Honestly, I hear you on the rustproofing costs—feels like every year there’s another “must-have” for island cars. I do think insurance agents could be clearer about what’s actually covered. I learned the hard way too... salt air is relentless. At least regular washes help a bit, even if it’s just peace of mind.
I get what you’re saying about regular washes, but honestly, I’m not convinced they do much against the salt in the long run. We tried keeping up with it, but after a couple years, the undercarriage still started showing rust spots. Maybe it slows things down a bit, but unless you’re doing those pro-grade undercoatings, it feels like a losing battle. Insurance-wise, I’ve noticed some policies sneak in exclusions for corrosion damage—definitely worth reading the fine print before assuming you’re covered.
Honestly, you’re not wrong about the salt—regular washes help but they’re not a miracle cure. The fine print on corrosion is brutal, too. I’ve seen people get burned thinking rust was covered, only to get denied. Undercoating’s pricey but it’s the only thing that really makes a dent long-term. Insurance companies aren’t in the business of paying out for rust, trust me. Always dig through those exclusions before you sign anything... they’re counting on folks missing that stuff.
I get where you’re coming from, but I’m not totally convinced undercoating is always worth the price. Had it done on my last car and still ended up with rust in weird spots. Maybe it helps, but nothing’s foolproof with this climate.
Yeah, I hear you on the undercoating thing. My uncle swears by it, but my last car still looked like it had a bad case of chickenpox after a few winters. Maybe it slows the rust down, but between the salt air and those random puddles that are basically mini oceans, I feel like rust just finds a way. At this point, I’m just hoping my insurance covers “acts of rust.”