Land Rover Repair: Rust

Question
Hello John,
We have a 07 Ranger Rover all wheel drive that my wife got after her dad passed away. He wanted my wife to have the car!!! The car was shipped to us here in California from Massachusetts and has signs of rust and oxidation all under the car!!!  This Rover only has 27,000 miles on it but Mass. uses so much salt on there roads in the winter!!!! Crazy!!!! What I am asking is, do you know of any way to stop the rust and is there a outfit here near Simi Valley, Cal. that we could have the car treated and coated?? Any help you can give us on this will be greatly appreciated!!!
Thanks so much,
Scotty Safford

Answer
This is what we do at Robison Service:

We start by removing all the plastic shields and covers, including the wheel wells
We power wash the entire underside to remove packed mud, etc from crevices
All rust flake is scraped or wire brushed
Bare metal is painted with POR15 or similar rust-bonding paint
After that cures (1-2 days) we spray the bottom with black WaxOyl and use the clear cavity material in frame crevices, door panels, etc.

While that will not reverse the effects of rust it will significantly slow its progress.  In a shop like ours that job might cost $1,200-2,000 depending on how rusty the truck is.  If it extends the service life 3-4 years it's good value in my opinion

Pay attention to brake and fuel pipes - they can be a weakness particularly in back

Also look to the frame behind the back wheels