pressure washer extension that has 4 nozzles pointing up with casters on the bottom that will adequately wash your undercarriage once the rain has washed the road salts away. Followed by a Krown application you vehicle will last a long time.

Rod Croskery

One anti-rust tactic I use is to have two for three spray cans of Canadian Tire oil spray on the bench any time I put a car up on the hoist in our shop. This has proven quite effective: I soak anything underneath (other than brakes and exhaust) which looks as though it could rust. This has proven effective in preserving my '02 Tacoma in particular.

I still don't know about that sound-proofing mat on the underside of the Cayennes, though.

A nervous morning here: zero degrees F and two Cayennes sitting outside. Awaiting parts, a BMW's in pieces on the hoist in the shop where Ruby usually sleeps.

quickster2

Fluid Film and the Krown spray cans work as well. Neither of these will hurt the mat. Stay away from anything that is petroleum based as WD-40.

quickster2

I forgot about Boeshield. I just ordered 3 cans. We have a new horse trailer and a 25' Gooseneck plus the Cayenne to spray once the weather breaks and the salt is off of the road. I'll do my own tests on the Steel Gooseneck trailer and see what I like best. I also assembled the device listed in the pictures attached. I wash all cars in the spring with my pressure washer and this. It has four nozzles pointing up and swivels on casters. With my 2600 PSI washer there is enough pressure drop across the 4 nozzles that I am not worried about damaging anything. This has become the #1 borrowed tool in the spring. I take the aero shields off prior to washing. Note the pipe insulation on the 1st extension, this keeps from scratching the car in case one gets careless.