Should I rustproof my Porsche?

If you own a Porsche, protecting it as much as possible is a top priority. As rusting and corrosion are indeed one of the greatest pitfalls of car architecture, many manufacturers including Porsche have upgraded their game significantly with lots of factory rust protection solutions.

That being said, Porsche was one of the pioneering manufacturers that have incorporated galvanized steel into the car’s panels back in 1978. Galvanized steel is a great rust deterrent as it greatly decreases the chances of corrosion forming.

Furthermore, Porsche uses reactive metals like zinc, pair that with a designated steel isolation technique to further decrease the chances of corrosion. Besides this, Porsche also applies a dedicated e-coat that electrically charges the car’s body panels, and they also use a special plastic coat in some of the more vulnerable areas.

If you consider all of these efforts and a body warranty on top of that, there is no need for any additional rustproofing. If you own an older Porsche model which is not constructed according to these rustproofing solution, then you should look into additional rust protection.

Rustproofing a used Porsche

Rustproofing a new, modern-day Porsche is not necessary, but a used one might even require you to take the extra step to ensure the car’s longevity, especially so if the warranty has expired. There are a few different rust-proofing techniques to choose from and you must be well aware of all the benefits and drawbacks of each.

Probably the most popular one is a designated undercoat applied onto the underside of your car. A car’s underside is the most vulnerable area when it comes to corrosion, and this undercoat costs around $100-200.  This type of protection should last as much as a few years tops if applied correctly, if not, it might even worsen the situation.

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Another fairly popular way of rust-proofing is a designated drip or dripless oil spray. The differences between these two are indeed mentionable. If you opt for the dripless version, you are likely going to have to drill into the car’s panels, but if you opt for the drippy version, you will have to face lots of leakage spots on your driveway for quite a while.

The third and most interesting option is a dedicated electronic module strategically placed onto your car. This module sends out a constant electrical current throughout the car’s body panels which should in theory stop corrosion. But these modules are not all that effective because they work best if there is lots of moisture year-round.

Undercoating application and removal

It’s not all that hard to apply an undercoat onto your beloved Porsche. Before you start doing anything, make sure you got all the necessary equipment first such as a car-hoist, fine-grade sandpaper, a grinder, lots of primer, a can of black automotive paint, and a set of protective glasses and gloves.

You should prop the car on a hoist and start by cleaning the underside of the car as thoroughly as possible. For this, you should use lots of degreaser, and make sure you clean out all the dirt and grime. Locate all the rust spots and grind them out as much as possible. After this, you should sand the surface down until it becomes smooth.

Prime the surface equally, wait for the primer to dry, and then paint the surface with black automotive paint. After the paint has dried up, you can apply the undercoat slowly and equally. After you have successfully applied the undercoat, it’s also always a good idea to have someone more experienced inspect the car’s underside.

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It should take about 2 days for the undercoating to completely dry off. If you want to remove the undercoat, it’s fairly simple. First, you should buy an undercoat removal spray which is made to soften up the coating, and after this just grind the coating off.

Classic Porsche rust proofing

If you own a concourse-ready classic air-cooled 911 or a restoration-ready air-cooled 911 designated rust protection is vital. These cars are way more valuable than most other older cars on the road. And because of this, classic 911s deserve that bit more tender, love and care.

There are lots of body shops out there that specialize in classic car ground-up restorations. Most of these shops also offer special treatments for older 911s. The difference here is that lots of older 911s require comprehensive bodywork, welding, and panel bonding, something you’d never do on any other less valuable car.

These restorations cost a lot of money, but there is something incredibly satisfying in saving an older 911 from pre-mature death. After all, some of these bolts and nuts restorations usually push the car’s value into oblivion, so you might even earn some money in the process.

FAQ Section

How well do these rust-proofing measures perform?

It all depends on how well the protection has been applied. But it fairly safe to say that nothing can match the factory rust protection treatment, especially because all of these protection solutions usually don’t come with lots of unwanted side effects.

And most aftermarket solutions do. Dripless sprays require you to drill into or even disassemble some body panels, drippy solutions get into all kinds of nooks and crannies which drip out of the car for a long time. Electronic modules cost a lot, but they don’t protect your car all that well, and undercoating your car usually voids your Porsche body warranty.

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Can regular car maintenance work against corrosion?

Indeed it can. If you wash your car regularly, especially during the winter when there is lots of salt around, corrosion is much less likely to happen. If you take great care of your paint, you are also less likely to experience corrosion forming.

Using paint protection film or specific ceramic coatings on some vulnerable areas is also a good idea. Clean your interior while you are at it because the interior dirt can also get into all the cavities of your bodywork.

Are rust and corrosion the same thing?

Rust is just a single form of corrosion that happens when iron oxidations happen. After the oxidation starts happening, the moisture turns the iron into a browny/reddish residue, also known as rust. Rust spreads easily so you should regularly check your car for rust spots.

Rust not only spreads, but it also becomes a lot more concentrated which might end up in structural issues that might even destroy the car completely. Rust is for indeed the cancer of cars, and the sooner you act, the better.

Marko Mikulic

Why do you love writing about cars? I love writing about cars as cars are a huge personal interest of mine. I was raised in a car enthusiast community and ever since I was young, I always wanted to do car-related work.

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