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Sydney, NS
Experience: Intermediate
Platform: Ninja
Broker: Zen-Fire
Trading: TF,S,GC
Posts: 605 since Nov 2009
Thanks Given: 248
Thanks Received: 393
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Just in case anyone else has interest in something like this!
I just bought a 1988 Mercedes 420 SEL. Never winter driven. In very good condition. Less than $1000. Drives like a dream even though I don't like big boats with automatic transmissions, power windows etc. But a deal is a deal. Also, since I live in harsh winter maritime zone and they salt the roads here, old cars fall to pieces easily and new ones degrade rapidly unless extremely well protected and most of the protection services out there vary greatly according to the care and attention of those doing the applications. And where I live, the local mechanics etc. are not the most reliable in general, especially the large chains like WalMart etc. who tend to have the licenses to do rustproofing. So I looked for a Mercedes when my VW diesel started showing signs of terminal collapse with the idea of buying something that was extremely well made to start with and which, with any luck, would last longer than the typical 2-3 years of the used cars I have been getting here the past 10 years. They just rust to pieces on me since the rusting had already started when I got them. This Merc has never been winter driven and you can tell (otherwise I wouldn't have bought it, low price or not). Gas mileage is terrible but apart from quick hops to nearby neighbours I only drive to town a couple of times a month so that doesn't really matter.
The picture above is not of my car which is in not quite as good shape (oxidised paint, a few very small rust spots near wheel wells, trunk etc.), but the picture file title is wrong: this is indeed a 420 SEL and moreover the same color as mine which is why I picked the pic from a Google image search. It was top-of-the-line at the time it came out and one of the last years in which all the parts were machine-tooled by Mercedes before they got into outsourcing (and after which their quality has gone way down). So this is a very well made automobile, perhaps the pinnacle of twentieth century production exceeded only by Rolls Royce and possibly Ferrari and a couple of others. You can feel the quality when you drive it and although I thought I was just getting a decently made old car that had a chance of lasting longer than the typical sort of thing I get (for much more money usually), by the time I had driven her four hours home I was already deeply fond of her, something which hasn't happened (automotively) in many a decade. Hooked. Despite the automatic transmission and the 20mpg (at best) mileage. But just ease down on the accelerator pedal and this two ton 'Big Bess' as I call her (a cross between Queen Elizabeth and Big Bertha) lifts off. Getting up to 100 mpg is nothing, although I haven't pushed it that fast yet because the roads around here are terrible and until yesterday I was driving on summer tires on slightly snowy roads. But powerful she is, as well as very, very, very smooth. And surprisingly responsive turning, braking etc. It's a strange combination of feeling like a very big Cadillac-type thing and a sports sedan. But the main sensation is that of sensing the through-and-through quality of construction. The last time I had that feeling was driving a BMW 7 series back in the early 90's. Boy, could that thing fly!
Okay. In order to protect this baby as well as possible, I did some research on anti-rust stuff and found two very interesting products which have applications beyond cars because they both started out as marine products. Usually anything that is long-term successful in the marine industry is good.
As it happened, I did not coat my car with either of these because I don't have access to a car lift and didn't want to crawl around in the snow with the underbody inches from my nose whilst spraying stuff. But if I could have done it easily and quickly myself I would have used this. But this week we had a break in the weather - unusual for this time of year - so today I just went ahead and had a rather expensive Diamond Kote treatment which is supposed to be good for 25 years with touch ups. So all I am left with is the research to share without first-hand long-term experience. Still, I am fairly confident my research was good.
1. Fluid Film.
Fluid Film is made from sheep's wool lanolin. It performs extremely well compared to many other treatments. It smells nice. Good on most rubbers (100% rubber swells a little but is not damaged), good on electrical connections, leather, vinyl, tools etc. Helps restore paint jobs too. Very good stuff. Many parts supply stores have the aerosol but you can order it by the gallon ($36 in the US) to spray on yourself.
2. Ship2Shore. They have 2 products: an aerosol which provides instant protection and is great on electrical components including onboard computers etc. And 'Industrial' which is pink Vaseline-like substance which, once applied, will stop rust for 10-20 years, even on board a steel hull. It can be rubbed off, however (as would be the case underneath a car so not ideal for this purpose), but as an anti-rust agent for anything not exposed to friction etc. it seems truly superlative, probably even better than Fluid Film although without nearly so many other uses.
Attached: little Fluid Film flyer about comparative results. Put out by them so not necessarily reliable; but when I talked to various people across US and Canada researching this, including local marine supplies, I heard many testaments of 1000% satisfaction. Many people swear by it as the absolute best stuff you can get to protect things against weather, rust etc.
Ship2Shore: Ship-2-Shore Fluid Thin Film Coatings Liquid Corrosion and Rust Control Systems HOME
FluidFilm: Fluid FilmŪ | Corrosion Preventative, Lubricant and Rust Inhibitor
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