Celica Forums General Discussion Exterior electronic rust prevention...

I've been thinking of getting one of these systems for my Celica. I hear nothing but good things about them:



It's called Electro-shield. it's a corrosion protection system for cars. They work on an electrolytic principle to stop metals from rusting. when your car rusts, it's because water, salt and other contaminents produce a chemical change in the metal itself as these contaminents come into contact with it.

the steel is robbed of some electrons in it's chemichal makeup as they bond with the sodium and water molecules to form other compounds, your solid bodywork is turned into ferrous oxide (rust) because the electrons that make up solid steel are altered in the chemical reaction.

Electrolytic corrosion protection uses an annode attached to the bodywork, which puts a small electrical charge through it. when salt and other corrosive elements come in contact with the metal, the same thing happens as above, but the electrons (electrical current) flowing through the sheetmetal can now do one of two things:

1) it gives the contaminents electrons to bond with

2) it gives the steel new electrons to replace the ones stolen by other caustic elements in a chemical reaction.

the result is a much slower rate of corrosion.

Since I park my car outdoors all year long, and I am located in the midwest, it seems like a sound investment. Electrolytic protection has been used on bridges, municipal machinery and Naval ships for decades, so the technology is proven, and it works better than anything else available. It's also patented, and proven to be reliable for decades.

They aren't cheap, however. a two-anode system for passenger cars is about $100 from JCWhitney. Still, it's a small price to pay for the longevity of my ride. So, I'm planning to get one for my car, I'll install it before winter hits, and I'll be sure to give you all long term updates on it's performance.

Dude if you buy that, I have some land down in Florida I would like to sell you.

Stay away from BS

hes heard nothing but good things from them it has to be good

there is another product that works just as well as the one you've just mentioned--paint.

as long as your car's paint stays in good condition and remains unchipped you should be fine. paint in good condition greatly reduces the surface area required for water to react with your car's exterior.

(staying away from flooded streets is also a good idea)

yea but chips are deffinetly gonna happen in the paint..as long he drives the car

it sounds good dude

Trust me, the paint helps, but it only goes so far. even if i maintain the finish, weather will take it's toll on the car, it's happened with every car I've owned. Don't know how bad new orleans winters are, but here in the chicago area, it can get brutal.

These things work, I have a couple friends that bought them and they swear by them. Also, once you buy them, you can just install it in every car you own down the road; it's a one-time investment.

The protectant that comes with the kit is simply a conductive polymer, they recomend you apply it once a year, but honestly, it shouldn't be required for the system to work.

Many may wonder why all cars dont rust out, since the electrical system is grounded to the chassis, that's because it's a negative ground(-), and you need a positive charge (+) for rust prevention to happen. the current the anode puts out is mild, about the equivalent of a 9-volt battery, but it's just enough to do the trick.

Don't believe it works? here's an experiment for you to prove it does.

take two cups of water, and ad about three tablespoons of salt to each cup. mix them up good.

in one cup, take a nail, and put it in the solution.

in another cup, do the same, but first. take a 9-volt battery & battery clip, and hook it up to the nail like this:

9-volt Negative (-)----<==Nail==|----9-volt Positive (+)

where "==" is where you wrap the wire around the nail.

Now, you have current running through the nail, simply put the nail into the other cup (keep the battery out of the cup.

Let it sit there for about a week or so, afterwards, pull the nails and examine them. the one without the battery will be rusted, the other nail will have a lot less rust on it (or no rust at all.

Trust me, this stuff works. It's been done for years, but most people are skeptical because of the pricetag and the fact that most people have never heard about it. BTW, if done properly, it will not damage your electrical system at all, and even works when the car is shut off.

Example: Cars electrical system is powered off an alternator when running. current flows through sheet metal in pulses like this:
<-< <-< <-<
What this system does is it sends a mild positive(+) current between the negative(-) pulses coming through the alternator, So it'd be more like this:
<-< >+> <-< >+> <-< >+>

the negative pulses are moving toward the main negative power connection, to the car's battery. but the modules sense this, and send the mild current from one annode to the other, Which is why the kit has 2 boxes to be installed (one positive annode, one negative annode, just like the "nail experiment". It's sort of like a low-power, secondary electrical system. The + current is so mild, any residual charge just "Goes with the flow" on the next alternator pulse, and the electrons ride the wave back to the battery. The only possible drawback to this system would be radio noise interference, which isn't a problem for me, since I listen to CD's in my car anyway.

I'm gonna buy it & try it. Besides, paint doesn't cover every part of the metal on a car.