So after my shortblock horror story with Carmax/extended Warranty I just recently traded in my 99 for a 01... Now, I live in Texas and this car is originally from Michigan.

Before I purchased the car, I checked underneath and noticed some slight rust. Now I understood cars from up north tend to do this due to salt usage, so I figured no big deal - right?

Well, after a o2 sensor extravaganza with my dealership, I got a chance to completely look under the car while it was in the air. Not a pretty sight. Some pretty decent rust in some parts, however almost non-existant in some others. The disks/rotors were pretty rusty, as well as every single bolt I saw. The Muffler didnt look in too good of a shape either.

Now, my question is this. How can I clean the rust and stop it? I read another post about using hot water to clean.. Ok, but what can I apply that will actually STOP the rust from spreading, or at least slow it down so it's not a liability for at least several years? (short of buying completely new parts?)

How much of a concern should it be having a vehicle thats gone thru two winters up north? I have no clue if it had been protected, but it has moderate rust under the car in general. Is this a real safety concern? Should I be looking at just completely replacing these parts even with silght rust?

The warranty doesn't cover the rust due to it's origins. So anything done is totally out of my pocket.

Thanks in advance guys...