Underbody Coating

UNDERBODY COATING:

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 main purpose of undercoating is to check rust especially in the body components like frame rails along with other exposed metal parts. Underbody coating can also reduce wear and tear.

Underbody coating is a thick resilient coating applied to the underbody or chassis of an automobile to protect against impact damage from small stones, which would rapidly chip ordinary paint, allowing rusting to begin.

Vehicles for sale in some territories are not undersealed, because the climate is not sufficiently aggressive to warrant it. If such a vehicle is subsequently imported into a country with high rainfall, cold winters, and where salting of the roads is common, application of undercoating is strongly recommended to ensure the vehicle has a long life.

TYPES OF UNDERCOATING:

1-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.

2-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.

3-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.

4-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.

PROS:

• It extends the life span of your car
• No more loud road noise
• 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:

• 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.
• Undercoating is costly
• The added weight of an undercoating can have an impact of fuel efficiency of the car.