Rust off, oil on. Nothing else.

A Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, and not an old one. The paint was straight, the interior was fine, and the owner had no interest in us touching either. He wanted the rust dealt with underneath, and that was it.

A Wrangler gets used, and what gets used gets wet. The axle tubes, the control arm brackets, the spring seats, the diff housing — none of it was structural yet, but all of it had started.

So this was the light version. Rust taken off and neutralised, then a heavy-duty oil treatment worked through the underbody. No coating, no clear coat, no paintwork, no polish.

That is worth saying out loud, because people tend to assume rust treatment is one thing you either buy or you do not. It is not. If the body is sound and the problem is underneath, there is no reason to pay for the parts you do not need.

What that costs depends on what is actually there when the vehicle comes in, so it is quoted rather than priced off a list.