Electronic corrosion control. I.e. Couplertec , ERPS, etc thoughts ?

[Mud_x]

Electronic corrosion control. I.e. Couplertec , ERPS, etc thoughts Positive or Negative but not emotive. Seems facts are hard to come by and a lot of the views that make the Forums seem to be highly emotive. $800-900 is a lot to fork out for a system if it still has a question mark over it but cheap insurance if it does work.

 

[rosco4x4hunter]

The jury is still out as far as I am concerned, my patrol had it on when I first got it and the system was good for several years. It has been off for at least eight years now and I don't have any rust. If its on a truck, well goodo but I don't see the worth in paying 900 for a maybe.

 

[muc the truck]

if that's your red patrol above lol on the Beach? It will have rust .


There are a few counties were its against the law to sell electronic rust protection for vehicles . That's because these countries see them as a dishonest scam .

The submersible anodes on boats and bridge pylons do because there under water .

 

[PhillT]

If you are going to be keeping the vehicle for long enough for it to be of concern, spend a few dollars on a Wagner spray gun and the special misting tube that the professional proo-coaters use.
Buy some fish oil or lanoline compound or other non-hardening coating (I use 85-140 gear-oil) and spend a day proof-coating your vehicle.
The most important areas like the windscreen frame and "A" pillars, can be got to by unscrewing the sun visors or the centre rearview mirror,...the "B" pillars etc by removing the top seatbelt anchor points, the door through the drain holes in the bottom, rocker panels through the trim mount holes, etc etc.
It is not nearly as hard as you might think.

 

[Albynsw]

I think you will find they are snake oil

Better off doing as Phillt said

 

[rosco4x4hunter]

I wash my vehicle thoroughly after each trip. all the places that can hold mud or sand get cleaned out with a high pressure hose, this includes stripping the interior out of it and vacuuming or steam cleaning. so you can keep it rust free without fish oil that stinks and holds sand and dirt. if you need to, take the door and quarter panel facings off and hose the cavity out then vacuum clean when its dry.

 

[muc the truck]

Salt water rusts in a few hours on bare metal and will continue to spread long after you washed the salt off . the only way to stop rust is to starve it of oxygen because rust is a chemical reaction and that means using tectyl , fish oil , lanolin or similar . no 4x4 remains enveloped in paint .

On top of this beach driven vehicles are a real bitch to work on to remove bolts to remove gearbox , behind what you see is rusted treads that snap off . Some clutch replacements ii have done have broken several bolts requiring easy outs and hard work . The only time beach driven vehicles don't get hard to work on is vehicles treated not or roadworthy covered in oil leaks .

 

[muc the truck]

If you are going to be keeping the vehicle for long enough for it to be of concern, spend a few dollars on a Wagner spray gun and the special misting tube that the professional proo-coaters use.
Buy some fish oil or lanoline compound or other non-hardening coating (I use 85-140 gear-oil) and spend a day proof-coating your vehicle.
The most important areas like the windscreen frame and "A" pillars, can be got to by unscrewing the sun visors or the centre rearview mirror,...the "B" pillars etc by removing the top seatbelt anchor points, the door through the drain holes in the bottom, rocker panels through the trim mount holes, etc etc.
It is not nearly as hard as you might think.

(I use 85-140 gear-oil) does this mean you have oil leaks lol .

 

[PhillT]

Yes indeed, for a short while. The gear oil has the uncanny property of "Creeping", which is why it is best to not clean the surface you are treating of dust, as it aids the creeping.
It will slowly creep out of the drain holes in the panels, then defy gravity by spreading upwards a bit, which makes it perfect for treating inside panels where you cant see, or get good access to.

 

[LeighP]

I'll throw my observations into the mix....
Years ago, I bought an older American musclecar to drive to work etc......it had some small spots of rust starting here and there on the car. I'd read about these electronic Couplertec systems and how they had feedback from mining companies and beach side councils saying they worked. I figured the cost was approximately the cost to do a rust repair on a door skin anyway....so I bought one.
I drove that car daily for 5 years, the car had leaks here and there in heavy rain, and though I made sure to dry it out each time, I didn't baby this car at all.....it sat out in parking lots in all weather.
Not one spot of rust that was evident on the car when I fitted the Couplertec unit had altered appearance in the 5 years I owned it.....not other spots of rust broke out anywhere. I only gave the car a coat of cleaner wax every 6 months, but the car always looked great, too.
For me, I think these are great on vehicles where corrosion could be an issue. My current JK Wrangler doesn't have a unit on it for a couple of reasons.......
1. JK Wranglers don't seem to have a name for rust issues in normal use.
2. I never beach drive or take it onto salty wet surfaces.
If I start to notice that I'm getting corrosion issues, I'd probably lash out and buy another system......until I see a problem starting, I think I'll be fine as is.

 

[dirvine]

I have heard all sorts of negative comments but about 3 years ago I saw an auction on ebay for a Rustop unit. I was lucky. The bid was after Christmas and closed before New year. I guess not too many people look at Ebay then. I got my unit for $70. I am unsure if it really works. I have no rust on my Great Wall, not that I had any to start with and I do not look after my car at all. I have only washed it properly once, inside and out. When I went to Cap York and Fraser I put it through the car wash just near Tewantin, and if I do a bit of mud driving I just get the gerni out and clean all the mud off underneath. Does it work? All I can see is on the bits of metal stuck to the body there is build up of white salty looking powdery stuff, which I am told means the unit is doing its job. For $70 I dont really care. Its either a cheap investment or a cheap waste of money. I am not sure I would have paid $300+ for one as I do think it is a bit of hocus pocus. Often we just convince ourselves we have done the right thing because we dont want to look like idiots. Just look at my type of car to understand that!! Ha Ha

 

[muc the truck]

I would love to see electronic rust protection set up out side on a sheet or black steel cheka plate as the car . then you could really se if they work or note

 

[frosty]

Until a husband and wife team drive consecutive vehicles off the line, 1 with a ERC and those 2 cars never move than 10 meters apart for all of their lives, there will never be a conclusive answer.

 

[Towie]

I concur no evidence either way i have never had a rus problem but ive also never treated the 4wd for it.
I just clean it when i get home.

 

[Swaggie]

This debate has gone on for many years over many forms, they mostly end up in heated debates . I prefer the Lanolin process, as I drive many river crossings a year I've sprayed the inside of my doors with it, but only recently (yet to do the quarter panels)... I would have thought with me driving through all these rivers (and ended up floating down a deep one a couple of hundred metres at least) there would be signs of rust by now. If I had fitted one of those devices from the start I would be swearing by them by now.... I believe manufacturers rust proof these vehicles a lot better than early years...

Cheers

 

[Chatty]

This debate has gone on for many years over many forms, they mostly end up in heated debates .

If I had fitted one of those devices from the start I would be swearing by them by now.... I believe manufacturers rust proof these vehicles a lot better than early years...

Cheers

I think you're spot on Swaggie. I'm only a civil gingerbeer, so a lot of this electrical stuff goes through to the keeper with me, but from the compulsory first year electrical course we had to do at Uni I always understood for a circuit to work, it needed to be a complete circuit without gaps in it.
Sacrificial anodes and electrical corrosion prevention on boats I can understand - the water completes the circuit. But for the life of me I can't get my head around how fitting one of these things to a vehicle completes any electrical circuit...

But maybe I've turned into a skeptic in my old age - after all I remember what a great (and proven) device Peter Brock's "Energy Polariser" (http://www.motoring.com.au/news/2011/large-passenger/peter-brocks-hdt-polariser-returns-27218) was - before all those skeptics forced it off the market.

 

[80lover96gxl]

This debate has gone on for many years over many forms, they mostly end up in heated debates . I prefer the Lanolin process, as I drive many river crossings a year I've sprayed the inside of my doors with it, but only recently (yet to do the quarter panels)... I would have thought with me driving through all these rivers (and ended up floating down a deep one a couple of hundred metres at least) there would be signs of rust by now. If I had fitted one of those devices from the start I would be swearing by them by now.... I believe manufacturers rust proof these vehicles a lot better than early years...

Cheers

I think had many of those crossings not been fresh water mate your outcome maybe a little different.

Preventive maintenance is the best policy as you have done with the lanolin imo.

 

[Swaggie]

I think had many of those crossings not been fresh water mate your outcome maybe a little different.

Preventive maintenance is the best policy as you have done with the lanolin imo.

Just had a thought if your right the Warn Winch wouldn't have wound out the very first time I needed, instead on the second... Lol

 

[80lover96gxl]

Just had a thought if your right the Warn Winch wouldn't have wound out the very first time I needed, instead on the second... Lol

Haha,,bloody warns.

 

[azriel]

I have had a 2 pad couplertec system on my 4runner for about 7 years now and i m going to say it has been doing its job. I did get it for a great price at a 4wd and camping show which helped.
I have done quite a bit of beach driving before and after the system and even with my usual after beach wash i would get surface rust on bare bolts and stone chips and this was almost (yes i said almost) non evident after the system went in. This especially was the case with a before system and after system run on fraser island over several days. I also had a rust patch just behind the front tyre that hasnt progressed any further and after i cut it out have yet to see if return.
I think though if you installed one then simply ignored any cleaning the rust will overpower the system anyway.

Now those who refer to the systems that boats use that is more of a sacrificial anode setup where the electrolysis is directed towards the anode.
The couplertec and EPRS systems work on, what i think is called, a capacitve system where it "interrupts" the electrolysis by introducing a high frequency charge. Basically not allowing the iron in the steel to interact with oxygen in the air.