Well conditioned Corolla going soft? And winter traction is in the bag!

Posted Jan 5, 2012 By Brian Turner

EMC Lifestyle -

"G'day Brian,

About a week ago I had my car undercoated at a local outlet of a Krown Rust-Proofing. The treatment has worked well for me and has kept the rust off my 99 Toyota Corolla with just over 200,000 km. However, a few days ago I had a wheel alignment done on the car and the note from the mechanic was to the effect that the oil (from the rust-proofing in his opinion) had softened the rubber bushings and therefore the alignment could only result in a close approximation of the specifications.

Have you ever heard of this and would you care to comment. My understanding that the spray is not damaging to gasket and rubber compounds. I might add that I've had a Chrysler 300 also treated at the same facility and it took me half a dozen panic stops to "burn" some of the treatment off the front brake disks. I was warned by the person on the desk about this since he had driven the vehicle out of the shop and found the brakes to be somewhat "mushy"! So, perhaps I've hit an overzealous young worker at this shop."

Best regards,

Gerrit

While it's possible that the rust protection your Toyota has been exposed to has softened the rubber bushings on various suspension parts, it's equally possible that they have deteriorated due to age and exposure to our elements. After all it is a 13 year old vehicle. Krown does use a petroleum based product in their applications and oil will deteriorate rubber. However oil can come into contact with your vehicle from other sources. We drive on paved roads that contain a substantial amount of oil. During rainstorms this oil can be splashed up on various parts of our vehicles. Age will bring fine cracks on rubber parts and this too can 'soften' them. On a vehicle as old as your Toyota it's not unusual to have to replace suspension components. A rubber part that has been freshly contaminated with too much oil will usually swell up as well as becoming soft.

(I would diplomatically bring this to the attention of your rust-proofing service centre as the tech should avoid spraying the rust-proofing directly on any rubber hoses or parts and must especially avoid brake parts. If brake pads are contaminated with this treatment they need to be replaced. Sometimes rotors will also require replacement in these circumstances because of the porous nature of their metal. One way to minimize any contamination of rubber parts or driveways caused by rust-spray dripping off the vehicle is to have the service completed after the frost has set in the fall or before it leaves in the spring. This will give the treatment more time to harden.(

"Hi Brian,

I was talking to my son in the U.S.A. who may be transferred back home from Texas and I reminded him that he had better add some weight to his Ford F-150 truck before heading north. Kirk sent me some information on a product that sounds that it would work great." ShurTrax Traction Weight": comes in 3 different sizes."

Take care, Garth

Thanks very much for the great product tip. ShurTrax is available in Canada through a web-based retailer from Alberta. It's basically a fibre-reinforced flexible bladder that can be filled with water from a garden hose. The bladder is secured in an open truck-bed by four straps and the maker says it will withstand freezing (provided it's filled according to instructions, allowing enough room for expansion). There are actually four different bladder products that can add 100-400 lbs of traction weight exactly where you want and need it without sacrificing cargo space. Prices range from $59.99 to $139.99 before tax or shipping. Log onto www.shurtraxcanada.com for more info.

If you have any questions, opinions, or stories on anything automotive please drop me a line, (By email to emc@perfprint.ca or directly to bjoeturner@hotmail.com listing 'Question for the Car Counselor' on the subject line or by post to Record News Communications, 5 Lorne St., P.O. Box 158, Smiths Falls, Ont. K7A 4T1).

Yours in service,

Brian Turner