Gravel Roads and road salt: Welcome to Kansas

[300k_logician]

Howdy folks,

I've just relocated to the Sunflower State - Kansas. I love it out here! However, this new landscape poses new challenges for my Jetta, particularly for the underside.

In Kansas, there's more road salt utilized than where I was in Oregon. Additionally, I live on a gravel road. There's more than a mile of gravel in either direction. I've installed a metal skid plate, but I'm concerned about the rustproofing. I often drive (faster than you probably would) on these gravel roads. Are there any recommended practices to maintain or upgrade the rustproofing that I should/could do?
The owner's manual states that it should be washed after the winter months, but warns against adding additional rustproofing material. But then again, it doesn't have service recommendations for 375,000 miles...

Any knowledge is appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Nero Morg]

Maybe slow down on the gravel roads hope Kansas treats you well friend.

 

[STDOUBT]

Glad you're loving the move.
I've heard Fluid Film and the like (lanolin or lipid-based product) is the only way to go.
Conventional rubberized "rust-proofing" is a sick joke. It will trap water.
My advice is frequent washing (mostly without soap!).
Keep in mind salt trapped in ice should be harmless --until it melts.
You could also inspect and replace if needed the body plugs. IDP sells them for instance.
They keep water and etc. out of the frame.
Best of Luck with it all!

 

[KCTDI]

Learn to slow down on gravel. The rock chips alone will eat up your VW's paint. Don't wash it on your way home or you'll have dust caked everywhere. Or if has rained it'll be filthy from mud sling. Gotta learn to live with it.

 

[mjydrafter]

Get acquainted with cleaning behind the fender liners. I had a gravel Jetta a couple years ago, and it had never been cleaned (each fender had the rust triangle and still had the foam), I cleaned a bucket full of fine gravel out of each side. I removed the foam pieces, before replacing the fenders.

You may want to verify that your foam is gone.

 

[snakeye]

The underside is well protected and I wouldn't worry much about that. My bigger concern would be the dust getting everywhere and eventually causing the paint to wear and flake. Wash and wax your car often.

 

[300k_logician]

Thanks folks.
Dust control is certainly an issue, with known leakage in the passenger side taillight housing (it was glued in with silicone... long story). It's also missing body plugs, so I'll need to take care of that.
Fluid Film looks decent, I'll look into that.

mjydrafter, when you say to 'get acquainted' cleaning the fender liners, are you indicating that it's a regular maintenance item? How often should they be opened up and cleared out? I'm embarrassed to report that today will be the first time I open that up.

As far as slowing down... there's a sound argument there.

 

[tgray]

I have found fluid film is the answer but you must be diligent to reapply as needed. It will stop the rust dead in its tracks if it is on the surface. I am getting ready to spray it on my suburban frame again. You can brush it on but it takes longer. It will creep into the smaller cracks. For sure you will damage the car worse if you try and undercoat it more or do a half-way paint touch up. Mud flaps really help in the rock roads. Where I live there is no total solution with the salt on the roads. wire connections corrode out and cause trouble. I try to have one car for the winter and one for the summer. I find the bolts finally just all rust and jamb up on the front end after about 10 years. VW's are way better than many other cars dealing with it all. I bought a car from Iowa once that came from the rock road driving. It was unbelievable how much dust and dirt went into every door panel.

 

[300k_logician]

I took apart the fender skirts, it wasn't as difficult as my thought-to-action ratio might suggest. The foam was intact, but quite yucky. There was notably more buildup on the passenger side (not really a surprise), and the worst part was in the rear end of the front side skirts, though it was in no way 'full' of gunk.

The Fluid Film website is unclear about the life of the treatment to a surface. What's it look like when it needs to be reapplied?

 

[snakeye]

Btw look up "CRC 06026" (marine heavy duty corrosion binhibitor). I did a lot of research on which spray on product was the best, bought a few and then had them laying around for the longest time. Tried the stuff for the first time yesterday. It sprays on thin, kind of like a paint, and dries into a waxy substance. Reminds me of the factory rustproofing vw uses. I'm really impressed by this product.

 

[noob_tl]

The Fluid Film website is unclear about the life of the treatment to a surface. What's it look like when it needs to be reapplied?

For me, it looks like springtime.
After the last threat of snow, the undercarriage gets a good pressure wash and a reapplication of FF.

 

[mjydrafter]

mjydrafter, when you say to 'get acquainted' cleaning the fender liners, are you indicating that it's a regular maintenance item? How often should they be opened up and cleared out? I'm embarrassed to report that today will be the first time I open that up.

As far as slowing down... there's a sound argument there.

Slowing down will keep the rock chips to a minimum.

I try to do it twice a year, spring and fall, and any odd time I have the fender liner off. You can do it by just opening up the bottom 4-5 screws and cleaning it that way, rather than removing the whole liner.

 

[kreibach]

I live in wichita with a 350k Jetta and have lived on a dirt road in the past. I wash it a couple times a year. Probably not ideal, but I've not had any corrosion. The factory stuff seems to be lasting OK for me.