Vehicle rust common?

[mojo goat]

Should I bring a Ca rust free used truck or buy one in Idaho?

[Rotnguns]

Vehicle rust is quite uncommon here. Roads not salted like they are back east, so it is common to see vintage vehicles on the road.

Vehicles seem to be priced higher here though, esp jeeps, 4X4s, trucks, etc.

[CSACANNONEER]

Just get an old Land Rover and you'll NEVER have to deal with a rusting body!

[joe_sun]

Personally I've found used cars in better condition and less expensive in CA.

[sealocan]

I don't know about the vehicles in Idaho but there are many states in the U.S. that don't rack up the high mileage that most vehicles do in California.

Just something to factor in.

[-hanko]

Should I bring a Ca rust free used truck or buy one in Idaho?

Up to you. Idaho's state bird is a white 3/4 or 1 ton white Dodge diesel.

Vehicle rust is quite uncommon here. Roads not salted like they are back east, so it is common to see vintage vehicles on the road.

Vehicles seem to be priced higher here though, esp jeeps, 4X4s, trucks, etc.

Idaho uses magnesium chloride, not sodium chloride, and they use it sparingly v. other states. Most of the time it's just sand on the road & drive reasonably.

Just get an old Land Rover and you'll NEVER have to deal with a rusting body!

Cannot believe you're serious. I've worked on 3-4 older and new Rovers and they're rust buckets.

Personally I've found used cars in better condition and less expensive in CA.

I don't think you'll find the variety of 4wd cars and trucks you can actually drive all year.

All that said, this isn't the time to look for a winter vehicle here in Idaho. That happens in the spring.

[CSACANNONEER]

Cannot believe you're serious. I've worked on 3-4 older and new Rovers and they're rust buckets.

How does an aluminum body rust?

[Dnele928]

Many aluminum alloys will corrode. Some types of aluminum are alloyed to be corrosion resistant.

[-hanko]

How does an aluminum body rust?

You've apparently not restored a Rover. Pull the body off the frame, or just crawl underneath and look.

Long term fix but not cheap is to find a clean frame and have it galvanized.

[Rotnguns]

Body panels and other parts of the newer rovers are aluminum, but the frames are mild steel.

Aluminum does not degrade through normal oxidation - a very thin aluminum oxide layer forms as soon as the aluminum leaves the furnace - but mild steel certainly does and that's the rust you are likely seeing.

[slamfire1]

Body panels and other parts of the newer rovers are aluminum, but the frames are mild steel.

Aluminum does not degrade through normal oxidation - a very thin aluminum oxide layer forms as soon as the aluminum leaves the furnace - but mild steel certainly does and that's the rust you are likely seeing.

Aluminum corrodes, and vehicle aluminum corrodes. Its corrosion resistant depends on the surface treatments, and its environmental exposure, but it will corrode away.

I would say, if you have a perfectly good, rust free CA truck, take it with you. You don't know what is available on the other side. If you can find better when you get there, buy it.

If you take a rust free CA vehicle to Chicago or Massachusetts, expect it will have rust holes within five winters.

[Rotnguns]

Yikes, I've gone full nerd and found this interesting read:

http://www.drivealuminum.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Aluminum-Association_Corrosion-Types-Automotive-.pdf

Since OP mentioned rust, and aluminum alloys have virtually no iron in them, they cannot rust in the classic sense of oxidation.

However, as pointed out by slamfire, aluminum can indeed corrode especially in a glavanic system, or when attacked by chloride or nitride salts.

Anecdotally, I have not seen many rust buckets driving around in Idaho, but I came from kansas years ago with a sojourn in michigan, so my reference frame is much different than provided by cali.

[CBR_rider]

Used truck prices are pretty high right now; if you have a rust free, dependable, 4x4 truck you like (and want to keep a truck on hand) I would bring it with you.

[Oxnard_Montalvo]

Yikes, I've gone full nerd and found this interesting read:

http://www.drivealuminum.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Aluminum-Association_Corrosion-Types-Automotive-.pdf

Since OP mentioned rust, and aluminum alloys have virtually no iron in them, they cannot rust in the classic sense of oxidation.

However, as pointed out by slamfire, aluminum can indeed corrode especially in a glavanic system, or when attacked by chloride or nitride salts.

Anecdotally, I have not seen many rust buckets driving around in Idaho, but I came from kansas years ago with a sojourn in michigan, so my reference frame is much different than provided by cali.

"Since OP mentioned rust, and aluminum alloys have virtually no iron in them, they cannot rust in the classic sense of oxidation"

Correct but [and it's a BIG but] aluminum is often in direct contact with other metals and [as any Navy person knows] you end up with a serious problem typically called 'dissimilar metal corrosion' which is a HUGE problem in Navy aircraft and to a lesser extent cars/trucks. Also you typically see rusted out cars/trucks in those states which use salt on the ice AND those which stay very close to the sea as I saw in San Diego some time back...

[slamfire1]

Yikes, I've gone full nerd and found this interesting read:

http://www.drivealuminum.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Aluminum-Association_Corrosion-Types-Automotive-.pdf

Since OP mentioned rust, and aluminum alloys have virtually no iron in them, they cannot rust in the classic sense of oxidation.

However, as pointed out by slamfire, aluminum can indeed corrode especially in a glavanic system, or when attacked by chloride or nitride salts.

Anecdotally, I have not seen many rust buckets driving around in Idaho, but I came from kansas years ago with a sojourn in michigan, so my reference frame is much different than provided by cali.

Good reference. Something I want to point out, commercial aluminum is not pure aluminum. I found that out when big equipment the program I worked on, was parked a hundred yards from the ocean and operated there for a year. Aluminum fixtures eroded and crumbled due to all the extra's in the aluminum that were oxidizing in the salt air environment.