This week Dennis looks at rustproofing issues for electric cars
QUESTION
Hello Dennis I recently purchased a 2018 Nissan Leaf. I enjoy the car very much and wish to keep it a long time but the dealer has me concerned about possible rust on my car in the future. I oil sprayed my previous cars on a regular basis to keep ahead of the rust. Apparently that is not possible with an electric car. I was told it could damage the components under the car and possibly void the warranty. The solution, according to the dealer, was to purchase a device for $2000.00 that prevents the rust from taking hold. I have never heard of this before and declined to buy the device. I understand that the usual undercoating from the factory will suffice for a few years but eventually, I will have to do something. Do I have to buy the dealer rust inhibitor and if so, can I purchase an after market device that is less expensive? Can I do something else altogether? Your thoughts are appreciated. Bart from Kitchener
ANSWER
I reached out to one of the major rust protection companies to ask them about rust protecting an electrical car and here was the response from Jeremy Young, Vice President of Krown Corporate. “Thanks for taking the time to contact us. We get this question all the time. There is a note in the owner’s manual of most electric and hybrid vehicles that forbids rust proofing. The logic behind this is two-fold. The heavy wax or tar-based coatings can cover the connections and lines and create a safety risk for the technicians who work on the vehicles. Also, these products are usually solvent based which can damage electrical fittings and wiring. Krown will not cause any such issues. Our product is designed to leave a light oily coating on metal that will displace moisture. It will help protect electrical connections and fittings from corrosion and our product has a di-electric strength of 36,000 volts, so there are no issues with the electrical system. We have many customers who use our product specifically to protect all types of electrical components and connections, even some very intricate parts. We have years of treating both hybrid and electric vehicles with great success and would be happy to help protect this vehicle.”
MY COMMENT
In all my years of doing this column, I have never heard anything very positive about the Electronic Corrosion protection device which you can buy at most automotive stores from one hundred and sixty dollars to over one thousand dollars. If you do decide on getting your car rust protected, first take this information from Krown into the dealer and see what they have to say about it.
QUESTION
I`m a do it your self-guy! Yes we still exist and look forward to your article. I love it when one of us asks you about old school car issues. Here’s a mystery for you to solve and hopefully a pleasure to read for other DYI’s. My car is a 2001 Acura 1.7EL (same engine as 2001 Honda SI) 289,000 klms. The car is yearly rust sprayed and runs extremely well even with the problem I am about to disclose. I recently adjusted the valve clearance. It was such a pleasure to see roller rockers in my little Honda. Anyway, there isn’t any more clacking. Upon the removal of spark plugs, I found that they were dry, tan and a little white. In my opinion they were perfect. The problem is that every three or four days, I must add around 125 - 175 mls of coolant. If I don`t, it gurgles yet only in the winter months. I have yet to hear any gurgling in the summer nor does it overheat. I believe that I have been driving the car this way for years but only recently, I’ve been adding the coolant. Once a month, I may have to empty the coolant reservoir because it overfills. I have replaced the rad cap. Google tells me to replace the cylinder head gasket. Really! That would be a week’s job for me nor can I afford an apprentice to do it for me. Possible solutions: A friendly neighbour recommended that I simply re-torque the cylinder head bolts. Eureka moment perhaps? Another colleague recommended not doing that because it may cause more damage by stripping the head bolts even if I torque them to specs. What to do Dennis? Do I simply keep adding coolant and go on bringing coolant wherever I may travel? I have had experience stripping bolts in aluminium parts in the past on other engines and they are never the same again. Thanks for being there for us when we call upon your knowledge. Michael from Waterloo
ANSWER
I agree with you that you should not try to re-torque the cylinder head because there is a real chance that you may break one or strip the threads in the block. If there aren’t any visible signs of leaking under the vehicle then I would be concerned as to where the coolant is going. The fact that the spark plugs are a good colour with no tell-tail signs of a coolant leak then the coolant leak must be going directly into the oil chamber and that can be problematic. The fact that you have to remove coolant from the overflow tank also suggests to me that there is pressure being built up in your car’s coolant system either because it is building up more heat than it should or there is an internal leak coming from the compression chamber. There is also the chance that the water pump is acting up or there is some kind of restriction in the coolant flow such as an internally collapsed hose. I know that you tell me that the money is tight but I would suggest that you go to a quality CAA approved radiator shop and just ask them to do a coolant leak test and a coolant flow test for you. After that diagnosis, make an informed decision whether or not you want to get the vehicle repaired.