Rust Inhibition - What do you all do?

[tmontague]

I'm curious as to what some of you all do who live in the salt belt to keep rust away? I'd like to keep my '08 to pass on to my future child and I can always swap an engine but if the body rusts out then that won't be happening.

I bought this car with just under 90k km on it from Quebec. The only rust is a quarter sized bubble on the trunk coming out of the corner of the fake chrome trim above the license plate. I'll eventually try and fix it myself further down the road as you can barely see it now. Worst case I could just buy a used un rusted trunk and paint it.

Last spring I did a bunch of research and started to actively do things to keep rust away. I do the following:

Once the spring comes (salt is finally washed off the road) I put my car up on ramps and spray the underside down (after I wash the exterior). Then I go for a fast drive on the highway (sunny dry day) to get rid of the water under the car. Then I go to Krown and get it sprayed. I then give my car a good wash and use a synthetic wax (paint sealant). I wash it every month or so in the summer and re apply the wax ever 4 months.

In the winter I usually take advantage of a warm day and wash the car so that I can re apply the paint sealant to protect it from the salt.

I don't have the $ to take my car through the car wash every week in the winter. I also don't feel it's a good idea to pressure wash a car that often as it strips away the sealant I've applied. Also the car wash tracks scratch rims.

The salt/water isn't really corrosive at cold temps, it becomes bad once the spring thaw sets it. In other words the corrosion starts when people don't properly wash off their cars after winter. I spoke with the owner at Krown and he said the best time to do the car was in the spring once the salt is gone. This matched up with what my research found. I also don't let them use their power washer to clean the car after they've sprayed it, I just wash it myself.

After a year since it got sprayed there is still a considerable amount of oil film on the car. The frame of my car is in great shape with very little rust. I also spray certain rust prone parts 2x a year (end links, strut bolts, exhaust bolts etc) just to ensure I can fix won out parts without the extra headache.

Curious what you all do, especially those that have early 2000 Echo's and what not. My Echo was purchased with pretty bad rust on the rear wheel wells and the front of the rough so I don't bother with it.