hey i was wondering if our cars are in anyway protected from the elements, i.e galvonised or wax injected etc where it takes all the salt and cr*p in the winter????? if not maybe considering a full waxoyling session next summer under the car as a reaaaaaaaaaally early preventative

They are not galvonised but not sure about how the paint is treated at the factory... i'm sure Dave or Kev would be able to help further with this.

The best thing to do is wash the salt off your car as regular as you can... especially when the roads are being gritted as it will help.

I try and polish my car as much as possible.

Well considering I have rust round the base of my rear towing eye (where its welded to the body) I'd say Fords rust as they normally did lol

The drainage holes on the door seals can get blocked and this can be due to clogged up bits of dirt but are also due to the wax they've put in there. Not sure about the shell though.

also its worth noting that for example on the 06/56 plates you may notice there are infact only 2 drain holes in each door,the one that should be there by the door hinges are not punched out so water could collect when the car is parked facing downhill,where as on my 07 plate all 3 drain holes are punched out.thats why i made sure the wifes 56 plate was fully stamped up for the paint and bodywork check up section of the service book.

Current Fiesta IS Galvanised, that's why it's got a 12yr anti-corrosion warranty.
You don't need to do anything to stop it rotting, it won't (unlike previous models)
Just wax regularily to look after the paint finish.

I have always wax-oiled all my cars underneath using Finigans which you can buy from most car shops, never had any rust issues despite not having a garage and also apart from my current ST all my cars were never new. My current new ST, could have had garage do it before I picked it up but it does already have a factory coating so not needed. However I have purchased from car shop a Hammerite aerosol spray wax-oil (clear) and have given the underneath two lights sprays just about everywhere, it's fairly thin so isn't too messy and won't pick up too much muck, I plan to do this a few times a year. My tips are keep it washed and polished and always run the car even at weekends if normally stands still. Also I have blocked a few "gaps" in the engine bay where water/spray/muck is thrown into the engine bay under wheel arches mainly the right one next to washer bottle but do both, your engine bay will stay far cleaner beleive me. I used "Dum Dum" to do this.

My Dad was in the trade most of his life so this was what he used, still it's great stuff, he was what they called in them days a "refurbisher" and I have picked up everything from him. I am not in the trade, desk job for me, I need a rest at work sat down after minting my car all weekend in between a bit of cycling too.