Keeping it washed and waxed is probably the best protection.

 

Don't waste your money on rust protection. All panels are dipped in a rust prohibitive material. Unless you have a deep scratch, rust should not be an issue. Use your money to buy accessories for your E.

 

There have been reports of bubbling paint on the front corner edges of hoods. BUT, the hood is aluminum - so I have heard. Anyways, yeah, I agree don't waste your money and use the money for other repairs or accessories.

 

I did an experiment....when I was a kid I used to like to read the ads where there were "exotic" cars for sale, like Robb Report. And I'd often see, "never seen rain." So when I got my BMW, I ordered it, it got delivered to me the day after it was delivered to the dealership, had 3 miles on the odometer, etc. I kept it out of the rain for 7 mos. I would look under it, and it was clean as a whistle, no rust even on the suspension/undercarriage, exhaust, etc. People on the forum said, "um, it's a BMW, it was meant to be driven, you can take it out in the rain, it's ok." So I did. Shortly thereafter, rust everywhere, exhaust, brake rotor hubs, etc. So as I suspected, there was a reason for Ferrari owners to not drive the car in the rain--they were keeping it in show condition. For years.

So, not driving a vehicle in the rain is nearly impossible, not driving it in snow (like I do) is also difficult. imho not driving a car in the snow will add years to its life.

One could argue that basically the Enclave is a utility vehicle, it is in no way a show car. So imho, there is absolutely nothing that can be done to prevent rust. I see it everywhere under the bumper covers, because our car is white diamond. It's like cancer. But it is not on the body nor is it structural. The only way to have prevented it is to probably keep it in a garage that is humidity controlled.

The net-net is nothing can, nor should, be done for rust protection. I have a neighbor who parks an Enclave and a Lacrosse in the driveway, and covers the Lacrosse at night. Hey, to each his own? ???

 

There have been reports of bubbling paint on the front corner edges of hoods. BUT, the hood is aluminum - so I have heard. Anyways, yeah, I agree don't waste your money and use the money for other repairs or accessories.

If you want proof that the hood is aluminum. Take a magnet off your fridge and place it on the hood. It won't stick because it's aluminum. As far as rust proofing. I wouldn't recommend it. The hood and tailgate are aluminum and everything else is double sided galvanized steel which after the body has been welded together is submerged in a rust inhibitor primer which has electrical waves going thru the tank for addition adhesion. Then the body is painted and cleared coated. As long as you don't have a bare metal scratch you should be good for at least 10+ years.

 

It's been debated that if you live in a snowy area, that you should leave your car outside in the winter. It is said that the salt will start to eat away at the metal once it gets in warmer temps inside a garage, where if it stays outside it will be too cold to do this. Also, periodic cleaning underneath during the winter would also be important. But unless you plan on keeping the car as a long term classic car, I wouldn't worry about it. If you keep it clean regularly, you shouldn't see any significant rust within 10 years. If you do, it will be because of a design flaw most likely such as the gas fill of my car because they put a drain hole inside. So the rain/dirt from the tires goes up through that hole and sits in there causing it to rust over time. And anything you do short of making physical changes won't help prevent it.

 

It's been debated that if you live in a snowy area, that you should leave your car outside in the winter. It is said that the salt will start to eat away at the metal once it gets in warmer temps inside a garage, where if it stays outside it will be too cold to do this. Also, periodic cleaning underneath during the winter would also be important. But unless you plan on keeping the car as a long term classic car, I wouldn't worry about it. If you keep it clean regularly, you shouldn't see any significant rust within 10 years. If you do, it will be because of a design flaw most likely such as the gas fill of my car because they put a drain hole inside. So the rain/dirt from the tires goes up through that hole and sits in there causing it to rust over time. And anything you do short of making physical changes won't help prevent it.

Ha! Grimm pre-referenced as in for sometime in the future, an Enclave becoming a "Classic"! That's classic in and of itself!
I think he also made very excellent points about "KEEP THE CAR CLEAN" This includes the under carriage and wheelwells. Keep the salt and dust from building up on the surface areas. I wash my "Cherry-Ot" about every 1-1/2 weeks.

 

Keeping it washed and waxed is probably the best protection.

:ditto: Parking in a garage also helps, too.....

 

Keeping it washed and waxed is probably the best protection.

That is my understanding, too. :thumb:

 

I would use sealant for durability and protection.

 

Keeping it washed and waxed is probably the best protection.

:thumb: Agree this is best. Our 2008 is kept washed year round, never been bent, and any scratches are treated immediately. I must say, though, that after almost 7 years, the underbody doesn't look quite this good still. :happy:

 

Ha ha...nice pic 2MuchCoffee. I wish it was aluminum like that is made to look like.

I'm suspecting that the Enclave is likely pretty good with regard to rust since most of the lower panels are plastic. Just keep the frame and bumpers cleaned out of road sand and debris. Also keep the door drain holes clear and wash and wax as others said.

I did recently notice one thing on mine after a year of ownership. The door sill edge was showing signs of scratching and I know I didn't drag my foot or a vacuum hose over it. So on closer inspection I noticed matching marks on the rubber door gasket (the inner one). Turns out that gasket seems to catch sand on occasion and it sticks to the gasket and scratches the door jamb edge. I now include that in my periodic door jamb cleaning. Not sure how the sand gets past the outer gasket though.

 

Another option:

http://www.ziebart.com/ziebart---home/protection/rust-protection

Basically, holes are drilled for access to door and body cavities, and an oil is sprayed onto the internals. Also, the oil is sprayed on the chassis to fill in crevices externally.

As a Great Lakes native, I did have it applied to one vehicle, and for two winters it appeared to work well. Sold the car, so I can't speak to long term effects.

 

Ziebart still exists? ??? imho that does more damage than anything else. I see some of the older generation in the neighborhood with 1980's German cars, and they have zero rust. I get it, I would have to ask if the guy were the original owner of the 1982 300D, maybe the car came from Phoenix recently, but I don't get that impression as it has a 30+ y.o. AAA sticker on it. Any type of corrosion resistance has to be done at the factory imho.

 

I do believe cars are using galvanized steel now, so I don't think rust protection is necessary. In fact, I think putting more holes in the metal does more harm than good.

 

I've read that using all those anti-rust products is just a waste of money, and as was already mentioned you don't need to as they use galvanized steel