What’s the AT-205 of rust prevention? I know Scotty recommends AT-205 on boots and seals as preventative maintenance.
But what about rusted on bolts? The reason I ask, is because it seems older cars have a heck of a time removing rust seized bolts. But what if we can prevent that? Is it even worth the effort to prevent?
Fluid film appears to be well regarded by mechanics.
It might make sense for areas that need to serviced often if you live in rust prone areas. For instance, under brake rotors.
I can't think of anything else. You shouldn't lube bolts that need to be torqued, and they usually don't need it anyway.
Keeping the car clean as much as possible works wonders in keeping rust at bay. Anything that's galvanized, etc. on a car will slowly lose its rust protection, both from slightly acidic rainwater, and road salt in the winter. Acidic rainwater slowly eats away at zinc, and whatever else the metal is coated in, eventually exposing raw steel to the environment. This lets Mother Nature work her cruel magic on our frames and bodywork. Dirt also grabs and holds onto moisture, which eventually compromises protective coatings as well. Maintaining light coating of oil on the underside of a car will help repel water, simply because oil is hydrophobic, causing water to bead up. Keep salt and water off your vehicle, and it will stay rust free for a long while.
My observation on this - The thing about effective rust prevention is that it works a hundred times better when the preventative is applied to bare metal. If you start with are metal, a lot of different things from galvanizing to chrome to bed liner will work. If it's going on pre-existing rust, nothing will work well, but any type of paint or other coating will be better than nothing.
Watch some of the other car maintenance shows (I like "Customer States") and you'll see some cars take decades to rust, some brands seem to come from the factory rusty underneath - maybe they carry them on the deck of the ship from Europe?
That said, PB Blaster is my favorite for removing rusty bolts, but unlike AT 205, it is widely available. I think the South Main Auto and Project Farm Youtube channels have a lot on rust preventives.
