GEN 4 Jimny undersealing

You are making me smile - the gleaming underside of my new Jimny looked awful to my eyes! I had many elements that were over-sprayed and the whole visual impact was one of "this looks like an unfinished project"! or the painter got bored halfway through the job, as an accountant tried to save a few pennies on paint and labour. As the months go on I'm happy to say it's al toning down - but I'd rather the underside was one even colour.

As I understood it Suzuki advised the dealer only the 12 year rust warranty would be voided if extra underseal was applied. Likewise on my Gen 4 the factory protection is hit and miss with many areas devoid of any factory standard protection. There is a quaint air of random pattern about it --- like they gave the application robots free licence to do what they want for an afternoon in order to express their individuality!

facade wrote:

Bob1050 wrote: if the Jimny is assembled from zinc coated steel.....

A pretty big if. I doubt it very much

Anything that thickens up the paint where the stones are going to hit it is a good idea, anything water displacing and anti-corrosive inside the box sections is better, the Gen 3 rotted from inside the box sections and double skins.

I've tried engine oil, ACF50, NATO fluid (smells just like JL69 to me) waxoil and dinitrol over the years. and dinitrol actually seems to reduce corrosion long term, I've cut rusty metal off sills that have been waxoiled inside and the waxoil hasn't soaked into the rust, it just lifts off leaving dry scale underneath. ACF 50 and the NATO fluid are ok if you keep spraying it on. (Same as engine oil really)

Like yourself, I have tried an range of products/materials over the years in an attempt to keep the tin worm at bay. Another one is boiled linseed oil (usually favoured by cricket minded folk) which impressed me on bare steel. First stone chips on front end suggest steel is zinc plated as zero rust appeared - although all those water-based environmentally friendly paints seem to chip quite easily (not just on Suzuki products). Agree with your thinking on thickening up the surface coatings where impact takes place. In today's world there's many folk who like built in obsolescence and many folk who change the vehicle as they quickly get bored of it. Few folk appear to want anything that lasts longer than the release of the latest must have model.

I’m unlikely to keep my gen 4 for more than 12 years maximum. By then, probably won’t be allowed to drive in towns or cities, no petrol stations left, anything other than electric vehicles will be banned. All a bit tongue in cheek but 12 years is a long time in environmental politics.
I won’t need to be investing in mods like lifts, roll cages, snorkels, winches, winch points, etc and so there’s no saving in keeping the same old vehicle from that point of view. I’ll have done over 150,000 miles so other bits will be wearing out fast by then.
In-car safety, infotainment, economy, driver aids (autonomous cars?) etc will have moved on so much in the next 12 years that I’ll be needing the next “must have” features.
So there’s not too much incentive for me to want to have to spend out to keep the car’s life any longer than, say, 12 years.
One thing that makes me seriously consider having the underbody treated is that I wouldn’t then have to have the car inspected by a Suzuki main dealer every year to maintain the 12 year anti-perforation warranty. Which means I won’t have to have it serviced by a Suzuki main dealer at their ridiculous prices (£800 for 3 years servicing?!)

Bob1050 wrote: boiled linseed oil (usually favoured by cricket minded folk) which impressed me on bare steel.

Boiled linseed oil is interesting as in the presence of oxygen it quickly polymerises to form a dry hydrophilic coating like a varnish. It was used a lot on bicycles as a combination threadlocker and corrosion preventer. Never tried it on a car, I'm not sure if it is what they season cast iron pans with, the recommendation is flax oil which AFAIK is raw linseed oil, boiled linseed has some possibly toxic catalysts added to it.

The Jimny may well have zinc coated panels here and there, SEAT trumpet their use of zinc coatings to give an "industry leading" 12 year (limited) anti perforation warranty, you'd think Suzuki would say it as loudly if it were the case. Tbh, most cars (except Mazdas I hear ), even Ford Ka can usually mange 12 years before there is enough rust to need welding anyway. My Gen3 was fine at 9, I like to think the dinitrol helped it get 5 or so extra years, with this one I'm hoping that I can get even more by rust inhibiting it before it actually starts to go rusty.

That came from my dealer. I will post a copy of it for you.