Should I be worried about rust?

"atomic8778" (atomic8778) 05/05/2015 at 12:16 • Filed to: None

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Hi everyone,

I recently posted on oppo saying that I’m going to get a new (used) car for when I move to Ohio (from CA). I had great replies, but that got me thinking...One of the biggest reason why I’m not taking my current car is because of my fear of rust. I’m hoping to keep my current good ol’ car till I kick the bucket, so I want to minimize the possibility of rust. My question is this: if I’m only going to be in Ohio for 2 years (possibly 3 years), how worried should I be about rust developing on my current car? It’s got a bout 212xxx miles now without any signs of rust.

Thanks everyone

Quick edit: duh, I should’ve mentioned my car. It’s 2001 Toyota Sienna XLE

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > atomic8778 05/05/2015 at 12:20

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Yes, one day the rust will come for us all.

Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis > atomic8778 05/05/2015 at 12:21

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Unless you have a very high risk car when it comes to rust you should be fine. Still be careful and do all you can to prevent it, but you should be fine.

JR1 > atomic8778 05/05/2015 at 12:21

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As an Ohioan with some significant rust on my truck while at college I think all you need to do is take the necessary steps to prevent rust from occurring. Your car will likely be housed outside I am assuming so that will make it more liable to get wet during the long shitty winters. But I doubt it will see much salt during the winter if you plan to stay mostly on campus

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > atomic8778 05/05/2015 at 12:21

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Is it an MR2? Don’t worry. You already have it.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > atomic8778 05/05/2015 at 12:22

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If you keep absolutely everything as clean as possible, wash the car off after any exposure to salt, keep it in a warm-ish dry place, avoid driving in rain and snow, and check the underside regularly for abraded paint or points of weakness (including specifically the wheelwells) you may be fine. The most common failure mode on just about any car is salt getting washed into the body cavities, colonizing (so to speak) between outer and inner sheet metal (fenders particularly), and holding moisture until the panel is penetrated from the inside. The worst thing being that damage won’t necessarily be detectable until well after it’s started, and in your case, there might be an unpleasant surprise 2-3 years after leaving Ohio...

You have okay odds if you’re meticulous, but everything has a risk.

E. Julius > atomic8778 05/05/2015 at 12:22

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How old is the car? If it’s something older, when rust protection wasn’t as good, you might have to worry about it, but my time growing up in Michigan has taught me that as long as you get your car washed frequently in the winter (to keep the salt off of it) and inspect it carefully every once in a while to make sure there’s nothing developing, you should be fine. Especially if it’s just for two years.

atomic8778 > E. Julius 05/05/2015 at 12:25

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14years old (2001). Yeah some of my Northeastern friends have told me that so long as I wash my car, especially the undercarriage, I should be fine. Still got me worried though.

atomic8778 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 05/05/2015 at 12:27

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I’m hoping to get a covered garage (for many reasons, including not needing to scrape off snow every morning haha), but it’s probably going to be stored outside. A warm dry place may not be possible, but I really appreciate all those tips. I hope to not bring my car over to Ohio, but it’s definitely a lot cheaper than buying a car (at least in the short run).

E. Julius > atomic8778 05/05/2015 at 12:28

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The only foolproof way to get around it is to have a sacrificial winter beater unfortunately, but good care goes a long way.

atomic8778 > JR1 05/05/2015 at 12:29

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I’ll be living off-campus unfortunately, so my car will see some commute usage. I don’t know how harsh Ohioan winters are, but I assume it’s gotta be pretty hard. I’m hoping to get a covered garage, but I’m not counting on it. It’s starting to look like buying a car would be my best bet.

CalzoneGolem > atomic8778 05/05/2015 at 12:29

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Two years in Ohio shouldn’t be a big deal as long as you wash it often.

No offense but how much longer do you plan on living? That Sienna isn’t going to make another 14 years ans 220k miles without some serious love an attention.

atomic8778 > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 05/05/2015 at 12:29

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Haha, well I very much expect that, but I don’t want to accelerate it by subjecting it to harsh winters, if avoidable.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > atomic8778 05/05/2015 at 12:33

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Just wash thoroughly and get some salt neutralizer

atomic8778 > CalzoneGolem 05/05/2015 at 12:35

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I’m youngish (turnin’ 25 soon enough), so I plan to see another good couple of years haha. I do have some serious love for the Sienna (it was my mother’s first new car that she bought herself), so I don’t have any reason to give it up. Unfortunately, sentimentality got the best of me haha. Some people have some weird love for some weird cars. Mine happens to be for a minivan that’s been through it all with me. If it does become an absolute money pit, of course I’ll leave it aside instead, and probably work on it as a project-car, and/or give it to my future son to figure out how to keep it runnin’.

On the topic of washing, how often are we talking about? Twice a week?

atomic8778 > E. Julius 05/05/2015 at 12:38

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Yeah, hence my first post about buying a car. It doesn’t have to be a great car, just one that will get me from CA -> Ohio, and survive it for the twoish years I’m there. While I’d love to buy a sacrificial winter car, funds are always there, yaknow?

nermal > atomic8778 05/05/2015 at 12:39

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You need to be aware that the crap is put on roads in the winter isn’t just salt. It’s now a “brine” mixture, which varies depending on when it’s applied. Before a big storm, trucks will be out pre-soaking the roads in the liquid brine, then will come by again after to spread the salt mixture. After you drive on it, all of that crap works its way up into the nooks and crannies of your vehicle. It also works its way down after you stomp around in it in parking lots walking to or from your car.

Regardless of how much you wash the car, it will still develop rust. If you’re only going to be in OH for 3 yrs, just lease a new car and dump it when you leave. You can get a new Honda for < $300 month with $0 down currently, for example. Probably will be made by one of your new neighbors as well.

CalzoneGolem > atomic8778 05/05/2015 at 12:41

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More than once a week is probably overkill. It is pretty dependent on the amount of salt you encounter. I honestly wouldn’t sweat it too much.

atomic8778 > CalzoneGolem 05/05/2015 at 12:42

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Thanks! I sincerely appreciate your help!

atomic8778 > nermal 05/05/2015 at 12:45

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Yeah, I’m trying to outright buy a car for about 3k here in CA so I can sell it after my years in Ohio to hopefully break even. I would lease but I drive QUITE a bit, and that won’t let up while in Ohio (gotta be traveling a lot), so a lease isn’t very likely. I was just seeing if I could bring my current car up there so I could cut 3k out of my budget.

Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed > atomic8778 05/05/2015 at 12:54

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You wont be able to wash it whenever you want between December and early April. Just look for days where overnight temps are above freezing and bring it to the car-wash then. Never “put it away wet” when it’s below freezing or you might have some other issues. Try to keep the car dry when it is not clean. Buy a wire brush and some primer, then inspect for rust and nip it in the bud when possible.

If it rusts, it rusts. But with a little care, it should not develop into a problem in only 2-3 years.

JR1 > atomic8778 05/05/2015 at 13:31

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It looks like you are getting some great advice from other people. Just keep her clean or buy a winter beater. Otherwise you should be at peace with the fact that you will probably get some rust.