Can cooking oil be sprayed onto the bottom of the car as an alternative to chemical products to help with the rust prevention and spread?
I've tried coating metal parts on many non-car items exposed to heavy humidity and water with cooking oil and it has held up much better than I imagined. There is 0 rust after years from the date of application and the coating hasn't worn off either. It seems to me that a coating of oil should do the same thing as any other industrial equivalent.
My motivation for exploring cooking oil vs. the chemical heavy products is to minimize pollution they cause when off-roading for example. At least the cooking oil is harmless and can be reapplied at short intervals. I live in the rust belt by the way.
My concern is that it may create a sticky surface where salt and debris can be trapped under the car and produce the opposite effect, creating more rust issues.
Thanks for your thoughts.
If it works, it works.
Cooking oil is pretty thin so it'll wash off quickly. It won't be as durable as commercial products. Especially the waxes. (some of which are natural by the way. Comes from sheeps wool)
It seems to me that a coating of oil should do the same thing as any other industrial equivalent.
That's because almost everything else that's industrial made doesn't really ever leave the house. I made a clamp in my Industrial Processes class in college, and I put a coating of oil on it after it was finished. Rust still took place, it's just regular carbon steel. After a year, it started rusting. I put a coating of electroless nickel and it permanently stopped, I worked at a plating company at the time. It was always kept indoors, it's actually in my house.
Your car is worlds different, it's exposed to the elements each every time you drive, and you drive at 35 mph+. Any nicks or dings will harm the coating, and, being so thin, you'll to do it so many times in a season you'll want to pull your hair out, lol. Personally, I would rather use Fluid Film or something similar. Cooking oil is way too thin.
