Rust protection & corrosion guarantee

[Dr. Y. Tokui]

Hello all,

Living in the Nordics, wintertime can be rough on any vehicle. I am considering a full rust proofing/protection, yet I have heard that according to Tesla, any corrosion guarantee will be void, if the car is given this. Not being able to find any information regarding this on Tesla's homepage, I was just wondering if anybody have any experiences with this, and whether I should just keep calm and go ahead and do it anyways, because that is still the better option?

Cheers!

 

[Gasaraki]

Umm... I think the underbody battery tray is aluminum and that's most of the underside of the car. I don't know if the arms are aluminum but I think the rusting potential is minimal.

 

[alexgr]

Hello all,

Living in the Nordics, wintertime can be rough on any vehicle. I am considering a full rust proofing/protection, yet I have heard that according to Tesla, any corrosion guarantee will be void, if the car is given this. Not being able to find any information regarding this on Tesla's homepage, I was just wondering if anybody have any experiences with this, and whether I should just keep calm and go ahead and do it anyways, because that is still the better option?

Cheers!

https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/downloads/tesla-new-vehicle-limited-warranty-en-us.pdf

pages 7-8.
//----------------
Body Rust Limited Warranty
This Body Rust Limited Warranty covers rust perforation (hole through the body panel from the
inside outwards) resulting from a defect in material or workmanship for a period of 12 years and
unlimited miles, excluding the following:
• Vehicles treated against rust, i.e., procedures commonly referred to as rustproofing or
undercoating;
-----------------//

 

[alexgr]

Umm... I think the underbody battery tray is aluminum and that's most of the underside of the car. I don't know if the arms are aluminum but I think the rusting potential is minimal.

Aluminum can corrode, especially near aluminum/steel joints. Model3/Y body is an Al/Steel combination. That said, I have not seen many reports of serious corrosion other than some paint damage related issues. Paint protection is advised and it doesn't void the warranty. I think the OP can look at Bjorn Nyland experience with Teslas in Norway. If I'm not mistaken, they have recently inspected a 2013 Model S with 350,000 km on it, and they found no major issues at all. The OP may want to look at earlier posts by Bjorn to find out if he treated the car.

 

[Dr. Y. Tokui]

Aluminum can corrode, especially near aluminum/steel joints. Model3/Y body is an Al/Steel combination. That said, I have not seen many reports of serious corrosion other than some paint damage related issues. Paint protection is advised and it doesn't void the warranty. I think the OP can look at Bjorn Nyland experience with Teslas in Norway. If I'm not mistaken, they have recently inspected a 2013 Model S with 350,000 km on it, and they found no major issues at all. The OP may want to look at earlier posts by Bjorn to find out if he treated the car.

Thanks for the hint. I will take a look at Bjørn Nyland's channel and see if I can get wiser.

 

[duanra]

As mentioned before, the 3 is a mix of steel and aluminium. So the comparaison with the model S might not be pertinent.
I live in Canada and I rust proofed my car. If I remember well, it says in the car manual to wash the bottom of the car when you drive on contaminated road with salt etc...
That is a joke, since who is going to wash the bottom of his cas every day during winter ? If you don't, Tesla can say that you didn't follow the proper procedures.

So, yes, I would certainly rust proof the car unless you don't plan on keeping it more than a few years like any other cars in cold Winter areas.

 

[Dr. Y. Tokui]

As mentioned before, the 3 is a mix of steel and aluminium. So the comparaison with the model S might not be pertinent.
I live in Canada and I rust proofed my car. If I remember well, it says in the car manual to wash the bottom of the car when you drive on contaminated road with salt etc...
That is a joke, since who is going to wash the bottom of his cas every day during winter ? If you don't, Tesla can say that you didn't follow the proper procedures.

So, yes, I would certainly rust proof the car unless you don't plan on keeping it more than a few years like any other cars in cold Winter areas.

Thank you for your insights. It is in general also a rule of thumb here in Denmark, yet this is my first Tesla and I have no clue as to how this car behaves in colder climates. So this is helpful!

 

[tzlaxmr]

As mentioned before, the 3 is a mix of steel and aluminium. So the comparaison with the model S might not be pertinent.
I live in Canada and I rust proofed my car. If I remember well, it says in the car manual to wash the bottom of the car when you drive on contaminated road with salt etc...
That is a joke, since who is going to wash the bottom of his cas every day during winter ? If you don't, Tesla can say that you didn't follow the proper procedures.

So, yes, I would certainly rust proof the car unless you don't plan on keeping it more than a few years like any other cars in cold Winter areas.

I'm in the Northeast US. Thinking about rust-proofing my Model 3. What did you use for rust-proofing? Did you do it yourself, or did you take it somewhere like Krown?

 

[duanra]

I took the car to a rust proofing specialist : Bolduc antirouille near Quebec city.

Better find a business familiar with EV. I don't know the name of the product.

 

[Andrei_0]

Thank you for your insights. It is in general also a rule of thumb here in Denmark, yet this is my first Tesla and I have no clue as to how this car behaves in colder climates. So this is helpful!

So did you find a good solution? Approaching first winter in Denmark with a model 3 and I have no clue if to rustproof and where