Underbody Coating

AIM:

To write a one-pager about Under-Body Coating and its purpose, its types in detail, and its pros and cons.

UNDER-BODY COATING:

In Indian road conditions, a cars underbody is most prone to corrosion. 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.

Underbody coating is usually a dense cladding (often based on rubber) applied uniformly to the undercarriage of the automobile. It is normally sprayed or painted on when the car is just out of the dealership and is clean. But even if you are getting the undercoating applied after a couple of years, it’s fine too. This is because it can prevent further damage to the undercarriage.

The image shows a car without underbody coating with a rusted under body due to corrosion.

PURPOSE OF UNDER-BODY COATING :

Just like how people require shelter and additional care, cars need them too. Just parking your car inside a garage will not solve the problem as the car is exposed to ever-changing weather conditions especially in a country like India. Cars need to be given additional care especially during monsoon seasons and South India’s monsoon season just being around the corner, the car’s underbody should be given extra care. A car’s underbody is exposed the most to muddy terrains, potholes, debris and stones, and wet and even flooded roads that lead to corrosion of the underbody. Since the underbody is hard for us to inspect by ourselves, it is important to have an underbody coating in order to ensure your car is protected during these times. But here’s a list of reasons why you should get underbody coating and what all external factors it prevents.

Protection against corrosion:

The main reason for getting an underbody coating is to prevent rusting and corrosion. This is not only required during the monsoon season but also in hot and humid climatic conditions. The coating is also a must if you tend to live in coastal regions where the humidity in these areas speeds up the process of corrosion. This can be eliminated by asking your car service professional to apply a rubberised anti-rusting coat on your car’s underbelly.

Protection of vital car components:

The car underneath holds vital components like the silencer, engine, and numerous other wires and small engine components for different purposes in the car. The car’s underneath cannot simply be led to corrosion and further damage due to the car being driven during any weather condition. To avoid further major issues, the antirust coating is a must for the underbody. This is again extremely important if you’re living in an all-year monsoon season or moderately high rainy regions as underbody coating is highly necessary for these situations.

Car’s resale value might be affected if not taken care of:

Just ensuring your car looks outside and inside is not enough. One must take great care of the underbody as well as the resale value would be greatly affected due to high corrosion. It should not be left uncared for which would lead to permanent damage and huge loss and might not be taken for resale. Therefore, regular inspection of the car’s underbody must be carried out in order to retain the car’s value.

Reduces NVH(Noise Vibration Harshness) levels:

Being in a country where not all roads are smooth enough and are filled with potholes, stones, debris, and uneven road levelling, the underbody coating prevents and absorbs all noise created by the contact of the surface of the road and the car by minimising this.

Car underbody coating prevents paint from chipping:

When your car travels at high speed on a highway, the small stones and debris hit your car’s underbody in this process and may lead to chipping of the underbody paint. Hence, it is advisable to have a thick layer of underbody coating to prevent paint from chipping.

Thus, you must get your car’s underbody coating done from time to time to ensure the above factors do not affect your car. Here at Pitstop, we offer underbody inspection and coating services hassle-free. We also highly recommend getting underbody coating not just for the monsoon season, but for any season throughout the year.

The image shows the car before under-body coating and after under-body coating.

Types of Undercoating:

Rubberized Underbody Coating

This is generally thought of as the best underbody coating for your car. It preserves the underbody well, protecting it from scratches. Applying this to the undercarriage is not much of a hassle either.

Wax Based Underbody Coating

This – more or less – ephemeral undercoating will wear away in a few months’ time. On the upside, wax-based undercoating puts up a big fight against moisture. It is also the most affordable option out there.

Asphalt Based Automotive Undercoating:

Best suited for lorries, trucks and large vehicles this provides a greater degree of protection compared to rubber-based coatings. However, asphalt-based coatings contain little amounts of rubber for sound-insulation purposes. The process of applying this coating is a bit time-consuming though.

Polyurethane Underbody Coating

This coating closes up splits and fractures on the underbody of the vehicle. It offers up good protection against corrosion and also bonds with the metal. Unlike in the case of asphalt-based coating, you can paint over the polyurethane coating.

Advantages of Undercoating:

Now we will tell you why you should consider investing in a vehicle underbody coating.

• Fights Rust

It plays an important role in keeping corrosion at bay. Underbody coating can come in handy especially if you live near the sea, where there is too much humidity, and rusting is just one of those everyday things. You should also seriously consider undercoating if you reside in a place where it snows in winter.

• Absorbs Noise

Believe it or not, very thick undercoating can soften the noises that reach the cabin. Since the undercoating is often made up of rubber it absorbs some of the rackets. The occupants of the car could spare themselves of the road noises – at least up to a certain extend.

• Reinforcement
  

  If your car comes with stock underbody coating, using another coating on top of it, is not going to hurt. It will offer additional reinforcement, protecting the underbody from water, road debris, gravel and small pebbles. There would also be a lesser chance for the factory coat to flake away.

• Prolong Car’s Life
  

  Good undercoating not only defends the underbody from corrosion but also protects the engine and transmission as well! Less rusting coupled with slower wear and tear can surely add years to the lifespan of your vehicle. There would be fewer dents, dings and scratches on the undercarriage for you to fret about.

DISADVANTAGES OF UNDER-BODY COATING:

• It is less helpful if corrosion is already present:

For an undercoating to be the most effective, it should be in place before the underbelly of your car begins to rust. If you apply it over corrosion, you will still isolate the metal from further moisture and airflow, which is good, but the existing oxidizing/rusting process will still continue to occur. After rust is already present, applying an undercoating will slow the continuation of the corrosion process and will make your vehicle look better… until the rust breaks its way through the layer of undercoating you’ve applied. If you have rust present, it is better to remove the rust and then apply the undercoating.

• It works best on new cars:
  If you’ve purchased a used vehicle, then the cost of preparing the underbelly for an undercoating might be more than the value of the car. You must remove all the residue from the bottom before it can be applied. Failing to do so will seal in the debris that is present already, which can lead to more problems. The best time to have an undercoating applied is when a vehicle is purchased new because it offers a superior level of protection then.

• A third-party undercoating service might void your vehicle’s warranty:
  Some new cars no longer need the undercoating service provided because the structure of the vehicle has it built-in already. If you hire a third-party provider to apply an undercoating, you could void the corrosion-perforation warranty that is factory-provided. Most vehicles today that leave the factory floor are all provided with included rust-proofing.

CONCLUSION:

Thus the concept of under-body coating, the types of undercoating, pros and cons are discussed in detail.