[Uk2019]

Hi all,

Just wondered if anyone could provide any information about what (if any) anti corrosion treatments are applied at the factory?

Has anyone supplemented it with waxoil/dinnitrol or similar?

UK based here so roads are wet and salted in the winter months but assume the same is true in the colder US states and elsewhere in Europe.

Thanks in advance.

[Gary H]

Speak to Ian Allen Motors in Virginia Water - the UK seller for 'official' cars and see what the anti-corrosion warranty is - and if they add anything.
It wasn't an issue when I had my Holden, despite the climate in Australia, and I sincerely doubt there wouldn't be on the Camaro.
The standard US GM warranty for Sheet Metal Corrosion coverage is for the first 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first and rust-through coverage is for the first 6 years or 100,000 miles.

[mrgoodbytes]

There does not seem to be any corrosion treatment from factory, other than paint.


If driving throughout the winter, I'd recommend a Dinitrol treatment, and a supplemental/followup treatment every 2-4 years. When I buy a 2nd hand car, this is one of the most important things that I look for -- As they are very generous with the road salt here!


But with the Camaro, I only drive it in the summer. It will go into winter storage again this year, some time this month. And I will just drive my beater car in the meantime.

[mrgoodbytes]

One additional note though. Giving the car the Dinitrol treatment, makes it a pain in the ass to do mechanical work on, as you will get all greased up. However, it will keep the car mint underneath all the gunk. I'm used to owning old pieces of junk, where a "new to me" car would be at least 10 years old. And in that case, it is wonderful not to worry about salt and rust.


I'd say, whether or not to do it, depends if you are going to drive the car in the winter and keep it for a very long time.



If you will only own the car for a year or two, or only drive it in the summer, then it is probably not worth it.

[Petrol Head]

Modern cars have much better rust protection from the factory than ever. The Camaro is sure to have excellent corrosion protection from the factory. The old petroleum-based rustproofing are not only no longer required but can actually cause more problems. The steel is galvanized which means it’s coated in zinc oxide at the factory. I live in a rust belt area of Ohio in America and there are few if any cars around here built in the last 20 years that have any significant rust. 30 years ago, there were 5 year old cars showing corrosion all over the place.

[dpevans]

consider that most of the underside is Aluminum.

[Gunkk]

Originally Posted by Uk2019

Just wondered if anyone could provide any information about what (if any) anti corrosion treatments are applied at the factory?

Bodies in white are galvanized at the factory w/ zinc or zinc-nickel electroplate dip. Most automakers don't publicize it for whatever reason (proprietary, because wet-chemical electroplating is considered an environmentally "ugly" process, etc., who knows...).

But if you want to apply your own aftermarket solution, here's a somewhat useful document...

[Rock-It Man]

Because the steel panels in modern cars are galvanized, gooey undercoatings have just about disappeared from use.

As already mentioned, undercoatings interfere with mechanical work. In my own experience, they also damage parking brake cables and trap sand and moisture, resulting in hidden corrosion, ironically.

I stay away from undercoatings. I drive my Camaro in rainy conditions and there is no rust anywhere. However, I put it away during salt season. On my winter car, there is no rust on the painted areas where undercoating would be applied. What does get attacked by rust are calipers, and rotors, which get replaced every 3 or 4 years, long before they would wear out otherwise. Obviously, undercoating cannot be applied to those.

Do you have road salt where you live?

[JT58]

The steel body parts- fenders, etc. are galvanized steel so they hold up pretty well but over a period of time the salt will perforate- especially if you don't flush the under carriage or in the fenders and nooks and crannies often. These days most automakers don't do much underneath the car- some maybe coat the floor panels.

The real issue I see is that the steel components- suspension parts, A arms, brackets, sway bars, etc. are painted- usually black. (Although some cars like the Camaro do have some aluminum parts now). The salt eats through the paint on the steel parts pretty quickly as they are in close proximity to the ground where the salt sprays up. Other components- axles, axle half shafts, drive shafts, brake rums, rotors that are steel are usually left raw steel, unpainted or coated. They develop rust almost immediately.

When I lived up north I would apply undercoating to the steel chassis components to protect them better and I would also prime and paint any steel parts- drive shafts, etc. that were unpainted. It was a lot of work but that along with a lot of rinsing of the undercarriage kept the undercarriage clean and neat looking, no rust.

[JCunningham]

your suspension is just light coat of paint. I dont think they even use primer. it flakes off. the body is dipped so as long as that doesnt get scratched it will be ok. everything that is steel is just spray painted and will rust. You will need to buy snow tires too. the factory or any summer tire will have no traction and will crack if used in temps under 30f.