I have.a question if having the car undercoated will devalue the car in the long run. I know it will stop rust and so furth but the car will be garage kept. Pros/cons....will be keeping the car stock for the most part. So far have just put the GTO tail light covers on.

 

Undercoating is such a racket. Modern cars have zinc-plated or specially-painted body and frame parts to prevent corroding, and most mfrs. offer rust-through guarantees of typically five years and/or 100,000 miles. Undrcoating covers underpinnings with a sticky black go which can find its way into sensors and erk fittings, and into vents and drain-holes which allow moisture to drain out.

If you occasionally run your car through a "touchless" car wash, you'll probably get your underpinnings washed off with high-pressure spray.

Here's a shot of my 9000-mile 2011 GT, you can see how clean it is. There were a couple of slightly rusty areas I spotted, the worst being a crossmemeber which I bottomed out on a raised utilty manhole cover (also dented the oil pan slightly).

Undercoating is often applied inside door and body panels through drilled holes; the tar gets into window-winding mechanisms, sound systems, etc.

Don't do it -- instead, confront the undercoating sales rep with the points I have just made, I'd be ineterested in the response.

JMHO

 

someone tell the guys who built the rear end about that coating.. they forgot to put it on that... mine is already rusted to hell

 

^ Beat me to it. The rear diff. and axle housings look terrible, and my car only has 600 miles on it!

That's not something that needs undercoated, though... that should have been treated/painted at the factory.

 

Years ago rustproofing/undercoating was maybe woth it. With the advances made, today's cars do not rust like they used to. If you are keepking it garaged, and not driving in snow and salt, you won't have any problems.

 

i dont even have 600miles.. it was rusted when i picked it up...

 

Don't want to sound like a smart-***, but doesn't a rattle-can of Rusoleum stop-rust primer followed by a top-coat of Rustoleum enamel in matching color make more sense?

In fooling around with old cars years ago I always found the problem areas for rust were around the bottom edges of windshields and back windows and NOT the frame, whether the vehicle had been Ziebarted or not.

It seems that moisture and lack of venting is the most common problem, which is why tarring over vent and drain orfices concerns me.

In High School auto shop class 47 years ago our class project was the teacher's MG TC. The rust on the then 20-some year-old two-seater was less of a problem than the TERMITES in the wood frame the sheet-metal was screwed to. As I recall, the only metal that was rusted all the way through was the cast-iron exhaust manifold. The little sports car had less than 10,000 miles on it but had been stored under canvas in a damp outbuilding. Rodents were also a problem as they gnawed the insulation off wiring, and I learned early-on that issues with Lucas electrics were most often a wiring problem and not an issue with the components themselves.

If the rattle-can solution doesn't satisfy you, just make sure that you:
1. Don't drive in snow or after snow until a good strong rain washes the roads clean;
2. Don't store under a waterproof cover or in a damp garage.

 

A: south louisiana, what is snow?
B: we have 60+ % humidity in the air all the time. so everything is always wet most of the time.

Yes it would have been nice to paint it with rustoleum , but like i said.. it was rusted when i got it with 25 miles on it..

 

I plan to get a cheap can of rubberized undercoating in can, get it up on a hoist and spray the brake and fuel lines. Then I'll get a brush and paint the rear and any other exposed parts black.

It's getting tougher to find undercoating places due to the environmental disposal problems and the fact that new cars are so well protected from the factory. The oil sprays make one helluva mess and once all the dirt and grime sticks to it it's even worse.

So my vote is no. Just treat the exposed areas.