Anyone 'in the know' about wax-oiling?

[Wisewoman]

Hi there,

I have a 26 year old and very fabulous VW T4 camper conversion. At the last MOT she had, just prior to us buying her, the mechanic suggested that she be wax oiled to help preserve her still quite remarkable underbelly!

I have had two quotes - one for £110 from a do it all type garage and one from a VW and van specialist who quoted me £325 for a 'normal' wax oil but said that it could be more if they needed to strip things off.

I'm a bit aghast at the significant difference in cost between the two. Does anyone want to venture any opinions on the merits (or not) or wax oiling and what the likely differences may be between these two garages to warrant such a differing cost? I don't really know what the process involves. I thought it was just a case of hoisting them up and spraying the 'waxoil' everywhere?

Cheers,
Melissa

 

[Tbear]

Hi there,

I have a 26 year old and very fabulous VW T4 camper conversion. At the last MOT she had, just prior to us buying her, the mechanic suggested that she be wax oiled to help preserve her still quite remarkable underbelly!

I have had two quotes - one for £110 from a do it all type garage and one from a VW and van specialist who quoted me £325 for a 'normal' wax oil but said that it could be more if they needed to strip things off.

I'm a bit aghast at the significant difference in cost between the two. Does anyone want to venture any opinions on the merits (or not) or wax oiling and what the likely differences may be between these two garages to warrant such a differing cost? I don't really know what the process involves. I thought it was just a case of hoisting them up and spraying the 'waxoil' everywhere?

Cheers,
Melissa

It has to go inside all the places that water can penetrate on condense before the rust starts as I discovered to my cost. If it's 26yrs old as has not had a recent respray, I doubt the £310 will be value for money. The £110 may help if you know and trust the garage but it is very difficult to tell what sort of job they have done. Sorry for not being more positive but I wasted about a £100 on having mine done too late. At the advise of the experts that is.

Richard

 

[wildebus]

Waxoyl has its fans but is a very dated product and if you want to do an underchassis protection there are a lot better products out there.
Have a look at Dinitrol, which is the business
Job will cost more as the product is more expensive, but it will be worth it, especially compared to Waxoyl.

 

[harrow]

Hi there,

I have a 26 year old and very fabulous VW T4 camper conversion. At the last MOT she had, just prior to us buying her, the mechanic suggested that she be wax oiled to help preserve her still quite remarkable underbelly!

I have had two quotes - one for £110 from a do it all type garage and one from a VW and van specialist who quoted me £325 for a 'normal' wax oil but said that it could be more if they needed to strip things off.

I'm a bit aghast at the significant difference in cost between the two. Does anyone want to venture any opinions on the merits (or not) or wax oiling and what the likely differences may be between these two garages to warrant such a differing cost? I don't really know what the process involves. I thought it was just a case of hoisting them up and spraying the 'waxoil' everywhere?

Cheers,
Melissa

I did a Ford Fiesta from brand new, treated it every year and I had a hole through the floor within 6 years.

It is not a magic cure but it will help.

My advise is to learn how to do it yourself, and buy whatever tools you need to complete the work.

As an observation have you noticed how rusty old waxoyl tins become ?

 

[harrow]

Oh and I have seen waxoyl soften factory underseal and that has fallen off.

 

[Rob H]

Wax oiling.

Hi there,

I have a 26 year old and very fabulous VW T4 camper conversion. At the last MOT she had, just prior to us buying her, the mechanic suggested that she be wax oiled to help preserve her still quite remarkable underbelly!

I have had two quotes - one for £110 from a do it all type garage and one from a VW and van specialist who quoted me £325 for a 'normal' wax oil but said that it could be more if they needed to strip things off.

I'm a bit aghast at the significant difference in cost between the two. Does anyone want to venture any opinions on the merits (or not) or wax oiling and what the likely differences may be between these two garages to warrant such a differing cost? I don't really know what the process involves. I thought it was just a case of hoisting them up and spraying the 'waxoil' everywhere?

Cheers,
Melissa

Hi Melissa,

I've used wax oil on all the motor cars and vans I have owned and found it beneficial, My T4 is a 1995 model and still going strong, it gets a spray of warmed wax oil mixed with bout 30% diesel to help it creep and penetrate each year at its pre MOT check, bet the MOT examiner loves me ... I spend about an hour spraying annually, it is labour intensive to do it properly, if a specialist spent two hours applying wax oil into the sill sections, door internals, rear coil springs, underside 'nooks and crannies' of your T4 on a vehicle lift, say £60 an hour labour, and £25 for one 5 litre can of wax oil ?

My early model T4 has no plastic under shielding to have to remove, so apart from drilling access holes in door frame to allow access of a spray 'wand', add say another hour of labour ?

Wax oil film needs to go low were water can settle, and high were condensation will form from cooking and breathing (in a camper often high up at cold spots in the body shell). Downsides ... wax oil is no good were road spray hits the metal work it will just get blasted off, it is sticky so does attract dirt.

Couple more tips if you can find someone to do the application. On a new exhaust and then annually, wipe it down with linseed oil and perhaps just a little paraffin to thin it slightly, ... let it dry off !! ... the heat of the exhaust bakes on the dried linseed oil forming a protective coating .... ( shades of seasoning a dutch oven .. ). Spray all aluminium alloy, and electricals, with ACF 50.
Consider having your traditional hydroscopic brake / clutch fluid replaced with non hydroscopic Silicon brake fluid and never need to change brake fluid again.

Rgrds,

Rob H.

 

[hextal]

What about 'corrosion block'? It's a thicker version of acf-50, which is awesome stuff for motorbikes.

 

[Andys]

The prices quoted appear v high. We paid £60 earlier this year for our tag axle hymer. I had a look underneath just after and it looked a good job, I suppose time will tell. By the way I'm in Gods county so don't expect to pay over the odds.

I used Chris Sellers at Staxton near Scarborough

 

[witzend]

Hi the £110 isn't to bad if it includes VAT it will take approx 5ltrs of waxoil at £25 and if it's a garage you trust. I always do my vehicles and would advise getting it done when the weather has been dry for a few weeks.

 

[Deadsfo]

My Merc 508 is a 1987and has been sprayed every year by the dutch army ,I have kept up the procedure,seems a shame not to ,by now its about 3mm thick and there is no rust anywhere ,there might be better out there these days and it isnt a magic wand but doing it has to be better than doing nothing and at £25 for 5ltr its cheap and effective .Go to a Machinery mart shop and buy the 'air gun and kit'that fits on the 1litre round tin of waxoil then you keep refilling the round tin from your 5ltr tin,on a cold day it heps to keep it warm, you can stand it in a pan of water on top of a gas stove on low light, the gun will fit onto an air compressor which you might not have ,or a hand powered garden sprayer.The kit has a plastic tube about 2ft long and has a brass ferule in the end of it ,this ferule has a series of holes around its perimeter and the wax is forced out of these holes the idea being to push the tube up any enclosed sections ie. door pillars and slowly withdraw the tube whilst pumping the sprayer .Do it yourself, the kit is about £20 and you have got it forever,and if you've got it you will use it evert year whereas you might not fancy paying out £100+ every year.

 

[pamjon]

Wax Oil

Just had our 22ft BURSTNER wax oiled cost just over £200. Crescent Motors. Wetmore Road Burton on Trent. 01283 509000.
This garage gives very good service and has not long ago won the Garage of the Year Award. Hope this helps.
PJ

 

[Deleted member 775]

26 year old and in fantastic condition vw .great but has it been worked on by a previous owner restored in any way chances are it has with your description . wax oil is a great thing for inhibiting rust on new or nearly new motors ,old ones i am not so sure many say its great others have a different opinion ive heared it called the devils spawn . thing is a wax oiled car that needs welding and they all do at some point even if they have had new panels fitted (from mini to rolls royce )will throw up problems ,basicaly a nice fire if your not careful from internal box sections ,i know i have welded wax oiled cars a nightmare and no wax oil wont stop any rot already there spreading not in my oppinion anyway nothing will but it will slow it down . if your going to have it done though ,get it done professionally ,by somebody that specialises in this treatment ,because done wrongly it can trap water in a unseen box section and your vw will end up like a sieve .ideally the chassis should be power washed clean ,then most of the water blasted off with compressed air ,left to dry fully preferably in a heated environment for a period to dry the internal box sections , and any rust attended to because there will be quite a bit about belive me ,and then treated with the wax oil ,just stuck up on a ramp and then getting a gallon or two of wax oil sprayed about wont work ,thats why its expensive to have done properly .

 

[Polar Bear]

This may help?
Rustbusters UK - Protecting your investment professionally in the UK

 

[st3v3]

I suspect the higher price incorporates a bit of both VW and motorhome tax, whereas the cheaper one is just fair price.

 

[Deleted member 775]

I suspect the higher price incorporates a bit of both VW and motorhome tax, whereas the cheaper one is just fair price.

maybe its just that a better job costs that bit more .i could weld a patch over a rotten area of car like most people it will pass an mot and last quite a while for a few quid i have done loads of times , otherwise i could do it properly ,by cutting back to perfect good metal and letting in a piece of metal into that hole ,grind down flush so no trace of the repair shows and then treat the area , it will last virtualy for as long as the car and look good , but it would be about twice the price .

 

[Wisewoman]

Thanks everyone for all the opinions and information which as i suspected, is a bit mixed. I guess my main fear is to spend several hundred pounds on bodywork only for a major mechanical issue to arise. But its a gamble I guess that should be taken really. Its clear from her MOT history on the government site, that up to this point, there has not been a single advisory for any sorts of corrosion but that will almost certainly change in the very near future. Alas, like many people, I don't have a money tree and so have to budget fairly carefully and sensibly in order to keep my dragon van going and taking me and my family on adventures

I think I will personally take the van to both garages, let them have a look, see what they say, and then go with my gut. As some of you said, I rather suspect that the higher quote may have a bit of VW /camper tax added on it - but I will ask them if they perhaps use the Dinitrol instead?

The irony is that it's just started to rain here after a couple of dry weeks which I had been waiting for as I had been advised to take her after a warm dry spell.

So more research today i think and action hopefully after the next dry spell

Thanks everyone!
Melissa

 

[trevskoda]

The prices quoted appear v high. We paid £60 earlier this year for our tag axle hymer. I had a look underneath just after and it looked a good job, I suppose time will tell. By the way I'm in Gods county so don't expect to pay over the odds.

I used Chris Sellers at Staxton near Scarborough

Its a wast of time doing the underneath ,the box panels doors and chassis legs on inside is what requires doing as thats where water hides and rust starts.

 

[Wooie1958]

I`ve no experience myself but a mate had it done for charity once, he couldn`t walk for a week :scared:

 

[Deleted member 775]

sounds a great thing ,and regular maintenance and inspections will pay dividends and prolong its life greatly. if you see any signs of rust/corrosion treat them quickly and properly . as the old saying goes a stitch in time saves nine .many years ago an oldish guy that came to our garage regularly had an old austin allegro i belive he got it new or nearly new , notorious for dissolving once wet bit like an alka seltzer we used to spray that car underneath with engine oil what a shitty job horrible ,but even after many years that car was pristine underneath , bit better than the top bodywork, mind you that wasent that bad ,wonder if its still out there or knives and forks now . and yes vw especialy campers early ones do seem to attract a higher price for many things , frankly i cannot see why though no disrespect to you or v dub lovers , but i dont like them one little bit mabey its because i welded so many beetles and early vans up over my life, my ex boss adored them before they were the real icon they are now ,i could have crushed ever one of them .sorry

just thought i would ad i once owned a 1966 splitty camper , barn door westfalia ,for a couple or so years mabey 74/75 ish . 1200 cc 6 volt jobby , we went every where in her ,wild camped then no camp sites for us we loved her ,but she was the wheeziest thing with headlights as bright as birthday candles ,as unreliable as an unreliable thing could ever be and as rotten as a bag of old carrots and full of clag painted red and white with dulux .those were the days

 

[Deleted member 775]

Its a wast of time doing the underneath ,the box panels doors and chassis legs on inside is what requires doing as thats where water hides and rust starts.

true most rot starts from the inside and works it way out .surprising the amount of box sections that look ok from outwards appearance are rotten under the paint and rust proofing/underseal