Underbody Coating

 UNDERBODY COATING.

- 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.

     

- In the above image we can an overview that how does underbody coating look like.

- 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.

- 2 - 3 mm thickness layer is enough to protect the body with small particles , dust and pollutants.

   

  TYPES OF UNDERBODY COATING.

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.

      

  -  DESCRIPTION : A 3M undercoating with corrosion protection, paintability, excellent spray pattern and coverage, and
                            sound deadening qualities. This is the premium 3M undercoating in an aersol can.

  -  FEATURES : Medium to coarse texture.

                         Good sprayability and coverage.

                         Excellent corrosion and abrasion resistance.

  - ADVANTAGES : Able to OEM match many undercoating appearances.

                              Easy to quickly obtain consistent coating appeance.
                              Coatings holds up over time.

   - BENEFITS : Customer satisfied with finished appearance
                         Less time spent reworking poor sprayed appearance
                         Reduce comebacks for abrasion and corrosion

  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 COATING.

     - 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.

       - 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.

          

  ADVANTAGES :

  - Fights rust

  - Absorbs noise

  - Reinforcement

  - Prolong cars life

  - Heat insulation

  - Anti chipping property (If any stone hits the coating it does not get chipped away hence protects the underbody from exposure to water)

  DISADVANTAGES :

  - Nothing comes for free in this world. The same goes for undercoating. The undercoating or rustproofing spray is heavy in pockets. However, it is nothing when you compare it with the cost of replacing a vehicle after corrosion.