# Who else is prepping their Diesels for the upcoming salty winter?



## KpaxFAQ (Sep 1, 2013)

Will be ordering a Fluid Film undercoating kit soon, drilling the doors to spray inside and doing a spray underneath. 

Who else is prepping their diesel for winter and how are you going about it? Just curious.


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## Mikeske (Jun 19, 2012)

Over here in Western Washington the state does not use salt on the roads much but for ice conditions and then they use a chemical brine. Since I have a older Buick Park Avenue that is really good in the snow when we have snow I am going to leave the Chevy Cruze in the garage nice safe dry and warm and drive the Buick. 

I also try to keep the Chevy in the garage when it rains so the prep for winter will consist of Changing the oil and keeping the tank full of diesel.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

I got six Hakkapeliitta R2 tires mounted and road force balanced on OEM 13259235 rims this week. 

I'm used to having five tires in rotation - but the Hakkas are directional - so I needed a third on each side to allow for a spare in rotation. 

I also bought a Kent-Moore EL-50448 TPMS reset tool.


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## Sperry (Aug 3, 2013)

Snows and crown rust proofing for me.. Tomko , Did you go with 16" or 17" wheels?


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

Sperry said:


> Snows and crown rust proofing for me.. Tomko , Did you go with 16" or 17" wheels?


I couldn't find a GM 17" steel wheel that would work so I went with 16". 

I chronicled my search in this thread:

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/64-c...em-steel-winter-wheels-diesel-snow-tires.html


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## bigluke (Aug 18, 2013)

Here I wait for the first snow to put winter tires on stock alloys, power cord and timer set for the oil pan heater, heated garage set to 65F for days below -10, I'll buy some diesel additives for cold weather and a good christmas cd in the dash...lol...since I wash the car each week inside the garage I don't shoot it with any stuff.


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## steveg241 (Jul 18, 2013)

Other than winterizing fuel, not much. I will goto a car wash with undercarriage wash once per week and more when it snows. I have a yearly pass that let's me bring 1 car per day. 


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

got the oilpan heater

hakka 7's

denso wipers

all i need


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

boraz said:


> got the oilpan heater
> 
> hakka 7's
> 
> ...


Did you check out the Hakka 8s?


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## bigluke (Aug 18, 2013)

Hint, to wash under the car I made a 1/2 inch copper line with a goose neck on the end (squezzed to make it spray) to be able to go everywhere and flared hose fitting at the other end. Cheap and works great!


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

Tomko said:


> Did you check out the Hakka 8s?


hmm, didnt see these last week...

ill ask my tire place when i get home in 3 days


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## bad455 (Aug 20, 2013)

Just picked up a set of 4 ultra grip ice wrt off craigslist,they has 1/32nds wear for $165 bucks.However you guys are freaking me out with the lack of 17" steel wheels.They are the factory cruze td size.I really didnt want to mount them on my oem wheels and loose the factory balance. Please someone come up with a place to buy some steel wheels in 17".


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

bad455 said:


> Just picked up a set of 4 ultra grip ice wrt off craigslist,they has 1/32nds wear for $165 bucks.However you guys are freaking me out with the lack of 17" steel wheels.They are the factory cruze td size.I really didnt want to mount them on my oem wheels and loose the factory balance. Please someone come up with a place to buy some steel wheels in 17".


Great buy! Let us know if you find any 17 steelies that work.


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## buickgn (Jul 21, 2013)

how about tire rack for the 17 steels?


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

boraz said:


> hmm, didnt see these last week...
> 
> ill ask my tire place when i get home in 3 days


hakka 8's not available

hakka 7's get mounted tuesday.

drove ~1hr in ~3" snow covered highway this am with the stock tires, no issues


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## Luigi (Jun 16, 2013)

Are the undercoats worth it? What types are there and how much to they cost? Does it affect anything maintenance wise on the undercarriage?


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## KpaxFAQ (Sep 1, 2013)

Luigi said:


> Are the undercoats worth it? What types are there and how much to they cost? Does it affect anything maintenance wise on the undercarriage?


Fluid film undercoating is absolutely worth it. Especially drilling a small hole on the inside of each door to spray the insides of the doors. It migrates like no other and once a year before winter is all it takes. You can tell which 10 year old car in my area was fluid filmed' and which wasn't. 

I wouldn't spray anything that's a "coating" that dries and ends up caking off/trapping moisture underneath. Oil undercoating is inferior IMO and terrible for the environment.


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## Luigi (Jun 16, 2013)

In particular I meant like a rubberized undercarriage spray. And what is fluid film? How does it work

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## KpaxFAQ (Sep 1, 2013)

Luigi said:


> In particular I meant like a rubberized undercarriage spray. And what is fluid film? How does it work
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


I think rubberized undercoating spray is garbage for reasons listed in my previous post...

As far as fluid film, google, and youtube are your friend. You'll learn much more then I can type here in a reasonable amount of time.


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## KpaxFAQ (Sep 1, 2013)

Fluid Film Undercoating by Jeff's Undercoating - YouTube

Here's a nice video of how it's done by a guy 10 minutes from me. He's the one doing my car if I don't have the time to order the kit to do myself this year.


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## dmaxpwr (Nov 29, 2013)

steveg241 said:


> Other than winterizing fuel, not much. I will goto a car wash with undercarriage wash once per week and more when it snows. I have a yearly pass that let's me bring 1 car per day.
> 
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


How much does a yearly pass cost?!


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## DieselMan33 (Oct 13, 2013)

I did not do a single thing for this winter. I bought my car in October so I did not have a lot of time to prepare.


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## oilburner (Jun 13, 2013)

I prepped mine by putting cruze in storage an driving my winter beater. also avoiding high winter diesel fuel pricing.


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

Michelin X Ice xi3 and lots of driving.


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## Garandman (Dec 31, 2013)

I couldn't get Nokian Hakka R2's so I wound up with General Altimax Arctic snows on the stock alloy rims. 

I need to get some winter wiper blades.

Haven't found a good way to keep the backup camera lens clear except by hand.

Do any of you use diesel fuel additives in winter?


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## farmallgray (Nov 28, 2013)

Garandman said:


> I couldn't get Nokian Hakka R2's so I wound up with General Altimax Arctic snows on the stock alloy rims.
> 
> I need to get some winter wiper blades.
> 
> ...


I work in an auto parts store and I recommend staying away from the traditional "winter" wiper blades with the rubber boot covering the frame work. They don't seem to work well on newer cars because of the curves of the windshield. They are too stiff and won't conform to the curves. 

Most of the wiper blade companies offer "beam" style blades which I think are a better choice. These hug the curved windshields well but are low profile with no framework to trap snow and ice. Most have a built in "spoiler" to help keep them on the winshield at highway speeds. My 07 Pontiac G-6 came from the factory with beam blades. I was surprised they went back to the conventional canteliever blades on the Cruze.

For fuel additives I'm running the Power Service treatment in the white bottle along with Soltron enzyme treatment.

Did you try RainX on the backup camera? Might help.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

Garandman said:


> I couldn't get Nokian Hakka R2's so I wound up with General Altimax Arctic snows on the stock alloy rims.
> 
> I need to get some winter wiper blades.
> 
> ...


denso hybrid wipers on all my vehicles

no additives to my fuel


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## buickgn (Jul 21, 2013)

heated wipers, 100 bucks. no more ice build up lol


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## titanman2789 (Oct 27, 2013)

Lived in Illinois for 6 years. Never did a single thing to prep my 2000 Toyota Camry for salty winters. Didn't rust out, didn't deteriorate abnormally. I did however take it through a $6 gas station car wash once or twice a month that sprayed the underbody. In my opinion you are wasting money on "winter" coatings, etc. 

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## KpaxFAQ (Sep 1, 2013)

titanman2789 said:


> Lived in Illinois for 6 years. Never did a single thing to prep my 2000 Toyota Camry for salty winters. Didn't rust out, didn't deteriorate abnormally. I did however take it through a $6 gas station car wash once or twice a month that sprayed the underbody. In my opinion you are wasting money on "winter" coatings, etc.
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


Usually 7-10 years is the magic number where a car goes from OK to straight rust bucket here. The key with fluid film is drilling/spraying inside doors/tailgate/rockers. It's not just an "undercoat". My father's 12 year old suburban looked like new after 12 winters in the salt belt with fluid film treatments once a year. That simply doesn't happen without it.

My old cavalier was fine for 6 years of never washed covered in salt each year treatment. (Just past corrosion warranty  After year 7 it's like terminal cancer developed quickly and little spots of rust were beginning in various places.


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## Barefeet (Jan 1, 2014)

I'm in Rochester, NY they use lots of salt here. Ziebart has worked great for me. I first used them on my 74 Pinto. It developed a rust spot on the fender after 6 years and they replaced it no charge.
I didn't have my Volvo undercoated. It developed cancer after about 10 years. I had my 2005 Saab undercoated. Saab set out a recall notice for severe rusting n 2013. I had it inspected and they said there was no rust at all.
I'm not into DIY projects. I took my new CTD to Ziebart. They have free inspection yearly and a 10 year warranty.


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## KpaxFAQ (Sep 1, 2013)

Didn't want to start a new thread but the CTD is going in for the Krown treatment today. I missed out my chance in fall and wanted to wait until it was warm so it could properly "creep" all summer


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

I wouldn't let my '14 cruze off the lot until it was undercoated. Undercoating saves vehicles in Nova Scotia


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## DieselMan33 (Oct 13, 2013)

I got a special pass at a good car wash right up the road which lets me get a wash a day. That sure helped keep the salt off. But it is finally spring around here so no more worries about that crap.


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## KpaxFAQ (Sep 1, 2013)

Just picked it up today and they did a nice job removing the aero panels to get underneath and filled all the doors, etc internally. 

Curious to see how long I can make this thing last in Erie, PA which is as brutal as it gets for rusting out cars in short order.


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## VtTD (Nov 5, 2013)

I usually put between 100k-150k on my cars before I get rid of them over 4-5 years (usually I buy a car with 2-3 years already on it). I've never undercoated and never had any rust issues. Between all the plastic under the car and better quality exhaust systems today, I see less of a need. Maybe I've just been lucky. Probably jinxed myself now.


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## bigluke (Aug 18, 2013)

I don't know for you but the salt did a mess under the hood, I have to do a nice cleaning job. Dealer said to not pressure wash it and be carefull on the fuse box and alternator.


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

I will mention that when I took off the panel under the car to change my fuel filter, it had a lot of salt under it. A proper cleaning/treatment would definitely include removing these panels, and even cleaning the panels themselves because even if you clean underneath, the panels themselves will have absorbed the salt since they are made of a fibrous material. Drive through the rain and it will force the saltwater up underneath the panels.


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## KpaxFAQ (Sep 1, 2013)

VtTD said:


> I usually put between 100k-150k on my cars before I get rid of them over 4-5 years (usually I buy a car with 2-3 years already on it). I've never undercoated and never had any rust issues. Between all the plastic under the car and better quality exhaust systems today, I see less of a need. Maybe I've just been lucky. Probably jinxed myself now.


Yeah 4-5 years isn't long enough for rust. If you plan to keep your vehicle 10+ years here it's impossible unless you prepare or don't drive in the winter. Early 2000's vehicles are pretty much extinct by now lol

A side benefit is that it makes your car incredibly easy to work on forever as no nuts and bolts will be rusted solid. Your mechanic will love you. Of course this only applies to cars done from near new.


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

No mechanic loves getting covered in undercoating. They do love bolts that aren't seized up though.


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