Anyone know what exactly the zeibart treatment offered is, exactly. I take it is an undercoating of some sort. Is it worth the price tag or is it just better to undercoat it myself? I live in Washington state, so a lot of rain is a given. Probably gonna get it anyway, but was wondering what it actually was.

 

not sure what they offer. But I got the undercoating from whatever kind my dealer offers. Mainly I like it because now everything is black when looking in the rear wheelwells. also it supposedly helps cut down on road noise that you hear inside the cab.

 

What are they going to charge you, or is that for us to guess?

In salty Michigan, I used to seek out only cars that were rustproofed by Ziebart.

Undercoating is heavy black stuff applied under the car/truck. It seals out noise, and can seal out some rust issues, but it can also CAUSE rust if the undercoating separates from the metal and allows water/salt to be trapped underneath. The fenders on my old '78 Flareside pickup rotted under the factory undercoating. They were single layer metal and would never have rotted if there had been no undercoating. Ziebart does undercoat the chassis, but the larger part of their service is "rustproofing", at least in Michigan. If you consider having this done, ask THEM what all they will do.

Ziebart drills holes in the edges of doors and panels, and sprays inside with "aluminized wax". The job is only as good as the guy doing it, because you cannot see most of what they put in there. If they miss a panel, it just rusts. I had my '02 van done by an independent that the dealer gave me really cheap. They did a really bad job.

If you live in a rainy climate and are not in a lot of salt, I would NOT Ziebart any more. Cars and trucks use galvanized metal, and rust is almost nonexistent for a lot of years (whereas in the 1960's you could see rust holes starting in 2 years from new).

I have also had Ziebart ruin things like speakers in the doors (by flooding them with their stuff) in prior years, and they can make a big mess of wiring harnesses, etc. The car will stink for a while, and if the stuff drips out of doors, etc, it can mess up clothing (but does clean up OK with mineral spirits). If they apply too much, they can plug drain holes in panels and make things worse. Again, it is all based on who does the job, and you can't see what they do.

Again, if you are in a rainy climate, skip it. If you are in a heavy salt area, it *might* be worthwhile to Ziebart a truck that you are going to keep for a long time, but only if a GREAT technician does the job. You can check some of their work by confirming that you can see the stuff running out of every drain hole in every door, hood, and other panel.

George

 

I personally would not rust proof any vehicle I own. If it dries out and begins to crack, it'll trap moisture and salt and corrosives and make rust happen quicker. The new vehicles today are made with galvanized steal body panels and are painted with epoxy based etching primer from the factory. Keep the body clean and make sure that no bare metal is exposed to the elements and it'll last a long time. And if you live in a cold climate in the winter months, I prefer not to park in a garage so that any salt on the vehicle does not get warm enough to begin to work. Salt does no good below 20 degrees F. When it gets warmer than that it corrodes like rabbits multiply.

 

One more thing--if Ziebart does something to actually cause rust (like plug an important drain hole), your Ford factory rust warranty will NOT cover this rust. I believe Ford can void their rust-thru warranty if you have had any other stuff put on your truck.

Ziebart has their own warranty which is probably really good but you HAVE to go back to them annually for a checkup and touchup (read "give them more money") or their warranty will be void. This is when they spray more crap on your stereo speakers and wiring harnesses

And if Ziebart goes out of business in the next couple years, you have a bigger problem. No idea how well they're doing, but there are a lot of big companies falling by the wayside.

George

 

Since I had ziebart done when my vehicle was new, YES. Some other posters are misinformed , and the other systems dont match up at all.

However here goes. If you plan on owning the vehicle more than a few years, yes. Ziebart would include undercoating the underside with a flexible black undercoating, and drilling small holes in door jambs,etc and a flexible waxy coating is applied on the backside of the panels. Also they offer a touch up every year for free . with a warranty from rust through, as long as they do a yearly inspection. The coatings dont crack ever.

 

My comments were going in multiple directions because I'm not a "Ziebart everything" fan like I used to be. For the record, I sought out a Ziebarted '68 Olds 442 in 1972, I had my new F100 Ziebarted in 1978, and my wife's 1986 Escort GT when we got that. I have also had other "used car" systems applied to cars/trucks I bought used. In those days, ONLY rustproofed vehicles would survive 5 years with no serious rust starting here in the Detroit area. (We live on top of salt mines, so they can be generous spreading the stuff.)

If the OP is just in a rainy climate without a lot of road salt, I would definitely skip the Ziebart these days. Rain is NOT going to rot away a modern vehicle from the inside. If he is in a salty area and wants to keep the truck a long time, I would say "go for it" IF he can find a person/shop who you can trust 100% to do a perfect and thorough job.

I do not think Ziebart's compounds are significantly different from anyone else's. They have a long term reputation and *maybe* better training for their employees. And also possibly more long-term experienced guys. (If you want to keep a job 5 years and have your problems come back for warranty claims, gotta do a good job.)

Anyone can buy a great quality house paint, for instance, but the bigger difference is how well the job is done--prep and application, whether it's painting your house or rustproofing your truck. Scarier part with the rustproofing is that you do NOT see much of the job that was done.

George

 

the Zeibart it an option offerred to me when I ordered my 2010... I guess the dealer applies it. I don't remember the price off the top of my head. It rains a lot in Washington, and we get out fair share of snow. I go up to the mountains a lot (when I am not in Iraq) so the truck will get some salt on it. I am pretty sure my 2000 has the zeibart on it, and no issues with cracking or "trapped" rust. I went ahead and opted for the zeibart.

 

I'm planning on zeibarting my new 09... heard lots of good things about Z and I plan on keeping my truck till it falls apart (and there is no undercoating or anything on it yet). I've heard about some shops having a bad review or inexperienced techs, etc, but how do you really tell? Is there a website or something with user reviews or what? I had zeibart detail my 99 a few times and as always it looked freekn amazing afterward.

Do modern vehicles really outlast older ones that much as far as rust is concerned? An dhow modern are we talking? My 99 F150 has had the cab corners completely rusted through for a few years already... I mean I can almost put my whole hand through the hole lol. Door bottoms, tailgate bottom, and all the rust in crevices I dont know about... my 78 doesnt really look too bad considering its 3 times older!

 

From the horses mouth so to speak;
Ziebart International :: Welcome to Ziebart.com
My '08 was "undercoated" by the dealer before I bought it. I took a good look and made them put it back on the rack and do it again as there were areas that were not coated at all.

 

If all the drain holes are kept open and the vehicle is kept clean, it'll go a long time before any rust problems start coming up without any rustproofing. I have an old 94 Taurus with 162K miles on it that was not rustproofed nor kept clean in the salty northern Indiana winters (wife's former daily driver) and only had rust thru become a problem a couple of years ago. I had a 78 F150 that I bought new that I did not rustproof and had no rust problems for over 10 years in the same climate with wash jobs on a twice monthly basis and a 79 F150 I bought used that was Ziebarted that lasted about the same length of time. So from personal experience I can't say that Ziebart is really worth the money.

 

Ziebart sucks. Had it done on the Expedition and it trapped water and contributed to more undercarriage rust issues than it prevented. Save your money and buy an unlimited car wash membership.

 

They didnt honor thier warranty?

 

The rust isn't bad enough to rust through (except for the trailing arms) so there really isn't anything to do about it. We quit having the truck touched up a few years back but it is quite obvious that the rust has been a long time in the making. You are far better off making sure that the vehicle is washed regularly.

 

I think washing regularly is already a given... but sometimes I wonder if that isnt worth much either... my last truck I didnt plan on keeping this long and was lazy and didnt wash it much so I cant really say anything about it. But my dads last two trucks he both bought new (93 F150 and then a 2000 Chevy 3500) and he washes weekly since they have the pressure washer there on the docks where he works, and both vehicles had lots of rust in under 7 years when they were traded in.