Spraying 'rust preventers' under the vehicle before going onto Fraser Island.

when you get off the island ,
pressure wash it thoroughly and you will be ok
mechpete

I think that it is difficult to get the oil spray into the places that salt water gets when you drive through it on the beach so the oil treatment is not fully effective. What is a more effective rust prevention is to keep out of the sea water, even the wet sand as a wave retreats. The creeks on Fraser running across the beach are of course fresh water.

Even beach sand is coated with salt so a very thorough wash-down after leaving the island is the go. The often touted idea of parking the car over the garden sprinkler is a waste of time and water. It does not get the rinse into all the places needed. A really good rinse would be to drive through a creek deeper than the chassis but not everyone has a creek handy when it is needed.

If its a relatively new vehicle just wash it when you get off the island. Oil just gives the sand something to stick to. You will find the sand everywhere not just underneath. Also my under body protection plates end up with a mound of sand on them.

Just my opinion.
D

G’day BooBoo,
I have been a regular to Fraser for years and when I first started visiting I used to be pedantic preparing the car for the sand and thoroughly cleaning it afterwards. Now I do nothing to prepare it… I do however take it though the under body car wash at Rainbow Beach www.rainbowbeachcarwash.com.au when leaving and I do clean it regularly when at home. I have the car rust proofed when I purchase it and always install the electronic rust proofing which I swear by.
Cars have absolutely no sign of rust… touch wood. I tend to hang onto my cars for a while and I’m still a bit pedantic.
Myles.

Thinned oil works but only if you give it enough time to dry. Growing up in hervey bay we'd coat the vehicles in sump oil then go blasting down a dirt road to coat it in dust. Never bothered degreasing, just respraying. I remember the 'tourists from Brissy' would lean against dad's ex pmg toyota ute whilst having a beer - they'd only do it once.....
The older vehicles were notorious for rusting but ours held up o.k. considering the amount of west beach stuff we did (lots of salty water creek crossings).

as a regular visitor with 4wd to the beach (was up on Teewah yesterday aswell as Inskip and Bribie twice over xmas) and also a regular Fraser visitor, i do nothing before i go. on return i throughly wash my vehicle all over with fresh water from my 7500 ltr water tank that i installed purely to clean my fourby with...lol.
just this afternoon i backed the vehicle up onto ramps and climbed underneath on the trolley and hosed everything down completely, then parked on the lawn and washed the outside of it like you normally would.
about once a year i visit sister inlaw in Gympie and rust proof my fourby with a special spray gun they have with a long plastic hose and multi directional jet on the end. i spray inside chassis, door sills, inside doors and anywhere i can get in by removing bungs etc. so far so good, no signs of rust.
i reckon it's all about what you do when you return, anything beforehand makes the sand stick to the vehicle IMHO.

I give the enginebay and engine a spray of wd40 and anything else i care to under the car it probably washes of but it makes me feel good.

I usually stay at Waddy point top camping ground lots of fresh water taps there.
I take car wash and short length of garden hose and fittings they use the smaller of the two fittings there.
And give the cruiser a good wash occasionally there, it only takes one trip up the beach and your vehicle is covered in salty sandy and crap.
Helps a little if your there for a week or more.
Then into the car wash at rainbow beach on the way home and hope it rains as well lol.

Rob

I live just off Faser and have a D40 Navara ................... best fix and solution I found was to buy an old Pajero for 2 grand ..................... it can rust away and then just buy another. It doesn't matter what you do you won't stop the rust due to salt water, especially if you do a lot of sand or dirt driving as check under your vehicle a week after a Fraser trip and any part thats not painted will have rust forming. Have spoken to many mine vehicle maintenance guys regards the electronic devices and they say it slows it down but does not stop it. Salt corrodes metal and when it gets into all the panel joints most times a good wash merely dilutes the mix but does not get completely rid of it.
I also do a lot of salt lake bike racing and a complete tear down is the only cure
Sad but true

Thanks fellas

I think I'll follow the do nothing before going on and take it to the car wash when I come off.

Now all I have to do is catch a few fish and find enough pippies for a feed.

Personally I just give mine a very good wash and polish before I go, If its open and I have time I'll run it over the under body wash, I'll then give it a really good wash / clean inside and out and underneath as soon as possible after I get home.
I repeat the clean /vacuum inside a week later after the hidden sand gland has regurgitated all the sand you think you got at the last through clean. I'll spend about an hour under the car with a masso jet cleaning out chassis rails and the built in nooks and crannies. Still havent found that bloody sand gland though.
Cheers

I usually use the Rainbow Beach car wash. It uses soluble oil. I go through before going on the beach - put $2.00 into it. On return put $10.00 into it. A tip is to not just park in the wash but drive slowly back and forth. This way the sprays get to all parts of the underbody. It messes up your paintwork as it is oily but it washes off.
There is another of these car washes on Noosa North Shore.
I used to get my 1979 Troopy sprayed with sump oil and drive on a dusty road as described before, I sold this after owning it for 22 years and regular trips to Fraser (up to 6 times a year), with very little rust in it. But is was a filthy beast to work on LOL