Rustproofing - special concerns or risks on EV like Lightning?

[Marcoux]

Hey guys,

Seeing as I live in Northern Ontario, there is going to be a natural risk of rusting (specially if I bring the truck in every night to charge). I've tried to get an answer from Ford if rustproofing such as corrosion free or Krown would damage anything under the vehicle and so far I've gotten complete silence from them (my salesman is also trying to get an answer, but so far nothing from his rep).

I called one of the shops and they have said that they have done a few EVs but it's entirely at your own risk and they are also unsure if it could cause damage to certain components.

Anybody here ever done or heard of any risks associated with rustproofing an EV such as the Lightning?

Thanks!

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[fubar79]

@Marcoux

Did you make a decision on undercoating? I'm in the same boat, so curious as to what you decided?

 

[Marcoux]

I ended up going with Corrosion Free. When I called them, they seemed like it wasn't their first rodeo. The only thing they told me is that they do not drill holes to rust proof, they only spray the underbody with EVs.

Honestly, that's fine by me seeing as the majority of the body is aluminum.

 

[PungoteagueDave]

Is this April 1? Undercoating? You are aware that the truck body is entirely made of aluminum and cannot rust? It has steel frame components, which are specially coated (dipped) against corrosion, should not be further coated or might CAUSE rust. The steel is isolated from teh aluminum body using various isolators to ensure no galvanic corrosion. You should not have corrosion issues with this truck.

 

[Marcoux]

In Northern Ontario? You absolutely will have rust on the frame 100%. There is not a single truck in the area older than 5 years that has not rusted even a bit if it hasn't been rust proofed. It's simply the reality of the cold winters mixed with a mountain amount of salt and brine on the roads here.

Add to the fact that EVs are better inside in the winter and warming up a car full of liquid brine and water (snow) creates a serious electrolyte that will cause corrosion in steel.

 

[COrocket]

In Northern Ontario? You absolutely will have rust on the frame 100%. There is not a single truck in the area older than 5 years that has not rusted even a bit if it hasn't been rust proofed. It's simply the reality of the cold winters mixed with a mountain amount of salt and brine on the roads here.

Add to the fact that EVs are better inside in the winter and warming up a car full of liquid brine and water (snow) creates a serious electrolyte that will cause corrosion in steel.

I haven’t done my soon-to-be delivered Lightning, but I did my Tesla occasionally without any adverse results. I mainly sprayed the steel suspension components and some of the battery shielding with fluid film. I didn’t see a point in spraying any of the electronic wiring or connectors since it’s all plastic/rubber. I’ll probably do the same thing on the Lightning and just focus on the same areas and steel components.

 

[Marcoux]

I ended up going with corrosion free, after talking over the phone, I could tell this wasn't their first venture with EVs and they knew exactly where to spray and not spray.

 

[ctuan13]

I can't speak to the paintable rust-proofings but I try my best to avoid those as those almost always end up being rust traps that begin to trap and hold water against the frame as soon as there's a single break in the layer. I'm much more of a fan of the breathable coatings like fluid film, etc

Can't speak about professional installers, but I fluid-filmed the underside of my Lightning in the beginning of December and other than avoiding gooping up the active portions of the height sensors, I just applied it wherever I could to get full coverage. Haven't had any issues.

 

[ctuan13]

Is this April 1? Undercoating? You are aware that the truck body is entirely made of aluminum and cannot rust? It has steel frame components, which are specially coated (dipped) against corrosion, should not be further coated or might CAUSE rust. The steel is isolated from teh aluminum body using various isolators to ensure no galvanic corrosion. You should not have corrosion issues with this truck.

Aluminum "can't rust"? Clearly you've never seen what happens to aluminum body or engine mounts after several seasons of road salt.

Yeah it's true aluminum doesn't form flaky rust like steel does, but instead it's almost worse in some ways. Due to the often porous and poor casting quality of some of Ford's parts, the salt will penetrate into the aluminum and corrode it from the inside out. Aluminum corrosion takes the form of a powdery white substance that is somewhat akin to a Thanos snap of your previously structurally sound aluminum.

Its your vehicle and maybe in your particular use case in your particular environment, it's not an issue, but aluminum is definitely susceptible to corrosion, particularly when exposed to salt and even more aggressive corrosive melting agents like magnesium chloride.

 

[srspring551]

Going to pick up my Lariat Lightning in a few days, and all I can find about rust-proofing is here. Sounds as though there are differences of opinion. Probably related to owner's geographic location and actual exposure to road salt? Do those in northern US and Canada feel as though it is needed? Yes, aluminum does corrode. Any consensus on average owner (or maybe less-than-average owner) using fluid-film? Seems like it might be a challenge to get under chassis - does the Lightning frame have holes (like most ICE) to even spray in?

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