I need some advice on rust inhibitors/converters .A quick search on the net reveals lots of diffferent types ,Hammerite/fuze etc.Is it like most things in life I.E you get what you pay for or is there one out there that stands out head and shoulders above the others.It will be used on the (rather sorry looking)chassis and suspension parts on a 2002 phoenix which Iwanted to turn into a trackday car but now I might restore .Any help or opinions gratefully accepted.Thanks in advance.
If something is an inhibitor, it’s usually zinc, and operates on the principle of sacrificial corrosion.
That is, the zinc corrodes first.
The price you pay for rust converters is a ‘marketing price’, ie you’re paying for the push, the fine
words, and the ‘independent’ research that invariably proves that x or y product is the best.
This disguises that every well known commercial rust converter that I’ve come across is basically
tannic or phosphoric acid.
You can buy phosphoric acid dirt cheap at farmers’ supply stores. It’s known as Milkstone Remover,
ans is used to clean out the pipes in the milking dairies.
If you check out some of the Land Rover forums, you’ll find a reasonably healthy, and down to earth
attitude to rust treatment, and this and that fashionable product of the moment.
Many thanks for the reply Trufflehunt. I know a farmer or two (one a big Landrover fan)so you’ve almost certainly saved me from paying over the odds for a brand name.
Yes, thanks from me too.
One question. If I applied this to the surface rust on the chassis and suspension of my NC, would I still be able to have the car treated with Dinitrol or would the inhibitor prevent this?
Hi Kimosabe.
I had my NC treated with Dinitrol earlier this year. As there was some surface pitting to some of the suspension the team who did the job steam cleaned the underside of the car, allowed it to dry, then treated any areas that needed it with Dinitrol RC900 rust converter.
This was allowed to dry, and then the entire under body was treated with Dinitrol 4941. The box sections, sills, and inside of the doors were treated with Dinitrol ML 4/3654.
I am not sure whether the use of another treatment woudl cause issues later with the Dinitrol, but in my case it waseasier to just get the whole rust treatment and rust protection process done at the same place at the same time.
Cheers
Pete
Rust converter reacts with the top layer of rust, and converts it into a stable compound, usually black in colour.
The converted compound has a (very) limited amount of surface protection from rust. You can paint over it, or whichever
you prefer of Waxoyl, Dintrol etc…
PS. The commercial rust converters are typically around 40 or 50% acid strength. Kurust is, I think, 45% tannic acid.
I believe the downside of using high-strength acid, up around 80 or 85%, is that high-strength means less sticky. That is,
it tends to run off the surface, rather than ‘stick’, and convert the rust. Dilution gives the compromise between useability, and
conversion strength.
Thanks Pete, that sounds like the most reasonable way to go about this. Sound advice
Where did you get your’s done and if you don’t mind me asking, what might I expect to pay for what you had done? I live in Brighton and i’ve yet to discover anywhere I can go to get my car Dinitrolled.
Speaking of getting covered in gunk, i’m going to get on and do my oil, trans and diff oil changes.
Hi there. I am on the train at the moment so cant check my files for the exact amount but is was somewhere around the 350 mark. The company i used are based in conyer near sittingbourne in kent and are called mercury rv. There is a post about the treatment and their contact details in the south east area forum. I do have their number which is 01795 522272. Ask for Simon and mention the mx5 owners club. They are close to teynham station which gives links back up into London and thence back home.
Good luck with the oil changes. I am too lazy so get my local indy to do mine…??
Pete
Underbody Protection at Haywards Heath is close to Brighton, but they are now quite expensive (but thorough).
Here you go - link to my previous post on the subject of Dinitrol treatment in Kent.
http://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/yaf_postst83568_Dinitrol-Treatment.aspx
Cheers
Pete
Hi All,
I have a Mk3.5 and was considering having a Dinitrol treatment on my car, having read the posts above ( and Living in Sittingbourne so a stones throw from Mercury RV )contacted them last night as a general enquiry on costs, as Snowdop stated it is dependant upon the condition of your car but the guide prices are below. Personally I need to save a few more pennies so I can get the full works on mine.
Quote from the mail below - And to be clear I have no affiliation to the company nor can I recommend them as I have had no work carried out it was curiosity for a company close to where I live that drove the questions.
It does depend on the underside condition as to cost, also if you want the box sections etc treated. We use the following Dinitrol products which you can research on the web, but put into simple terms, it is what all the major manufacturers use on their new cars, as such one would have to assume they would use something else if it was better or more reliable.
In terms of treatment time, it is in reality between a 2 and three day job as components have to dry, obviously on a new car it can be done on the production line in mere moments, but of course they do not have corrosion (one would hope) or dirt on them.
- Steam clean underside of car, allow to dry, treat corroded areas with Dinitrol RC800, allow to cure, then overcoat underside with Dinitrol 4941B (4941C is an option) The difference between B & C is B is Black and C is Opaque Brown. C is good if the car is really good underneath as it allows the underside to look as original.
A basic cost for this service would be circa £325 plus VAT and it would take 2 clear days
- The next service would be a full job which would include coating all the box sections underneath using Dinitrol Cavity wax plus the above process.
A basic cost for this service would be circa £375 plus VAT and it would take 2 clear days
- Finally we could carry out all the above plus following the manufacturers programme of Dinitrol cavity wax in all the areas of the body declared by the manufacturers and Dinitrol as being desirable to coat.
A basic cost for this service would be circa £485 plus VAT and it would take 3 clear days
Hopefully that gives you some indication as to costs etc, it is hard to be exact as obviously it depends on the condition of the car to start from. You can research the different Dinitrol compounds by searching Google, however to be sure it is NOT Waxoyl!! <<<
Thanks Scott
Your post refreshed my memory re costs as I went for the middle range option so the £375 plus VAT. The guys did a good job as far as I could tell. The 4 post lift in the yard is used normally to lift american RV motorhomes so the MX looked rather lost on it when it was being steam cleaned, but I certainly feel happier knowing that it has a good coat of treatment now.
The workshop itself is an Aladdins cave of interesting pieces of retrofit and repair work going on across a range of large motorhomes. I suspect you could end up spending a fortune on a retrimmed interior, a special spray job and some nice curtains for the MX if you are not careful
My MX smelled of the treatment for a few days, so I left it parked outside on the drive rather than put it in the garage. The smell has gone now and I can only smell it if it has been pouring with rain and the car is very hot - I guess some of the water splashes up underneath then drops down onto the exhaust.
Overall I was very pleased with the work and the friendliness of Simon and Les at Mercury RV. Again I have no links to the company - just a satisfied customer who was looking for someone fairly local to carry out what must be a pretty dirty job.
Pete
As this is clearly a common requirement for so many people, I wonder if it’s possible for our OC to strike some kind of deal for members who want to preserve the life expectancy of their MX5s? No idea how to go about suggesting this or even if it already exists, though I suspect not. It would certainly be a very interesting and wise extra to those of us who spare no expense on their 5s.