Thread: Defender Puma - Rust Proofing

I found some good threads on here (and defender.net) and as a result got a local outfit (Beam car care) to do some rust proofing and then have sprayed liberally lanolin and other products regularly around suspect areas.

I have to admit I was more than slightly dismayed about the newer Defenders rusting so easily. My parents have had three older ones and none have had any rust needing professional help with. Dads old 300tdi which has had a lot of coast use clearly has some bubbling but still not bad. All he has used on all of them has been lots of CRC - he constantly sprays it on almost everything.

Ant - I contacted that mob in Brisbane that you used, and have started enquiries about giving the 110 the underbody/top/engine bay treatment. Told them that another Defender owner from this forum recommended them.
Will let you know how it goes. Their current price is $739.00 for that full treatment including 2 pak on the underbody.

One thing that did give me pause was the fact that they are also promoting electronic rust prevention. It still seems like snake oil to me, so it's a bit off putting when I see a professional outfit talking it up.

FYI, consumer bodies in both WA and NSW are warning people that electronic prevention is a waste of money.
https://www.finance.nsw.gov.au/about...uction-devices

PS: That Brisbane place have a 4 year warranty on their work, transferrable to any subsequent owners.

The youngest heir paid $550 to have his Hilux steam cleaned and sprayed with some black rubbery rust proofing coat by some crowd on the Sunshine Coast. He seems happy with the results.
I just sprayed some lanolin in the chassis rails of the Defender. Probably didn't achieve much, but it made me feel better. I also shove a hose up the chassis rails and wash them out regularly.
Is it right Defenders are most likely to rust where aluminium and steel meet, such as between body and chassis, because of a chemical reaction between the two metals?

Quick tip:
Removed the two bonnet vents today to replace them with aftermarket ones.
On the fake one there was no problem, but on the one that actually is a vent (right hand side), rust was already present where the screws anchor the vent to the body and the intake. And my 110 is only 6 months old.

It seems to be because of the U Clips around the lip of the intake tube.

Going to use some rust converter on affected spots tomorrow.

Something to look out for if you've never had the vents off.

Originally Posted by El Rey

Quick tip:
Removed the two bonnet vents today to replace them with aftermarket ones.
On the fake one there was no problem, but on the one that actually is a vent (right hand side), rust was already present where the screws anchor the vent to the body and the intake. And my 110 is only 6 months old.

It seems to be because of the U Clips around the lip of the intake tube.

Going to use some rust converter on affected spots tomorrow.

Something to look out for if you've never had the vents off.

Yes, I found the same when I took my vent covers off, so I sprayed them.


On electronic rust proofing, as I understand it, if the current meets anything rubber it stops, so it can never go past a bush or anything similar, so that's as far as the current goes. So, you would have to run leads all over the vehicle to get an overall coverage. Is that right?

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Yes, I found the same when I took my vent covers off, so I sprayed them.


On electronic rust proofing, as I understand it, if the current meets anything rubber it stops, so it can never go past a bush or anything similar, so that's as far as the current goes. So, you would have to run leads all over the vehicle to get an overall coverage. Is that right?

I posted above about WA and NSW consumer bodies warning in 2015 that in their opinion electronic rust prevention is a scam.