Underbody Coating

What is under Body Coating:

Underbody coating is a thick cladding (typically made of rubber) that is placed uniformly to the car’s underside. When the automobile is fresh off the lot and spotless, it is usually sprayed or painted on. But it’s acceptable if you apply the undercoating after a couple of years. This is because it might protect the undercarriage from additional harm.

Why UnderBody 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.
• 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.

Purpose:

• Protection against corrosion
• Protection of car vital components like silencer, engine, numerous other wires, and small engine components for different purposes in the car.
• Reduces NVH(Noise Vibration Harshness) levels
• Car underbody coating prevents the paint from chipping
• Covering all the welded joints

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Types of Vehicle Undercoating

Having undercoating professionally applied to your vehicle can be expensive, but fortunately, if your budget is tight, you can do it yourself for a fraction of the price. Here are some of the various types of undercoating available.

Rubberized Undercoating

Rubberized vehicle undercoating is easy to apply and offers sound-cushioning as well as protection from dust, moisture, and dings or dents.

In addition to your undercarriage, rubberized undercoating is also safe to use on wheel wells and quarter panels, and dries to a soft rubbery finish that prevents further rust, damage, or moisture seeps. The coating can be painted over and, if necessary for bodywork, can be easily removed with an undercoating removal spray.

Overall, rubberized coating is generally the best option for protecting your vehicle's undercarriage, as it provides the simplest and best protective measures against rust and moisture.

Polyurethane Undercoating

The other option for undercoating your vehicle is to use a polyurethane-based sealant. This type of vehicle undercoating is a little bit quicker and easier to apply.

Oftentimes, polyurethane undercoating will come in canisters ready to preload into an application gun. This type of sealant works by seeping into all cracks and seams, displacing salt and moisture and oozing around rusty areas to bond with and protect unoxidized metal. It also sands quickly in case you'll need to perform bodywork and can be painted over.

On the flipside, this type of car undercoating generally requires a little bit more surface prep work before applying -- sanding and applying an etching primer to bare metals before using are generally recommended.

Wax or Paraffin-Based Undercoatings

A paraffin-based undercoating will be the cheapest and quickest option available with which to protect the undercarriage of your vehicle. However, keep in mind that it will wear off quicker than other types of undercoating and will need to be stripped and reapplied at least once every year.

Wax-based undercoatings never truly harden. During application, they drip or flow into seams and cracks to provide protective properties. They are usually available in a spray gun canister or in an aerosol can and offer at least a base protection in moderately humid climates.

Asphalt-Based Undercoating

For standard vehicles, any of the aforementioned types of undercoating will provide sufficient protection. For large trucks and heavy machinery, asphalt-based undercoating provides a bit of extra durability against rocks, chips, and moisture.

Asphalt-based undercoating generally contains a little bit of rubberized material that sets up firmly and also helps soften noise. Generally sold in five gallon containers, this type of undercoating also needs more cure time than the other three, and is NOT paintable, making it best to use only for undercarriages.

The Pros of Undercoating

The obvious pros of undercoating are the protection it provides to the carriage of your vehicle.

If you live in an area where salt and sand are used on the roadways in cold weather, these materials can be corrosive to your vehicle.

Undercoating gives you an extra layer of protection against rust and corrosion, protecting your car.

Undercoating will eventually wear out, but you can get years of protection from it.

Even vehicles in warmer climates gain protection as debris is repelled and kept away from eating at the vehicle.

Cons of Undercoating

When examining the vehicle undercoating pros and cons, you do want to look at potential downsides to getting undercoating.

Undercoating will work best on new vehicles that have not been exposed to road conditions.

A used vehicle may already have residue on the bottom of the car or even have spots of rust and corrosion.

Undercoating will not help you if corrosion already exists and the corrosion needs to be removed first before it can be applied, which can be expensive for you.