john5f

iTrader: (3)

I have received a reply from them with details they have sent to Ben. (I am impressed that they responded so promptly and were willing to provide information - to me it shows some credibility.) This will be the info he has recently received and will be contacting them with his questions. I do know that one of the reports has been produced by a lecturer at a well known university (I checked this out and he does exist). I look forward with interest to Ben's comments when he has contacted them. I don't know if they have been on here and read this but it would be interesting if they did and posted a reply.

John

Ben123456789

I've emailed back Ruststop with a few questions regarding the report, and asked if one of their engineers would be willing to answer more questions that I have regarding the reports and the system itself (before I spend time writing a couple of pages of questions I would like to know if they are willing to answer them!).

The main issue I have with the reports is that the test procedures are not fully described, which means that the results cannot be reviewed in context. There could be any number of reasons for the favourable results other than the system working as described on the website. When an experiment is not fully described, it cannot be replicated by others and it cannot be proven or disproven.

Forgetting about the reports (and my opinions), from a purely technical point of view, anybody reading this discussion can consult the textbooks on the subject and decide for themselves whether they think the system will work or not.

The system claims to work by 'pulling the free electrons through the steel' using an impressed current to disrupt the natural corrosion cells on the wet surface of the steel. I have never seen this type of system described in any corrosion engineering textbook. For example, in "Corrosion and Corrosion Control (4th Ed)" by Uhlig, which is a modern book (4th Ed published in 2008) and very well known in the corrosion industry, in the section listing remedial methods for atmospheric corrosion, the following methods are recommended:

1 - Use of organic, inorganic or metallic coatings
2 - Reduction of relative humidity
3 - Use of vapour phase inhibitors or slushing compounds
4 - Use of alloys

Note that sacrificial cathodic protection, impressed current cathodic protection, a combination of both, or just passing current directly through the metal as described on the website, are not listed as methods to prevent atmospheric corrosion. This is the same in every corrosion engineering book I have ever read.

So don't just take my word for it, go to the library (if you are really interested!) and read a couple of books written by respected scientists, who's books have been peer reviewed by other well qualified scientists and engineers.

If I can find one of these cheap, I'd be interested in conducting my own experiments and publishing them online, with all relevant details, so that other people can ask questions. But don't hold your breath, I'm not paying $250 for one of these things!

Bo_Duke

Ben,

Maybe you could ask Rust Stop if they are willing to provide one test device for all the interested users. After all, they could get over a thousand sales out of it, if it works.

I'm not involved in the industry enough to know the details about this type of protection, but I have seen some strange results (appears to work) with one attached.

Lets see where we can get with this device....maybe speak to the Lecturer John mentioned.

I'll wait to hear more from ya Ben!

Cheers
Bo

Ben123456789

Well, nobody from Ruststop has come on the forum and entered into the discussion, and I didn't receive any comment regarding whether an engineer would enter into an email discussion with me (which wouldn't really help you guys anyway since it wouldn't be a public conversation). So I'm not going to pursue the matter with them any further, unless of course somebody from RustStop comes onto the forum. Ultimately, they don't have any proof it does work, and I can't prove to the forum that it doesn't simply by writing more posts.

If you look around on various internet forums, you will find a few people advocating that they do work, and others who have tried them and found that they don't work, but there is no overwhelming evidence either way because no serious peer reviewed testing has been done by anyone.

This has given me a useful insight into why so many people buy these products; unless you have a thorough understanding of corrosion and corrosion control it is easy to believe that these things work. After all, who wouldn't want to protect their car against rust for a couple of hundred pounds just by running a few wires around the car!

This scam has been going on for many years, I'm not singling out RustStop, there are lots of companies who sell these devices. In fact, I am aware of two court orders that have been brought against companies by the US and Canadian governments to prevent this device from being sold in the past:

Competition Bureau - Report from the Competition Bureau Misleading Advertising and Deceptive Marketing Practices
FTC Decision and Order - Docket No. 9274 - Rustevader Corporation

Let's face it, if you were running a business turning over hundreds of thousands of dollars and the government told you to prove that your product works or stop trading and pay a fine, you'd give them proof if you could! But these two companies obviously couldn't.

Anyway, it is up to you if you want to buy one, it's your money. I just think that you will be dissapointed when the car does actually start to rust one day.

Bo_Duke

Cheers for the effort Ben,

I could be wasting £120 but I'm confident I did see results the last time I had one.....so I think I'm gonna make the dive again.

Ill let you know if it works or not! It's gonna be the only way of proving it.

Thanks to everyone for the interest, if anyone else is prepared to make the plunge I'll see if we can get a group buy for £100....not quite as bad losing £100.

Thanks
Bo

vulnax999

iTrader: (7)

A large amount of the rust on a car is down to the manfacturers using the metal chassis etc. as a return path for the battery!
( Even worse for old cars with +ve earth I believe!!! )

So why not re-wire the car with a seperate wiring loom to return the sensors, lights etc. to the battery and make the circuit! No current in the metal so less rust!


Ohh yeah, I used Waxoyl many years ago on bare steel after some welding, and it stayed rust free for several weeks until I painted it. That was ( supposedly ) due to "magnetic molecules" adhering to the metal. I sprayed on waxoyl, left a few hours hours,then washed off with turps. No rust for some time, then I cleaned up and painted it.
May just have been the greasy effect of the waxoyl keeping air and water off the metal!

pk2000

I think the 30 Day Money Back Guarantee says it all.

StickyMicky

This reminds me of my mates car, and his "Race Spec Battery Condenser" that laughably has a window on the top to show you the electrical insides, and it is full of condensed moisture

Utter garbage.