What plastic are you referring to underneath?

 

Welcome to the ROC... I am not sure how long you plan on keeping your RL, but it's covered for 5 years... Take a good look at the under carriage of your RL... Notice it is already well coated.

 

The wheel wells are plastic.

I was planning on keeping my Ridgeline until it dies.

 

The wheel wells are plastic.

I was planning on keeping my Ridgeline until it dies.

I don't know how they prep the vehicle, but by the sounds of it, I would be more worried that they are spraying the "moving" part causing them harm...

Line-x would be a great alternative and would have a lifetime warrenty...

 

What is line-X?

 

http://www.linex.com/

 

In October of last year I went to the local Krown Rustproofing place and had it Krowned. I will have it done again this October. The product drips a little bit but soon disappears. All the previous trucks that I have owned I had rustproofed either Krown or Oil Gard.

 

I used to have my vehicles rustproofed but haven't the last 4. The automakers have come a long way in corrosion protection. The Toyota Tacoma I just traded on my RL was 5-1/2 years old, not a speck of rust anywhere on the paint or visible anywhere whatsoever. We get 150" of snow here in northern Michigan and our roads are covered in salt for months and months. If you plan on keeping it 10 years maybe, otherwise I think it's a waste of money.

 

Aftermarket rustproofing is not a good idea. First, by doing so you invalidate much or all of the Honda anti-corrosion warranty. Second, you've given up the Honda warranty in favor of a third party that probably won't pay off. Just pick your favorite company and search for warranty problems and you'll see what I mean.

Most importantly by having a third party rustproofing done you probably guarantee that your vehicle will rust out sooner, and possibly a variety of other problems. You just don't fill a door with black goop and think it will be rustproofed... there are drainage holes that get plugged, window regulators and wires that get covered with the goop. And this is just a door. They spray that gunk in places it shouldn't be.

You've taken the decision on what should and shouldn't be waterproofed out of the hands of Honda engineers and put it into the hands of what might be a high school kid that only knows to spray that crap everwhere he can. Not a good idea.... actually a very bad idea.

 

Most importantly by having a third party rustproofing done you probably guarantee that your vehicle will rust out sooner, and possibly a variety of other problems. You just don't fill a door with black goop and think it will be rustproofed... there are drainage holes that get plugged, window regulators and wires that get covered with the goop. idea.

Joe hit on an important note. By applying a 3rd party rust inhibitor, you are now more likely to cause your vehicle to rust. The 3rd party rust inhibitor may be actually trap moisture or particles that encourage rust accumulation directly against the frame of the vehicle that might otherwise wash away with the next rainstorm.

Rustproofing a Honda is unnecessary. The rust warranty on the truck lasts from 5 years from the date of the purchase of the vehicle. I just reviewd page 33 the warranty booklet that came with my truck. Unfortunately 3rd party rustproofing voids the factory warranty.

 

Does anyone know of a car built in the last ten years that has a rusting problem?

I think aftermarket rustproofing went the way of 3000 mile oil changes.

Complete waste of money with a quality vehicle like Honda.

 

I know of a couple Civics, 1997 and 1998 model years that exhibit the typical "Honda Rust" in the rear quarter panels behind the wheels. Around this area though, we apparently get a lot of acid rain due to being down-wind of Ohio...and the love of chemically-treated roads in the winter is a passion here as well.

 

Lots of body parts made of plastic now a days. Most warrantys are for rusting from the outside in not the inside out. And if its caused by a rock chip, dent, scratch etc. it will not be covered.My third party rustproofing job has a life time warranty for myself. They dont just stick a garden hose in their and start spraying. Its smaller than a pencil and they watch were they are spraying in the doors or anywhere else.To each their own, maybe we can compair in 8 more years.

In that time we can compare it to my new RL.. In 5-6 years, I will buy a new one....

 

+1 on other comments against rust proofing. Keep Line-X in the bed. It's a great product for that purpose (maybe not for the RL however IMHO). Think back to all of those "add ons" the big three did in the 70's and 80's out of the dealership. Rust protection was one I believe, did it help? I don't know...

Just keep your RL clean. Periodically do an under body wash, especially if you're in a climate where salt is an issue.

 

And that's probably the key to these "is it worth it?" discussions. I don't think anyone will argue a new car today, especially one spec'd out and designed by Honda, will rust within five years. Maybe ten, how about 15? And how does a car in similar conditions with aftermarket rustproofing hold up? And are any of us patient enough to find out?

 

I've got to throw my 2 cents in on this one... being from Buffalo and all. The streets here are covered with salt for the winter. No sand, no cinders... just salt.

It's hard to generalize with "aftermarket" rustproofing since there are different treatments and systems, some you get done frequently and some you get done once. I can say definitively that cars up here I've seen that have had Rustop done (a yearly treatment only available from a couple garages around here... http://www.schmidtsautobody.com/rustop.asp) have significantly less rust. However, this is a yearly treatment that is guaranteed as long as you get it done every year. The theory behind the yearly treatment is that the residue doesn't stick permanently everywhere... of course the other side of the coin is that you have to get it done every year.

At any rate, I had to say my bit just to offer another perspective on the issue. I started to notice some surface rust underneath my RTL only about a month after I got it (purchased in February) and I couldn't bear the sight, so I got Rustop done for around $100.