Decision time is approaching as the car is due for a late January delivery. I'm looking for opinions on dealer under coating. The car will be driven year round in Minnesota- where if a little salt is good, four times as much is just about right. I know a lot depends on the guy squirting it, but any has got to be better than nothing, right? BTW, I am planning on a dedicated set of winter tires and wheels, so at least the original wheels should stay nice for a few years.

 

One of the mega dealers here does the undercoat maybe 90 seconds after they get the vehicle off the truck. Every vehicle. I was hanging around the prep area one day and watched the sprayer dude at work... and two thoughts came to mind. First was he doing a half-assed job, and second it probably wouldn't hurt anything.

I expect a lot of folks won't pay for it at closing time, but the sales force can negotiate 75% of that charge off and probably still make money on it.

 

Personally I wouldn't undercoat. As time goes by, the undercoat starts to crack and trap water and dirt. Then corrosion sets in. Plus if this does happen it will be really difficult trying to make repairs with the undercoat. My father was a Ford mechanic his whole life and that is what he taught me.

Chris

 

I could not agree more. The days of undercoating are past. It really wasn't for rustproofing when introduced, it was to deaden sound from the road.

These cars are dipped at the factory. If you take it through a brushless car wash, with a bottom blaster, you should not see rust in your time of ownership. I lived in the cities (Apple Valley) and had two new cars there. No problems and I never changed the wheels, just waxed them every time I washed the car. I pulled them off in Spring and cleaned/waxed the back of the rims and treated the tires. I do remember those snow plows running three abreast on I-35 tossing salt. It was like driving on a gravel road.

They are starting to do the same here in SD, where they never used salt, but the influx of idiots from California and subsequent increase in accidents, has resulted in lots of salt and liquid chemicals being used. I still have never had any rust show up. I just keep her clean and rinsed off, no matter the temperature.

 

I never liked the 'asphalt'-type of undercoating. I was told that this type of undercoating was originally created as sound-proofing, rust-prevention was a minor byproduct. As mentioned by another member, this type will eventually peel loose. Two problems will occur, if the layer peels off, you have lost underbody protection. And even worse, if it only partially peels off, the loosened layer will hold water and salt between the layer and body metal, increasing the chance of corrosion. The three Minnesota Ford dealerships I checked with only apply the 'asphalt'-type undercoating.
Chevy does a double undercoating. A first grey layer is sprayed on, which provides most of the rust-proofing. Then a second black layer is sprayed on. The second layer helps to protect the first layer from road wear and when you see grey appearing under the black, you know it's time to get a touch-up. Both layers are quite hard...about as hard as enamel paint. My 2010 Silverado has not a speck of rust after 5 years of Minnesota winters.
I was quoted essentially the same price from both Ford and Chevy.
I am planning on taking my new Mustang over to Chevy to have it undercoated.

 

Agreed

 

If you plan on keeping the car for many years, without a doubt have a reputable company undercoat. It's saved the underside of a couple of 30-40 year old cars I've been working on. I put over 300K miles on a '99 Mustang that saw Michigan winters, and the parts/sections that weren't undercoated rusted, the rest of the underside looked great.

 

Well, it seems like there is two groups when it comes to this topic. I guess I will have to do some further investigation into what product they put on @ this particular dealer(Superior ford). Way back in the day('77) when I worked for Brookdale ford, they were spraying a Pennzoil asphalt product. I was hoping it had evolved by now….

 

I think that the galvanized metal we use is much better than the old stuff and makes older rustproofing solutions like undercoating just cash grabs. But, I do have old experience with it...

When we got a new Subaru in 1985, we had it undercoated, and it definitely worked - and as a bonus, it deadened the sound of the road, But, do you want to mute the Mustang's mighty exhaust??

This was done because Subarus had considerable trouble with rust in just a year or so after initial purchase. To restore confidence with the new GL body style, they added this without a charge.

It worked...my brother sold it for $200 24 years later. The body had rust only at the rear window, which undercoating wouldn't have touched, anyway.

I have nursed 3 cars to very high mileage, and none of them had rust on the undercarriage -- but, and this is a big but -- this is on the west coast, and our winters aren't as bad (ie not much salt exposure).

Depends on where you live!

 

i have always used rust check. light oil in the body and thick wheel bearing type grease coating the bottom. never had rust for 13 years. i stopped 2 years ago, and now there's rust everywhere

 

Just make sure NO drain channels are blocked by undercoating..

 

My sister and I both had our Ford cars undercoated by the same dealer within weeks apart. We both ran our cars through touchless car washes at least once a month. I would check quite often for any blockage in the drain channels on the doors, she never took the time. One day she had me look at her car because the doors "sloshed". The drain channels were totally blocked with debris. Within a year, she had interior corrosion and outward penetration.
I still have that car...she sold hers at quite a discount.

My dealer explained to me that Ford 'undercoating' sprays a 'grease' type protectant inside the doors. They don't spray the exterior black 'enamel' type of coating inside the doors. If you don't keep the drain channels clear, the grease quickly washes away, decreasing the corrosion protection.

 

My thought EXACTLY! Modern cars are made to get wet and dry, undercoat impedes that process. Every old car I've restored, the undercoated ones ALWAYS had the worst rotted floors. If you don't plan on keeping the car forever, do it. I does quiet the car furthur, BUT it does add weight as well.
Are my cars undercoated....................................... .? NO!