An honest dealer, who knew?

The Acura dealer in my vicinity suggested Zeibart. Then again, the
onwer of the dealership owns the Zeibart franchise. Go figure.

Anyway, I went to Krown. I asked about the rubber. They said Honda
uses cheap rubber in some places (moldings and such). They put
silicone spray on those to avoid any problems.

All my research pointed to the Krown solution as the best. And
testimonies from friends and colleagues. Personally, it was my first
time. I am happy with the job they did. Time will tell. But one look
at my friends 8 year old Audi was enough.

--
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

I live in the rust belt of Ontario, and I have also been debating
weather to rust proof
my brand new RSX. I 've done A LOT of search and research and
like you my dealer
told me to avoid Rust Ckeck and Crown because of the seal issues.
They also
recommended Ziebart. However, I was not satisfied so I decided to
call around and
did some research to learn about the various products (wax vs.
oil base), the pros and
cons (wax does not drip, but craps and traps moisture and plugs
drainage holes - oil make impact rubber seals). Yes, it is true
that Krown
will expend your seal, but all rubber seals on Acuras could
indeed be affected, including boots
or wires coated in rubber, etc....

I've also learn that most professional services drill holes.
Krown does. Services who do not
drill holes usually charge an arm and a leg and use a waxy paste
that may infact
crack and encourage rust. I've also learn that new Acura/Hondas
are pretty
good when it comes to rust protection  so perhaps Rust Proofing
may not be that
helpful for your new EL.

Anyway, myself, I do not like the idea of having a monkey drill
holes
all over my car, so I simply decided to do it myself. . It was
relatively easy and I feel I did as good of a job then any other
services our there. Krown included.

I discovered that applying a rust proofing product is relatively
easy to do from the inside of the car without damaging the
various door panels and mouldings in the process. In fact, most
areas that would technically require rust proofing are accessible
from the inside of the car. I suspect the same is true for your
own EL.

I focused my attention on reaching areas where older Acura/Hondas
tend
to rust the most. In Canada, these are mostly: inside rear
fenders, inside doors and doorsills, and around the windshield. I
have not seen significant rust perforation anywhere else on
Hondas. Incidentally, these are areas where my Acura Integra 1991
started rusting AFTER I had applied crappy wax-based rust
proofing (turns out that the product actually encouraged rusting
by trapping moister -more on that below).

Here is what I did: (of course this varied depending on your car
but I feel that this should be relatively easy on Civics, EL, TL,
Accords,
etc.. specially 2 door models

1) Hondas/Acura door panels can be removed relatively easily
(usually only 4 screws) to install speakers, etc.And by removing
the white plastic sheet glued to the door, you have access to the
whole inside of the door. I sprayed liberally on the whole
door -from the window all the way down, including around the door
handle, locks, hinges, and all around, until it drips out from
the drainage holes. Make sure that these holes remain
unobstructed before placing the panels back. Use a pipe cleaner
if they are.

2) Most of the rear fender is accessible by removing the rear
speakers. It is extremely easy to do. However, reach in and
remove the sound dampening material found inside, at the bottom
BEFORE applying rust protection. It looks like a rectangle, soft
foam pad (12 inches long, by 4" high and 4" deep) wrapped in
thick plastic. I suspect that if one simply drilled holes and
spray rustproof in there without removing the sound dampening
material, as most shops would do, you will have a mess! Worst is
one could be drilling into the plastic wrapper and only spray
inside it - not very helpful. Good reason for D-I-Y!

3) You can also remove the doorplates quite easily and use their
holes to spray the product.

4) I have also found that the rear hatch is easily "sprayable" by
removing the oval rubber "guards" (i.e. door stopper the size of
a wine bottle cork) on each side, and use their holes for
spraying. Use the gravity in your favour and open the hatch all
the way up. Leave it open and spray the product from the highest
hole and let the product drip to the bottom holes.

5) The taillights area. You can remove a panel from inside the
trunk to access that area. You can also go from above the license
plate: there is an opening there that is pretty big.

6) Most sections of the front fenders can be reached via the
engine bay.

When you think about it, it makes sense to DIY:

1) One does not need to drill holes in your shinny new toy! Holes
can let more moisture in. Metal shavings from drilling can fall
inside, encouraging rust.
2) I can apply the product exactly and only where I wanted: the
services will spay their product liberally all over you car; some
of it is doomed to go on the plastic, engine components, rubber
gaskets,
panels and eventually seep into them.

Some will get into the engine bay and make a urge mess. Some
stain your paint...
3) None of the services will spray around the roof or windshield.
I did.
4) I applyed it only where it makes sense, i.e. Where it most
likely to rust (mainly the rear fenders and doors)
5) I avoided spraying on the rubber seals or gaskets (some
product may damage rubber seals)
6) It is cheaper to do: approx. 24$ Canadian (or 17US), instead
then $120-ish
7) It is relatively satisfying to do: messy but easy to do.
8) You WILL do a more thorough job: only you have a vested
interest to do it right.
9) If you want, in addition to this, you still can get the car
undercoated with an oil-based product at Wal-Mart (these monkeys
cannot really screw up that, can they? I mean, how hard is it to
spray the underside of the car). If you are in Canada, do NOT use
the Corrosion-Free product from Canadian Tire. It is a mix oil
and wax-based product and it actually caused my 91 Teg to rust
something bad by trapping moisture and cracking.

Disadvantage of DIY:
1) Was not sure if I was applying too little so I will spray
until it leaks out! I may have put too much, but I do not think
this is possible ;-)
2) Not sure if I am spraying in all the right places. Perhaps I
will miss some?
3) No warranty: Rust Check, Krown and others services provide a
10 year warranty against perforation. However, I am wondering if
their warranty is indeed worth the paper they are written on.
4) It is messy. My wife hated the mess it did to the driveway.
Next time I will do
so parked over a dirt road.
5)  The process needs to be repeated yearly.

Product to use:
I have research this and found a few things about rust proofing
products. First, there are the wax-based products (usually
advertised as "no-drip") and oil-based products: heavy and light
oil (both will drip!). I was told to stay away from wax as it
dries, traps moisture, and can blocks drainage holes. This is
what happened to my 1991 Teg which encourage it to rust. However,
"Light Oil" goes everywhere, in all nooks and crannies, but it
can stretch rubber seals and gaskets. If you are worried, you can
protect your seals with silicone based spray first.

Overall, I used almost three full cans of Rust Check ($8 CDN each
@ Canadian Tire) - apparently the best product for rust proofing
available for retail sale (NOT THE UNDERCOATING ONE) - I thought
of getting POR-15 (?), but it is quite expensive. Might be worth
it if you want a "one application deal".

These cans were divided up this way:
- 1 spray can for the both doors (they are nice and drippy!)
- 1/2 for the both rear fenders - behind the doors and above the
rear wheels (I went trough the speakers' opening and sprayed
liberally in there. Not sure if I was able to spray way back,
rear end of the wheel, though)
- 1/2 for the front fenders (via the engine bay)
- 1/8 for the roof area and the hatch and between bumper and
licence plate.
- 1/4 for the hood and inside the engine bay (very very little
there, I hate to work in that slim).

Total Project Cost: 24$ Cdn (3 cans)

I did not do the undercarriage. I *might* consider
having it done professionally with another oil based product as
doing THIS is **messy**!

I am pretty sure I did a better job on the doors then what Krown
or Rust Check would have done by drilling. I was really able to
get up there into the nooks and all. Didn't spray on stuff I did
not want either (pw motor, etc.). Door panels came off and on
without a problem. Nothing broke. And the best of it. NO HOLES
DRILLED!

I hope this helps you make a decision. By the way, if you are
leasing,
you SHOULD NOT EVEN WORRY about rust proofing it...

Cheers!