Anti-corrosion, underbody, new car

[Jimbo.]

Good evening all.

I am due to be taking delivery of a new company car in the coming weeks. Whilst many would say “Who cares? It’s a company car!” its probably the nicest car I’ll ever be given the keys too long-term, and I like to look after other people’s stuff.

I would like to keep the engine bay, wheel arches, suspension, underbody etc as clean and corrosion-free as possible, with something that is easy to apply, doesn’t make a mess and is OK to use on engines, exhausts etc. I don’t have a garage, compressor etc, and being a company car we’re not allowed to take the wheels off.

I’ve seen mention of “plain” ACF-50, the thicker ACF-50 “Corrosion Block”, BiltHamber Dynax UC and Lanoguard. Is there a standout product amongst these, or at they all much of a muchness? I’m torn between ACF-50 Corrosion Block and the Lanoguard, based on what I’ve read so far.

Any help you could provide would be much appreciated.

[BananaFama]

I wouldn't put anything on the engine or exhaust ,they get rather hot you know .

[Jimbo.]

BananaFama said:

I wouldn't put anything on the engine or exhaust ,they get rather hot you know .

Indeed. Back in my motorcycling days it was an old trick to spray the hot exhaust pipes with WD40 and have the vapours rise and coat everything above them. Fine on a simple air-cooled bike, maybe not so on a car with a turbocharger, GPF and catalytic converter

Perhaps I should have worded it better: something that won’t pose a hazard should overspray make it onto the hot bits.

[Belle427]

I've used acf 50 and found it messy to apply as are most of the others.
Not tried lanoguard but it looks pretty simple to apply.
I'd maybe just give it a thorough wash once a month underneath etc with something like bilt hamber touchless.
Undersealing is a horrible job.

[Smint]

Not so sure that the car maker or leasing co would want anything applying to the whole of the underbody, might even cause issues if there were any warranty claims immediate get out excuse.
I doubt anyone would object or notice if you went around with some chassis colour paint and touched in the places where paint was missed underneath and will already be rusting, might mean painting whole sections of subframes.

I applaud you for wanting to look after the vehicle, so few people care about even their own purchases these days let alone a company issue vehicle.

If you keep it damage free clean and polished inside and out, keep the wheels spotlessly clean and unkerbed (few can manage this simple thing), maintain it well, rinse off the undersides regularly to keep salt damage to a minimum you'll have done far more than most private car buyers let alone company car users.

[QJumper]

The easiest thing would be ACF-50 applied with a garden sprayer that has a lance attachment. Takes less than half an hour, and you can spray it anywhere, including exhaust and engine bay, if you're so inclined. However, as others have said, it's messy, and you'll need to place something under the car to catch the drips for a day or so. As result, you'll want to do it immediately after a service, as the garage won't thank you for the oily mess if you do it just before.

Personally I wouldn't bother with a company car, as the lease company might not like it. Instead I'd just wash regularly, and give the underside a rinse with a cheap lawn sprinkler attachment on the end of a hose.

[Chris32345]

Just keep it cleaned and polished/waxed and a bit of trim treatment is more then enough to last through the lease period

[dhutch]

Interesting idea soaking the whole underside in ACF50, it's good stuff, and obviously clear and fairly easy to remove.

Use it on the kitcar on exposed suspension etc, also WD40 which is much thinner but also much cheaper.

[Summit_Detailing]

Bilt Hamber Dynax UB or UC.

Cheers,

Chris

[steveo3002]

i like acf50 where it wont wash off , others suggest its still there but i cant see it lasting in wheel arches etc

id probably go acf50 in cavitys , engine bay , center section of car etc , lanolin on the high wear areas on each corner

having said that if its not yours in 10 years time why waste money the next owner wont care , regular washing and waxing would be way above average care for most folk

Edited by steveo3002 on Monday 13th March 09:32