Underbody Coating

TYPES OF UNDERBODY COATING:

1. RUBBERIZED UNDERCOATING

Rubberized undercoating is easy to apply, and offers the best protective coating for car's undercarriage. It cushions surfaces against moisture, rust.

dings, and dents. Rubberized undercoating is safe to use on wheel wells, quarter panels and dries with a soft rubbery finish.

2. ASPHALT-BASED UNDERCOATING

It has higher level of protection suitable for lorry's, Trucks or heavy machinery vehicles. It's made up with some bits of rubberized material to aid in noise reduction. It offers extra protection against chips and moisture but is not paintable.

3. POLYURETHANE UNDERCOATING

this type of underbody coating requires some surface preparation work before application, like degreasing, and applying an etching primer to the bare metal.It is easy to apply and works by sealing up cracks. The compound displaces salt and moisture and protects the unoxidized metal from rust. It's often sold in canisters that are ready to preload into an application gun.

4. WAX OR PARAFFIN-BASED UNDERCOATING

Wax or paraffin-based undercoating sprays are the cheapest and quickest options available. However, their results don't last long and you may have to apply a fresh coat after only a few months. In addition, the wax isn't very adhesive oin a metal surface. Its main advantage is that it seeps quickly into cracks and seams, and offers moderate protective properties against moisture.

Underbody rust-preventive coating

The underbody coating that is most commonly used on cars in India and supplied by companies such as 3M is a thick, rubberized paint that forms a 2-3 mm thick coating all along the underside of the car when sprayed on. You also get a thinner clear coat underbody coating which is like a lacquer that coats the entire underside of the car. Some even inject rust-preventive coating material into crevices such as the bottom of doors and door sills, to protect them from rust. Some car manufacturers already offer some underbody coating straight out of the factory which is usually sprayed inside the wheel arches and under the floor board of the car.

Here are some benefits of underbody 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

Here are some of the downsides to underbody 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.

Teflon coating

Teflon coating is the generic name given for a clear-coat paint sealant that's applied to the painted surfaces of the car. It is a brand originally owned by Dupont, but now has become generic to the category of PTFE paint sealants. This protects the car's painted finish and offers a brilliant shine, keeping the vehicle like new for a long time.

Here are the benefits of Teflon coating:

• Minor scratch protection

Teflon is a thick clear coat surface that is very slippery. It protects the cars surface from swirl marks and scratches caused by dust and cleaning with a dirty cloth

• Enhances gloss

Putting a clear coat hard wax or Teflon coating on a car evens out the unevenness in the painted surface by filling up minor pits and cracks. This enhances the reflective capability of the paint, giving the car a high-gloss finish that looks like a mirror.

Here are the downsides of Teflon coating:

• Not long-lasting

Teflon coating does not last long enough. The effect can wear off in about six month's time after which it will need to be redone or you have to switch to a hard-wax polish for the car. The benefits of a hard-wax too are not long-lasting, but can be re-done at a much lower cost.

Pro's:

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.

1. Protects Against Rust & Corrosion

The primary objective of getting underbody coating done is preventing metal components that are exposed on the bottom side of the car to damage from corrosion. You can shut out the Adverse effects of corrosion on your car by simply applying a rubberised anti-rust coating all over the belly of your car.

2. Reduces NVH (Noise Vibrations Harshness) Levels

Our country is filled with roads having uneven patches and potholes and while we manoeuvre our cars through such sections, the unpaved crumbs, and pebbles hit the car from underneath or get stuck in the wheel wells. The underbody coating's consistency is so thick that the layer it creates absorbs all the unpleasant noises and vibrations and marginally improves the driving experience.

3. Prevents Paint Chipping

Running on the highway or while pacing through a city road, you will often encounter sharp gravel or any other unattended object hitting the belly of your car with high momentum. This scrapes and chips off the metal from down below. A thick layer of Underbody Coating definitely comes to aid and minimises the effects of such contacts on the body.

4. Protects Vital Components

Underneath a car is somewhere a lot of indispensable parts of a car are left exposed like the Engine, silencer, etc. One simply can't afford to let these parts go bad due to rusting and hence in order to save yourself from a hefty repair bill, a considerably less expensive Anti-Rust Coating is must.

CONS:

1. It won't do anything about the corrosion which is already present.

For an undercoating to be effective, it must be in place before the underbelly of your car begins to rust. If you apply it over corrosion, you won't be making an improvement. It will look better... until the rust breaks its way through the layer of undercoating you've applied. If you have rust present. then it must be removed, with the metal repaired, before the undercoating is applied for best results.

2. 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.

3. Most vehicles make it five years before corrosion begins to show.

For vehicle owners who purchase something new every 3 to 5 years, then rustproofing may not be a good use of your cash. Although an undercoating does add value to a used car, that only applies when the rustproofing product used provides a transferrable lifetime warranty. Most vehicles that are on the road today are able to make it five years before any corrosion begins to show. It may be 7 to 10 years before the functionality of the vehicle is negatively impacted by the lack of an undercoating.