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UPDATED with before/after pics and video: Worried about rust on your Bronco? You should be. Here's why.

BroncoAZ

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there is definitely a G/W shark somewhere in that shot...
I keep my boat in Chatham, that is the barrier beach across from the Chatham lighthouse. My buddy does fishing and shark charters, about half an hour before I took that shot he was just offshore with the spotter plane circling overhead. Sharks were about 200 yards off the beach. There is a reason I donā€™t surf on cape anymore.
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Tricky Dick

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To play the devil's advocate here, the big stuff that stands out - CV shafts and driveshafts* - are not lifetime components and I can kind of understand their reasoning. Still, not a good look.

*these driveshafts don't have replaceable u-joints. When they start getting sloppy you change the whole thing. Hopefully some traditional aftermarket u-joint type drivelines will become available in the future.
 
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I keep my boat in Chatham, that is the barrier beach across from the Chatham lighthouse. My buddy does fishing and shark charters, about half an hour before I took that shot he was just offshore with the spotter plane circling overhead. Sharks were about 200 yards off the beach. There is a reason I donā€™t surf on cape anymore.
That's exactly where I thought that pic was taken from! I was body surfing with my kids right there a couple years ago (brother in law has house and similar boat in Chatham) and half of a seal was bobbing between me and my kids. We stopped. It's not even safe on the inland side.
 

BRBlue

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I live in TX so road salt isnā€™t an issue for me but Iā€™ll see sand, salt water, and mud with the occasional trip to snowy regions. So the first thing I did was undercoat everything with PB Blaster Surface Shield. Itā€™s rated better than Fluid Film (check You Tube for reviews) and itā€™s a cheap and easy DIY job. 3 spray cans from Home Depot did the job. I couldnā€™t find a compatible nozzle to spray inside the frame rails but itā€™s better than nothing for my needs.
 

redone17

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I did Fluid Film this winter - but, that was before I heard about PBā€™s newest product.

Iā€™ve been happy so far. I keep looking underneath and the coating seems solid. This week is the first really salty few days. Itā€™ll get a bath on Monday and Iā€™ll report back.

I really should have pulled all of the skid plates when applying - but, I didnā€™t get the chance.

Also, driveshaft was covered in rust before any salt. FF made a huge difference within 24 hours.
 

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Back in the day I worked at a dealer doing the new car prep. Inventory cars that sat on the lot got a light WD40-type undercoating just so the bare metal wouldn't rust, just in case a customer poked his head under the vehicle, or under the hood. Anything custom ordered for immediate delivery didn't get any treatment al all.
 

redone17

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Thanks for that video. Finally got around to watching it. Super informative. Makes me realize my driveway FluidFilm treatment was less than efficient (but, better than nothing). I would agree that a professional treatment is probably worth the investment.
 

WuNgUn

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I live outside of Boston. They salt the crap out of the roads now - it's insane and drives me crazy. After recently having my 2006 4Runner hauled away for parts because of catastrophic frame rot with only 140K miles, I decided to research rust proofing options for my Bronco.

Anyway, I'm a skeptic on a lot of things and rust proofing is one of them. From old school Rusty Jones, to tar-based undercoatings, to WD-40, to spent motor oil, to newer products like Fluidfilm, Waxoil, hard wax, and NH Oil, it's hard to know what makes sense, and if it matters at all.

In any case, I took my new Wildtrak with 250 miles on it to a very high End car restorer https://www.alphacars.com/ that also specialized in rust proofing (as well as customization, detailing, PPF, ceramic coating, stereo, high performance exhaust and engine parts, etc.). It's very impressive and professional. They have several locations in MA and NH.

I am somewhat SHOCKED at what they discovered, which is the fact that Ford has put nearly zero rust protection on the underside of the Bronco. For example the body panels have up to 9mil of paint, yet the frame has only 0.5-1mil !!!! In some cases it's exposed bare metal where there is supposed to be paint.

I suggest you look at this VERY well done video of them inspecting the underside of my car and you will see why this should concern you if you live in New England.

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=YVFzZXNFdE5iSE5tZkc2RmVxLUJRd2pOWnRwSTR3

If you ever want to be confident that a service shop knows what they are doing - watch this video. And if you decide to give them a call, please tell them Jeff Abbott referred you and they will take $100 off your service (No, I don't work for them.).
I don't see anything out of the ordinary in those pics...
I mean, it would be nice if everything was dip-coated from the factory...but brake dust shield bolts? Drive shafts? Half shafts? šŸ¤· You won't have to worry about those fasteners because if you ever need to replace the shields, you'll likely just tear them off anyway. Lol
As for your Toyota frame...?
Ford Canada has a saying...."built for life in Canada". Toyota (and most Japanese brands) have no clue about winter life...
Look at all those Tacoma frame breaking warranty issues! I will never own a Toyota.
 

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Fluid Film works great in protecting the undersideā€¦it protected my two Toyotas (one a Lexus) with no problem. Just put a cab on each 2x a year. Simple job and works great. Getting a high dollar professional job is a waste for me.
 

BroncoAZ

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I think you are overstating it. I manage a fleet of 140 trucks (all GM because they offer the lowest cost per mile) for my employer in Massachusetts, all vehicles are run year round, 20% are used as plow or salting trucks. These vehicles are seldom washed, maybe a few times per year at best, and the undercarriages are never flushed or treated with anything. We cycle all of our trucks on a 5 year or 100K cycle. After 5 years the plow and salting trucks show significant rust issues on the frame and suspension, but usually the body is still in good shape with no paint coming off or perforation. At 5 years our standard trucks arenā€™t too bad, there is visible rust in the same places as the OPā€™s Bronco, some underhood components, and a light layer on the frame. Nothing visible on the body. Fasteners arenā€™t generally ruined yet but the bolts for things like brake components are tight. The real cancer seems to strike around 8-10 years, the frames completely coated and the body being effected as well. By 12-14 years there are failures of things like hard brake lines and the frame may be compromised.

My buddyā€™s 2006 Tundra with 160K miles just suffered a brake line failure while he had the entire family in the truck, fortunately he was on the highway and could avoid a crash. The front line let go, the rear line had let go previously so he had just the ebrake. He routinely uses that vehicle on the beach and isnā€™t the best about rinsing it afterwards. The truck has some rust, but nothing I would call FUBAR.

There is an argument to be made for leasing vehicles here. My 2021 Tacoma is a lease, so Iā€™ll never worry about corrosion. If I order a second Bronco Iā€™ll likely lease it as well. I bought the first one because the residual values on a 2 door badlands were crap, #2 would be a base with higher residual. I just ordered a Lightning in the first wave, so Bronco #2 wonā€™t happen unless I sold #1 for whatever reason. At the end of the day these are mass produced vehicles that are designed to last about as long as they are warrantied for, but generally even in the rust areas the first 8+ years should be problem free.
 

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Razorbak86

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They claim it should stay intact for 5 years. And after that, I figure I can make a decision from there about if it's worth re-doing it or letting it start to deteriorate.
Ford has no incentive to prevent the truck from rusting away after the 5 year perforation warranty has expired. The sooner it rusts away the sooner they can sell another vehicle.
Shouldn't his claimed protection be greater than the factory warranty? What am I missing here? šŸ¤”
 

nabronco21

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I've been researching rustproofing products as well I live in western pa and they also love the salt and brine and whatever else they mix in. I think I'm going to try the NH oil stuff, only thing is it seems like it's going to to have to be reapplied every year like fluid film which will get a little old but I guess worth it since I plan to never sell it.
 

BroncoAZ

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Shouldn't his claimed protection be greater than the factory warranty? What am I missing here? šŸ¤”
Factory perforation warranty is only for body panels, it has nothing to do with the frame. With much of the body being aluminum I wouldnā€™t expect Ford to pay out any perforation claims. I know the floor pans are steel.
 

Razorbak86

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Factory perforation warranty is only for body panels, it has nothing to do with the frame. With much of the body being aluminum I wouldnā€™t expect Ford to pay out any perforation claims. I know the floor pans are steel.
Thanks for the clarification.
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