[greatbreweh]

I asked my dealer is rust proofing included in the invoice he sent, he said hmmm, I am not sure if we even rust proof these ev vehicles. Have other lightning owners rust proofed your truck?

 

[Kirk]

It’s mostly aluminum body panels, so am unsure this is an issue.

 

[Ron]

You want to tell me that the dealer didn't sell you the " TRUE COUT" ??
FARGO

 

[greatbreweh]

Funny they rustproofed my 2017 F350 all Aluminum truck, as far as I know aluminum does corrode with salt, at least I have seen aluminum corrode somehow and assume it is salt.

 

[vincere]

The process of aluminum corrosion is known as oxidation. Does not look so nice but the resulting aluminum oxide is a thin, hard layer that actually protects the metal from further corrosion. Aluminum oxide appears as a powdery white or dull gray coating. Science!

 

[Sparky]

After researching the options, I chose to spray woolwax on all the steel components I could reach with their “pro” undercoating gun, which includes a wand for reaching into frame tubes and tight spots. I managed to reach enough area that I’m fairly confident that I won’t have major rust issues, with annual touch ups here in New England. I wanted to do it myself, because I figured the undercoating companies wouldn’t have experience doing a Lightning, and I wanted to avoid spraying near what looked like sensitive electronics. There’s a lot of steel underneath, particularly the skid plates and support structures for the battery that look particularly vulnerable to me - on the top sides of plates, salty sludge can collect and rot the plates from the top down. Also, the bumpers are steel, so I wanted to protect especially the rear bumper and trailer hitch from the inevitable salty spray that rots them out. I ended up using about 2/3 of a gallon, and I took my time, doing it in a couple of hours. I’m really glad to have spent the time getting familiar with what’s under there, and I’m optimistic that it’ll make a difference. Temps were around 50°, and I didn’t need to heat up the woolwax to get it to flow nicely (they recommend heating it when applying at colder temps). I also managed to reach everything without lifting the truck, but it definitely got a bit tight in a few places, as I’m not skinny! My only issue is that my cat likes to hang out under our vehicles in the driveway, and she came back into the house with a little woolwax on her tail a couple of times (it cleans up easily enough). That prompted me to finally clean out the garage enough to fit the truck inside, where kitty doesn’t hang out. With only inches to spare, I love the camera views for backing in!

 

[RDale]

After researching the options, I chose to spray woolwax on all the steel components I could reach with their “pro” undercoating gun, which includes a wand for reaching into frame tubes and tight spots. I managed to reach enough area that I’m fairly confident that I won’t have major rust issues, with annual touch ups here in New England. I wanted to do it myself, because I figured the undercoating companies wouldn’t have experience doing a Lightning, and I wanted to avoid spraying near what looked like sensitive electronics. There’s a lot of steel underneath, particularly the skid plates and support structures for the battery that look particularly vulnerable to me - on the top sides of plates, salty sludge can collect and rot the plates from the top down. Also, the bumpers are steel, so I wanted to protect especially the rear bumper and trailer hitch from the inevitable salty spray that rots them out. I ended up using about 2/3 of a gallon, and I took my time, doing it in a couple of hours. I’m really glad to have spent the time getting familiar with what’s under there, and I’m optimistic that it’ll make a difference. Temps were around 50°, and I didn’t need to heat up the woolwax to get it to flow nicely (they recommend heating it when applying at colder temps). I also managed to reach everything without lifting the truck, but it definitely got a bit tight in a few places, as I’m not skinny! My only issue is that my cat likes to hang out under our vehicles in the driveway, and she came back into the house with a little woolwax on her tail a couple of times (it cleans up easily enough). That prompted me to finally clean out the garage enough to fit the truck inside, where kitty doesn’t hang out. With only inches to spare, I love the camera views for backing in!

Thanks for sharing this @Sparky and welcome to the forum! How do you like your Lightning so far?

 

[Mr. Mazak]

After researching the options, I chose to spray woolwax on all the steel components I could reach with their “pro” undercoating gun, which includes a wand for reaching into frame tubes and tight spots. I managed to reach enough area that I’m fairly confident that I won’t have major rust issues, with annual touch ups here in New England. I wanted to do it myself, because I figured the undercoating companies wouldn’t have experience doing a Lightning, and I wanted to avoid spraying near what looked like sensitive electronics. There’s a lot of steel underneath, particularly the skid plates and support structures for the battery that look particularly vulnerable to me - on the top sides of plates, salty sludge can collect and rot the plates from the top down. Also, the bumpers are steel, so I wanted to protect especially the rear bumper and trailer hitch from the inevitable salty spray that rots them out. I ended up using about 2/3 of a gallon, and I took my time, doing it in a couple of hours. I’m really glad to have spent the time getting familiar with what’s under there, and I’m optimistic that it’ll make a difference. Temps were around 50°, and I didn’t need to heat up the woolwax to get it to flow nicely (they recommend heating it when applying at colder temps). I also managed to reach everything without lifting the truck, but it definitely got a bit tight in a few places, as I’m not skinny! My only issue is that my cat likes to hang out under our vehicles in the driveway, and she came back into the house with a little woolwax on her tail a couple of times (it cleans up easily enough). That prompted me to finally clean out the garage enough to fit the truck inside, where kitty doesn’t hang out. With only inches to spare, I love the camera views for backing in!

I live in northeast Ohio and I know firsthand about salt and erosion. I too wondered about rustproof and undercoating but wasn't sure if I should becauseof the aluminum body. I may take a look at doing it myself and knowing that someone at a shop is not just blasting everything under there without knowing what is under our electric trucks.

Thank you for sharing your experience on doing it yourself.

 

[LML161820]

Any updates on this? What is recommended? Any info on fluid film? Does anything void the warranty? I would like to get something done.