Under Body Coating

Under Body Coating

A car’s underbody is exposed to the most wear and tear caused by muddy water, potholed roads, stones and other obstacles on the road. Because it’s not in plain sight, we often do not see the damage.

Underbody Treatments offers you a long term solution for issues related to corrosion and rust. First, the car under body is washed and degreased. Then, the Protective Coat is applied with Body Schutz Gold Gun (5 year Warranty) or under shield gun (2 year warranty). The Body Schutz/Under shield is a hard coating on the underbody of the car that is fast-drying, paintable, rubberized, non-toxic and chip-resistant. It also minimizes sound from underneath the vehicle and insulates against the heat and cold.

The Underbody Treatment protects the car underbody from rust, increasing the longevity of the car and thus enhancing its resale value.. Underbody coating provides long term protection from corrosion to car’s underbody. It also protects parts like internal body panels, frame rails and other inner cavities that are not physically accessible but are prone to corrosion.

The thickness of the underbody coating layer is about minimum 2mm to 3mm.

Benefits of under body coating:

Rust Prevention
Ideally any additional underbody coating should be applied when the car is brand new and clean. Car manufacturers use thick paints and sealants for the underbody, but adding an underbody coat especially in coastal cities is useful. Salt water tends to corrode cars really badly.

On bad roads, flying stones and pebbles can chip off the original underbody coating and leave the metal exposed. Using an aftermarket underbody coating offer extra protection.

Sound insulation

The thicker underbody coatings used on cars also act as effective sound dampeners. They can reduce road noise and tyre noise and make the cabin seem quieter – due to the sound absorptive nature of rubberized paints.

Easy maintenance

A uniform black underbody coating gives a car a clean look. It also makes the car easier to maintain by just hosing the underside down. You can be confident that slush build up won’t lead to rusting easily. Most underbody coats these days come with a five-year warranty, which is the lifetime of such a coating

Heat Insulation

It insulates the interior of the car from extreme temperatures from beneath the vehicle providing a comfortable cabin experience.

Cons of under body coating :

High cost

Cost of underbody coating has come down, but is still expensive. This is because underbody coating offered by a car dealer is one way in which they make money off the customer.

Risk of damage during application

Care must be taken while applying underbody coating. This thick rubberized paint if not applied properly, can get into moving mechanical parts and cause premature failure – such as into the U-joint or CV joints in a cars propeller shaft or drive shafts. They can also hinder smooth movement of suspension components, if applied incorrectly. And there’s also the risk of overspray on to the car’s paint finish on the lower edges of the car.

General query about underbody coating:

Is anti-rust coating required to new car?

NO - New car doesn't need an anti-rust coating. It's one way for the dealer to squeeze money out of you.

This has become a regular norm in the industry now a day. Manufacturers do not ask customers to go for any anti rust coatings. The coatings i am speaking here is only applicable for underbody which is widely exposed to dust, dirt settlements, water and what not.

• Can be applied after 3years after the vehicle is bought. Generally the vehicle body can withstand 5years minimum case. 3yrs I have considered because, cars in coastal areas are more prone to salt water and atmosphere also tends to initiate rust faster compared to other places.
• Your extended warranty of bumper to bumper covers it all. Then why should you spend additional 3000bucks for a damage that's not going to happen in the first place.
• Showroom will definitely squeeze your hard earned money and will not even bother to check that coating once in 6 months. I am saying this because now days car service intervals are 10k kms or 1 yr. whichever is earlier. Not many people cover 10k kms.
• I hope there is no warranty or guarantee for the coating done by showroom. Neither is it certified by manufacturer I suppose.
• Opt for 3M car care’s anti rust coating. There are 2 options.
  • 140 microns thick anti rust underbody coating which will cost you 1800 + taxes + 6months once free check-up + if any patch found peeled off then they fill it for FREE!! + 2yrs warranty.
  • 300 microns thick anti rust underbody coating which will cost you 3500 + taxes + 6months once free check-up + if any patch found peeled off then they fill it for FREE!! + 5yrs warranty.

Above rates were for sedan vehicle. If it is a hatchback you are buying then it will be slightly lesser.

Automotive coating layers, their thicknesses and purposes for an exterior surface

Pretreatment sequences for the body-in-white