Hello All,
I am looking for a product that can be easily/simply applied to metal, lightly rusted metal, etc. to seal it and stop or at least impede rust. Admittedly I am working on my 93 Chevy 3/4ton work truck right now and not an MB, I know, for shame! Anyway the truck is a nice rust-free TX vehicle and after only one winter in NE with very little driving on the salt-infested roads here teh entire undercarriage, frame, suspension, driveshaft, etc. now has a nice coating of surface rust that will only get worse. I was considering using a product like POR15 or even just painting it all with Rustoleum. Trouble is we are talking about a lot of metal and lot of time lying on my back scraping, prepping, etc. I am considering driving to Canada and having Krown rustproofing done to it. No one in the US seems to offer a similar product at reasonable prices. I would obviously prefer to do this myself if I can find a good product. Something that can be sprayed or brushed on even once a year is fine as long as I don't have to get under there and start sanding, scraping, etc. One of the craziest suggestions I got was the "Vermont Method" Pour heated Bar&Chain oil in the spraygun and shoot the underbody every October..... Thanks for the replies. RT

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When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

I have a product called SEM Rust Seal, comes in many colors. I painted over the front wind deflector on the 240D, which was totally surface rusted, and only a few bubbles have come up. Works well. Also, a product that has worked really well has been Eureka FluidFilm, which Eberhard Weilke suggested. It doesn't get rid of already existing rust, but spray it on rust inhibited areas, and it really stops the spread. Also, it never dries, and it lubricates too. Truly great stuff.

POR15 is also good, a friend was using it on his Scirocco. The problem is it is very expensive, and it has a sort of expiration date, so you want to use it all and not buy more than needed. For a work truck, I'd go the rust sealing paint/fluidfilm route.

I also find that the rubberized asphalt undercoating materials actually worked well on the 240D...still holding up...

Those are my suggestions, but definitely use FluidFilm.

RT, Where did you get the idea that there IS some magic easy solution to dealing with rust ?
Just really really hoping ? Rust is the worst enemy in the world to stop.
The Vermont method uses a spray gun to apply Maple syrup... but the ant problem afterwards is horrendous.

spend your time trying to find a cure for cancer ar or heart desease. The car companies have spent millions engineering cars to "rust out" Once it starts it can't be stopped.

I have one word for you...


HAMMERITE!!!

Its cheaper than POR 15 and works really well. We use it on all of our restored cars, and none of them have rusted since.

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Nick
*****
2002 Sprinter 2500 140" High Roof :

Update:
I found Waxoyl at an MG specialist. Its the prefered rustproofing for the Britcar crowd. Price is right and easy to apply. Not looking for a miracle, just to delay the inevitable. Everything good comes to an end eventually, even our MB's. RT

__________________
When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

I would second the Hammerite endorsement. I used to use it when I was in snow country and it really holds up well. It's very easy to apply and dries quickly too.

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LRG
1987 300D Turbo 175K
2006 Toyota Prius, efficent but no soul
1985 300 TDT(130K miles of trouble free motoring)now sold

Exactly what is hammerite? Is it a spray paint?

Hammerite comes in both spray and brush-on liquid forms. Home Depot used to carry it in my area (Florida) for $11/qt but now I find it at an auto body supply place. A thickly brushed on coat seems to work quite well at stopping rust. Its not terribly durable. I have used it for about 13 years now as my standard all purpose paint. It has no built-in rust killer (unlike POR-15) but it is easy to use (no primer) and looks nice in black (really very dark metallic grey).

Rick

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

Hammerite comes in both spray and brush-on liquid forms. Home Depot used to carry it in my area (Florida) for $11/qt but now I find it at an auto body supply place. A thickly brushed on coat seems to work quite well at stopping rust. Its not terribly durable. I have used it for about 13 years now as my standard all purpose paint. It has no built-in rust killer (unlike POR-15) but it is easy to use (no primer) and looks nice in black (really very dark metallic grey).

Rick

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

I have used Hammerite and POR.
One issue I have with Hammerite is that the spray heads get plugged easily and you wind up with a half can that you can't use (they use a special head as I recall) so I suggest using the brush on version rather than aerosol.
Hammerite will flake off if you place a bolt nut or screw over it after it has dried and tighten it. It is a sort of glassy material that doesn't adhere like regular paints do, but it does stop rust, try putting it on an old rusty battery tray and you will be amazed.
POR is great for what it does, but they say you should not or can not paint over it with another paint product and that can be a bummer if you planned to hide it (its sort of a ugly pasty stuff).
http://www.por15.com/
Dieseldiehard
1971 220 (gas) 4-spd manual 102600
1979 300TD w/ ’85 turbo engine 288975
1983 300D 237300
1985 300TD 202820

I've been using Rust Encpsulator from Eastwood for large areas. POR15 was used in the battery box area of my 58 220S and it is holding up real fine. I painted all over my old Jeep pickup with rust encapsulator about 6 years ago. It held up fine and rusting "mostly" stopped. Heavily corroded areas did eventually rot through, but surface rust stopped dead. The new balck looks pretty good, I've used it on my 300D floors where I had some problems beginning. Doesn't cost an arm and a leg and from what I read, it can be sprayed with a reducer added. I do believe this rust encapsulator is something called Corroless by the OEM but I'm not positive about that.