At this point, I’m just hoping my insurance covers “acts of rust.”
I get where you’re coming from. The salt air here is brutal—doesn’t matter how many times you rinse the undercarriage, it seems like rust always finds a new spot to start. Undercoating helps a bit, but I’ve noticed it’s not a cure-all, especially if it gets chipped or wears thin in places you can’t see.
As for insurance, most policies I’ve looked at specifically exclude rust damage since it’s considered gradual wear and tear, not a sudden event. I actually called around last year after my wheel well started flaking apart, and every agent gave me the same answer: “Sorry, that’s maintenance.” Kind of frustrating when you’re doing everything right and still end up with holes in your car.
If you haven’t already, it might be worth checking if any local shops offer annual touch-ups for undercoating. Some do quick inspections and patch jobs for pretty cheap. Not perfect, but maybe it’ll buy a little more time before the rust wins...
Yeah, rust is basically the island’s unofficial mascot at this point. I’ve tried everything—undercoating, religious car washes, even those “miracle” sprays people swear by. Still ended up patching my floorboards last year. Insurance folks just laughed when I asked about coverage for rust, so I stopped wasting my breath. At this rate, I’m convinced the only real solution is to drive a plastic car... or just accept that rust is gonna win eventually.
Plastic car, now there’s an idea—maybe a Fisher Price coupe with a V6 swap? Honestly, I hear you on the rust. I tried that “miracle” spray too, and all it did was make my truck smell weird for a week. My cousin swears by parking on gravel instead of grass, but I’m not convinced it makes much difference. Insurance here just shrugs at rust like it’s weather. At this point, I just keep a roll of duct tape in the glove box and hope for the best.