Looking for opinions on rustproofing the GLC350e, as it’s a PHEV. I drive in Canadian winters where they literally dump salt on the roads I drive.

Interested in rustproofing, but also don’t want to risk any contamination or compromise a sensor or wiring.

Sales associate at the dealership didn’t have rustproofing as an option as they don’t think it’s jts required. However, another MB dealership in another city nearby offers it.

Looking to keep this for the long run, not a 4-5 yr cycle.

 

Careful with any of the rust proof undercoatings. I was told that they can void your vehicle's warranty. Mercedes offers a Corrosion Control Module but I've heard mixed reviews about those. Most people online say they do not work and that they are just a money grab.

 

In some hot weather this year there was some cavity wax dripping out of a door drain of our GLC350e. It's already been done, so don't bother.

 

The factory installed rust protection (cosmolene or wax) will be blasted of by the road salt. I use Fluid film and Blaster surface shield. These creep into cavities but are on the wet side. Products like amsoil and cosmolene dry to a wax. Use a mix of products depending on the application area. I literally cover everything on my lx, inside and out. NO rust at all and its an 06. If there may be a warranty issue, the wax is the better option. Fill the cavities so they
"drip" like factory.

 

My opinion is not to have the aftermarket rustproofing. It is not like the old days (1960s) when Ziebarting was a good thing to have done. I had multiple cars rustproofed and I know it protected the bodies from the western NY winters. These days cars come from the factory with metal protection built in. I had an Audi A4 for 13 years and it never showed any signs of corrosion. You may end up having an amateur spray some goop on something that should not be covered and it causes a problem or makes a warranty be denied.

 

Thanks for all the feedback. Will forego it on this vehicle!

 

I think you would be better to monitor it. The w212 and w204 people might disagree with foregoing protection, and mercedes had to do a long warranty on the subframe. People in rusty areas also had to replace rusty brake lines. The coating on a brake line can wear away from the sandblasting action of the salt within one winter. Peoples individual experiences do not outweigh chemistry combined with circumstance. Factory wax is not permanent...its wax

 

The wax in box sections does not need renewal. Aftermarket rustproofing will void the rust warranty. After it's expired, go ahead.

The last Mercedes I had (B200 5 speed) was 18 years old and there was no rust at all despite 230K miles in winter, being parked 100 feet from the Pacific Ocean and salted winter roads.

 

A rust warranty is about perforation of the metals. This very rarely happens in any modern car these days and a car can have tons of rust and not qualify for a warranty. Sure, you could wait for the warranty to expire but thats almost like recommending long oil change or fluid intervals during the warranty periods. In the US, we have the Magnuson Moss warranty act and causation has to be proved for a warranty to be denied. Im not sure how that works up North or in other countries.

Depending on temperatures the vehicle is driven, the factory cavity wax CAN all drip out. There are factory products sold for this purpose. You can buy these products if worried about a warranty. Sometimes the cavities are not designed properly and its up to the consumer to find and correct those deficiencies.

Your experience has little to do with what anyone else will experience. Nobody knows how much you clean your car, the products used, how it is stored, ever driven on dirt roads, and various other pertinent details. I am not by the ocean and dont live in Canada but I have two of the exact same models of vehicles that are from '06 and can tell you the the one that was treated with lanolin has zero rust and the one that was not, has rust all throughout the car. One car is unsaleable and the other would bring a price on the highest end of the range. Ive posted pics here previously. It's shocking what a tiny bit of foresight does to the condition and value of the car over the long run. Sometimes on the other forum and I hear people from the midwest say how a car doesn't have any rust on it (because xyz is normal) and I literally would not touch it with a ten foot pole. I touch up those vehicles that see salt every year.

Everyone has different experiences, my statements are about the best protection long term.

 

Im in New England and live right on the ocean, park my car 10' from the water. I am always washing the car once a week to get the salt off. I wish I started spraying corrosion protection when I got my W204 5yrs ago. I just started last fall and im doing it again getting ready for this winter.




While true there is factory applied protection, you can see it on things like the axles and the stamped metal control arms, it still gets damaged and allows the metal under it to rust. The brake lines are a major thing to rust. My transmission pan was rusting so bad there were large bubbles on it. Some bolts look great but the bolt right next to it will look totally rusted. I just replaced the boots on my front cv axles and theres rust on the hubs.

Last year I tried Fluid Film, Surface Shield and CorrosionX XD. I think all of them worked to protect the metal but the CorrosionX seems to be lasting much longer. Which is probably to be expected because it is very thick stuff. I even use it on my yard equipment like the snowblower transmission. I have a 1971 Ariens Sno-thro that still works great.

This time im using CorrosionX XD which is between the regular CorrosionX and the XD. I used one 16oz can in the rear. I'll use another in the front, remove the undertrays and just spray everything.

It is very messy and dirt and sand sticks in it. But with the CorrosionX at least I think it helped to remove some of the nuts and bolts under the car when working on it.





Heres what my rear brake lines looked like before I replaced them. Can see rust on the subframe and bolts. Think about all the dirt and sand that gets kicked up back there when driving.




Heres what it looked like when I was replacing my old worn rusted shocks:



Rusted tranmsission pan:






Heres the new pan earlier today, I sprayed it with the CorrosionX HD last fall and its still on.