Electronic RUST prevention??

I have an electronic tiger deterrer in my back yard which works just the same way.

JB

The way I figure it is: lets say your going to keep your vehicle for 10 years, and lets assume the kit costs you around the $350.00 mark (give or take some). You will spend 1/2 day to fit the kit properly and the rest of the life of your vehicle wondering if its a gimmic or not. But for an average of $35.00 per year for the peace of mind (Be it speculation or actual fact who really knows) is a small price to pay in this day and age.
I have one fitted to my 2001 cruiser and hopefully in 2011 I will be thinking that it was a wise decision.
Regards: Phil

'Rusting' or oxidation is a chemical reaction which involves the transferance of electrons. ERP systems seek to stop this transfer occurring by pushing the electrons back the other way. Should work on all bits of steel that are connected to the system, provided that there are no disimilar metals in the circuit where corrosion occur at the points where these metals meet. Works well on ships at sea but you will note that some parts of them still rust. This is because the ERP cannot protect all of the electrons ALL of the time. Hope that helps.

MIK

Hey the science of it does not make any sense at all except for 1 device I know of in the market. I dont know if the device actually works but in theory it's the only sensible option
http://www.ruststoponline.com/why-ruststop.html

and here is a much better system
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s166799.htm

I know many poeple here understand this but I will explain for any interested. Please feel free to correct me.

Rust is actually a potential difference (PD) between different metals. PD is commomly called voltage. Where ever you have a PD between metals or even the same metal you will have electrons flowing from the one metal to the other untill the system is balanced or equlibrium is reached. When metal is bent or welded you get a PD and there fore rusting/corrosion/oxidisation - it's all the same. A battery is simply a PD between 2 metals, and a rechargeable battery reverses the PD so electrons flow the other way. Like tilting a bucket one way, then the other, the water flows back and foward to create equlibrium. So with your car, you have a PD in the metals (thats why the old land rovers chassis rusted real bad cause the PD between the aluminium and steel on the ladder) and rust develops. The paint covers the metal to stop the metal with the different PD touching so the electrons cant flow. The electrons need somthing to flow in, such as water. Pure water is not very good at allowing electrons to flow, but contaminated water or SALTY water is very good. The mobs selling these electric rust provention devices say they are flowing an excess of electrons over the metal panel so when the PD takes an electron away, its instantly replaced - therfore no rust. The problem with this is that there is no where for the electrons to flow, cause how do you get from the electric current to the spot of rust on the car, the is no medium for the electrons to flow thorugh. Thats why ships can use this system, and it works really well, and so do bridges, and phone towers etc, all surrounded by water or wet gound. A car is not, so the system cant work. However, this other mob on the link i put, admit this problem but say they use sacrificial annodes or cathodes and send the current through the panel to the annode. I think this may work but i would want to call a university professor to discuss and confirm first, i hate buying stuff which does not make sense.

I bought an ERPS brand approx 7 years ago. I fitted to a Jackaroo which I kept for 5 years. When I sold the Jackaroo it had never had any rust in it. During that time it did plenty of trips to Fraser Island. When I sold the Jackaroo I removed the ERPS & fitted it to the Disco I bought. It is still on the Disco & it has not rusted.
I am sure heaps of people will say that the vehicles might never have rusted anyway, but Jackaroos that regularly go to Fraser are not renowned for being rust free. I don't know how you would ever prove it does work but I will probably buy another if this one ever dies.
Before anyone points out that Discos are Aluminium, I fitted it to the steel bits.

from Marty.

Get yourself a staun body jet and a bottle of salt assault.

Regularly spray the under side of the car and into the chassis wherever possible, you shouldn't have too many probs, unless the car was used in one of those ads showing some dingbat driving along the beach spraying water every where.

Ofcourse, salt assault won't do much for body panels but regalar washing with a quality car wash and properly airing out the vehicle in warm weather will do a lot.

The main reason 60 cruisers rusted out the roof was high levels of moisture in the cabin and not being aired properly.

I bought a second hand 60 series wagon which was garaged all it's life and showed no signs of rust when I sold it. A mate of mine had one, same age, lived outside and rusted thru the roof real quick.

I leave my windows down in summer whenever I can.

I guess a quick and dirty way to test these things would be to attach the device to a bare piece of steel out in your yard, and see if it rusts. Some of that reo the concreters use in slabs.

Better yet, buy two pieces, leave them both out in the weather, but attach the device to one. Should take a day or so to see if it actually works.

In my mind, I think the sacrificial anode would be far more effective, just because the process is still occuring, just on a different piece of metal. Why fight the process?

I guess with all these gizmos, the metals all have to be connected to each other to work. That is near on impossible, so they won't (ie..can't) protect the whole car, only the connected pieces of metal.

Thats just what I think, anyway.

This link may be of interest:

http://www.corrosion-doctors.org/Car/car-electronic-rust.htm

Sorry you may have to copy and paste the URL into the address.

I know nothing about ERPS or other devices and am not commenting on any particular unit, however my private opinion is that:
a) the manufacturers of devices that work are prepared to have them tested by recognised independent authorities. It's in their interest for the publicity alone and not to do it raises a red (bulldust) flag; and
b) if a rust reducing device is invented that is cheaper than zinc coating and paints then the car manufacturers would be in like a shot to pick it up.

The only things that have ever worked on my boat trailer are hot dip zinc, painting with lanolin and a good spray off with water after exposure to salt spray. The fact that the boat has an anode does not protect it or the trailer when on land ;-)

As a general comment I have no faith whatsoever in the will of the present federal Govt to protect the community from scamsters. Both State and Federal Govts had to be dragged kicking to do anything when confronted with years of evidence of real estate scams.

Boy a lot of people on this forum talk a lot of crap especially those who freely offer "expert advice" on subjects they know little about.

I've used both Electronic and applied protection systems on my vehicles over the years and both offer what they purport to "Protection" both are limited to to the quality of the installation or application and vehicle manufacturers defects. In a perfect world I'm sure they would offer exactly what they claim, but unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world. There for if you are really concerned get both if not go for which ever system you feel comfortable with.

Good Luck

You can tell if they are wired up right. You can take voltage measurements. Couplertec gives a 10 year (from vehicle build date) corrosion guarantee. To keep the guarantee valid, you have to take it back for an annual inspection to ensure the system is still working OK.

I'm happy that the better systems work in reducing rust. Do they work well enough to warrant the expense. A matter of judgment, like most things. I don't have a system, but I'm likely to get one. On balance I think it is a reasonable investment.