Automotive Blog

Let’s get one thing on the table first. Find twelve mechanics who recommend undercoating and two dozen more will step up telling you it’s a scam and not to go there. We can all agree, however, that rust on your vehicle is a bad thing. Whether you decide to opt for undercoating or rustproofing, you do need to do something to monitor the presence of potential corrosion and combat it, especially in cold climates where salt and chemicals are routinely applied to icy roads.

Hang on, aren’t undercoating and rustproofing the same thing? In a word, no. Undercoating involves the application of a wax or sealer for sound-deadening and rust inhibition. Rustproofing actually involves coating the inside body panels and other areas of the vehicle where rust is likely to form — and hide. It’s a much more comprehensive, expensive, and some will argue effective process.

Right now, let’s concentrate on undercoating. The idea is simple - insulate the metal from moisture and oxygen. That sounds straightforward and good, but there are some disadvantages to fighting off corrosion this way:

• You’ll never cover every area of the underside of the car and inevitably hard to reach places will be left unprotected.
• You run the risk of covering over existing rust.
• The protection is only as good as the integrity of the protective surface. Given this fact, yearly applications are recommended.

So are there advantages?

• Undercoating is relatively inexpensive.
• It can be handled as a DIY weekend project.

Some protective and sound eliminating undercoating products include:

• Dupli-Color
• Durabak
• Noxudol 900
• 3M Undercoating
• Permatex
• Bondo Mar-Hyde
• Elasto Seal
• Total Coat

One thing is certain in the eternal “to undercoat or not to undercoat” debate. You can’t just assume the underside of your car is in good shape and ignore it. Check in Friday for information on rustproofing.

Posted on April 18th, 2007 by Shorty
Filed under: general |

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