Thread: Rust protection - is it needed?

Does a bear **** in the woods? Is the Pope a Catholic?
Absolutely - do as much as you can as soon as you can - they all rust from what I've seen!!

How long do you plan on keeping it? Whilst I think the newer defenders are a little better than the older ones. The newer PUMA's do have a few areas that rust can form over a few years. And some areas where you can get significant rust very quickly. If you get wet foot wells and water appears to be coming through the bukhead, then that is the one water leak that can cause a signficanf amount of rust quickly. There are areas around the windscreen and upper bulk head that are not really painted, and you can get surface rust there with just a small leak. (Probably take a few years to penetrate though.) Best is to try to get the leak fixed - often the fake hinges or door seals.

The rear cross member is another area to keep an eye on. The Defender chassis paint does not like exposure to sunlight. It will first turn a little chalky, then the paint will start bleeding surface rust through. After 4 years the rear cross member will be covered in surface rust, unless you've had this fixed under warranty. (All three of my new defenders had this covered under warranty).

There are many threads here on aulro on rustproofing - worth doing a casual flick through. My favourite at the moment is a very penetrating liquid rust proofer called INOX -3. It seeps in like crazy and seems to work very well on internal and sealed components.

Perhaps the best rust treatment is a carport and avoid the beach.

Definitely appreciate we are going to get rust here.

Just seems surprising to see so many posts about rust especially when we have had a large number of land rovers over the years which have been treated pretty badly on my parents farm and they have never suffered too badly. Admittedly the newest one would be circa 1995 so perhaps better rust protected out of the factory.

I started to wonder if it was more due to the salt on the roads in the UK.

Plan to keep it forever (my six year old already is claiming it for his first car)!

Would be a nice bookend to my father in laws 1948 series 1.

I too get my Defender in Sept, looked hard at using Tecktyl 506, but due to logistics will prob get it done professionally. Hope to spend a lot of time on the beach.

And of course apart from the protection, a good clean every time.

If you'd be living in the red center of your continent, you might get away without. Just... But living in Fremantle close to the coast you better get your truck protected straight away.
Even if your truck is treated, it needs to be looked after nevertheless, but the process of corrosion is slowed down drastically.

I have an 08 Puma that has never had rust protection. I have what appears to be surface rust under the paint on the rear cross member and have rusty water dump into the front passenger footwell when it rains.

Is there nothing that can be done to stop it or is it already too late for my car?

Can anyone recommend who to use professionally in Perth?