Brief information on under body coating

An underbody of a car is exposed to some extreme road conditions present especially in India. This causes the underbody of the car to suffer with corrosion much faster than any other part of the vehicle. Moreover, since it is hidden in plain sight, it is absolutely necessary to provide the underbody with some sort of anti-rust coating. In recent times, many car manufacturers have identified this as a major problem and they have started to provide underbody coating straight out of the factory. There are various forms and methods provided in the market. Major provider of such coatings in India is 3M which provides a thick, rubberized coating that forms a 2-3mm thick coating all along the underbody of the car. Many other coating manufacturers are available which provide a thinner layer of protection at a cheaper rate compared to 3M. An underbody coating is a must for people living in the coastal areas of the country such as Chennai, Mumbai, etc. because salt water present in the atmosphere in the form of humidity tends to cause damage to cars much more easily. Thicker underbody coating can also act as sound insulation. The coating dampens the sound of the wheel and reduces road noise and makes the interior of the car quieter. With an underbody coating, maintaining the car is quite easy. One can directly use water from the hose and not worry about corrosion, since such coatings come with approximately 5 years of warranty. Though an underbody coating is quite common these days, but it is still quite expensive. Extreme care needs to be taken while applying the underbody coating. If this thick rubberized paint gets into any mechanical parts such as a CV joint or a U-joint, they can cause it to fail prematurely. It can also hinder the smooth functioning of the suspension. There is also a risk of over spraying it over the car’s paint finish at the lower edges.