Moving to an island….wondering about underbody protection

I’m gonna be moving to James Island in Charleston, SC later this year and I’m wondering about the impact the salty air might have on my 2023 4Runner. (Of course, I’m moving from Ohio where we also get salt from the snowy months.)

Wondering if any of y’all invest in underbody protection…assuming there is such a thing.

 

Yes.

 

Cars in coastal towns see rust much faster than cars. It’s known as “Open Ocean Air” damage. It effects more than just the frame, it effects the paint job. Wash your car regularly to wash the salt off of it.

The areas of your vehicle that will start to rust faster are: Trunk, Hood, Roofline and the tops of your doors. The frame will be about the same as living in Ohio. Get it treated and you’ll be okay. It won’t stop it from happening but it will slow it down.

 

This. My cars spend 90% of their lives parked 25 yards from the saltwater in Florida. I use this stuff regularly in hopes it'll keep them protected for longer

 

I have a buddy from Va Beach and he has 4R and a Tacoma and he fluid films both annually for the same reasons in the salt air anywhere else. He tells me about all the rains and frequent flooding also that washes it off more frequently.

I would also wax or ceramic your vehicle more frequently for that sun protection.

Given that I don’t think you will miss Ohio especially in Winter. Are you retiring down there? I am in Michigan and can’t wait to be a snow bird

 

Not necessary. Ocean air is nowhere close to the same order of magnitude as road salt.

 

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again, it’s ashame that Toyota doesn’t double dip its frames in some good stuff.

 

Not really retiring, per se. My girlfriend and I both work remotely, so we decided we'd prefer to live in South Carolina (where I grew up) as opposed to Ohio. I definitely prefer the scorching heat of the summers than the bitter cold of the winters up here. Plus, we'll be getting away from osu fans (for the most part)...so that's always a plus!

"Fluid films", huh? I'll have to look into that. I've been doing a bunch of reading about the different kinds of underbody protections that are out there. There seems to be a lot of different options. As to the exterior, I just had my baby treated detailed and they applied a ceramic coating. They said it's good for 7 years, but I think I'll have it done again in the next 3 years.

 

TBH I don't see it being worse than Ohio. I worked out of the Carolinas for many years in my previous life mostly on the NC side between Jacksonville NC and New Bern. Cars there even those that live by the beach look fine at 10 years or older, far better than what I saw in OH and MI. If you undercoat it can't hurt, invest in some floor ramps to allow easier crawling under neath to keep an eye on things. Whenever I go to OBX I see some rust on cars and trucks that look like they park facing the Atlantic 24/7 and never washed, but otherwise as long as you don't drive every time a storm system moves in, it's not worth too much worrying about beyond regular washing/waxing. Keep it out of the wind or sun is the best option be it a garage or carport.

 

https://www.woolwaxusa.com/

 

Congrats on being able to do that. I debated trying something like that when I went remote with Covid. But I have a Mom up here that has Alzheimer’s and my Dad cannot do it by himself so I help out a lot. Otherwise I’d get out of here for winter for sure at least. Enjoy yourself down there and post pics of your 4R on the beach.

 

Will do! Although I don’t believe there are any beaches in SC where you can drive out on the beach. Have to go to Outer Banks or Daytona for that (I think).

 

She’ll be parked in a garage most of the time and I’ll be keeping her nice and clean, so maybe I don’t need to worry about it? I got a quote here in Ohio and they wanted $600 for a product called Valuguard. I looked it up and it seems like good stuff. Admittedly, that’s a bit more than I was looking to spend, but it’s supposed to last several years, so maybe that’s the best option should I decide to do it.

 

https://valugard.net/products/rust-prevention-products.html
Asphalt-backed undercoating is going to trap moisture within and kill your 4Runner in less than 10 years. It's worse than not having any rust protection at all. Look for shops that do "rustproofing", not "undercoating". Use only a thin film oil- or wax-based spray. If you can't find any shops that do it, it should be a good indicator that it isn't needed in your area.

 

I'm down in Virginia Beach and speaking to the guys here who have been here for a while, they normally do a yearly DIY fluid film or similar treatment on their driveways. The sea air here doesn't seem too bad and we don't have much snow/freezing weather here (this past winter seemed to be a very rare occurrence) which can't be mitigated with thorough and regular cleaning. I clean probably every weekend and this year (first with the 4runner) I will join a friend and split the cost of a DIY undercoating in October.

I'm heading onto the beach at Carova for the first time this weekend, probably the only chance for 'off-roading' I'll get during my short stint here!

 

Get a few aerosol cans of Fluid Film or Surface Shield. Spray it on everything underneath that you can get to and touch it up yearly. Have a can handy whenever you do an oil change or rotate tires to hit the areas that aren’t easily accessible.

 

You can also consider finding a local garage to let you rent some “lift time” and spray yourself


Another option is to go to fluid film website and put in your new zip code and see if anyone in Charleston area does it.

 

Or buy a set of ramps (which you will need eventually anyway), throw on sone goggles and spray the frame from below. That's what I did with my 23 right after buying it. I used WaxOyl Hardwax Plus, but basically anything you put on (minus rubber based undercoating) is better than nothing.

 

I just read an interesting tidbit that salt air from the Pacific has had detectable levels in Boulder, CO, which is 900 miles inland. Having owned vehicles for 20+ years when I lived 2 miles from the Pacific, and having owned them in Colorado, I have to agree that road salt causes WAY more rust than salt air from the ocean. At least in my experience.

 

You are GTG.

Enjoy the coastline down there, Even though I grew up on the west coast, being able to walk down warm water on white sandy beaches that stretch for tens of miles was mind blowing. If it wasn't for the whole tropical storm thing, the carolinas are my favorite location in the CONUS.

 

I live on an island. I do nothing but shoot down the underside when I wash and after the beach and/or launching the boat.

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