Underbody Coating

Underbody Coating of a Vehicle

Introduction-

Underbody coating is a preventive measure which is done under the body of an automotive to protect from the occurrence of rusting, corrosion and damage caused by rock debris and other hard materials that strikes with the underbody of a vehicle while moving at speed.

In countries like India, where there are so many climatic variations, its necessary to keep the undercarriage of the vehicle as much protected as the upper body.

Types of Underbody Coatings

1. Rubberized Underbody Coating:

The Rubberized Underbody Coating offers protection to the Undercarriage from Dust, Gravels, Moisture and Dents. Also, it helps in reducing the road noise to some extent.

In addition to the Undercarriage, the rubberized coating also provide protection to the quarter panel and the wheel wells. This coating dries to a rubbery layer that further prevents moisture and rusting of the metal parts. The coating can be easily removed with an undercoating removal spray and also can be painted over.

It provides the simplest and easiest protection measures against rust and moisture; therefore, it is simply the best option to protect the undercarriage of an Automotive.

2. Wax-based Underbody Coating:

The wax-based undercoating offers a basic protection to the undercarriage in moderate humid condition, it is the cheapest and quickest method of underbody coating. Also, it needs to be stripped and reapplied at least once every year.

Wax-based Undercoating never truly harden. During application, they drip and flows into seams and crack to provide protective properties.

3. Asphalt- based Underbody Coating:

The Asphalt-based underbody coating is used in heavy machinery and trucks as it provides extra bit of durability against rocks, chips and moisture.

Asphalt-based undercoating generally contain a little bit of rubberized material that sets up firmly and also helps soften noise.

Polyurethane-based Underbody Coating:

The Polyurethane-based Undercoating is a bit quicker and easy to apply method. Oftentimes, polyurethane undercoating will come in canisters ready to preload in the application gun.

This type of sealant works by seeping into all the cracks and seams displacing salt, moisture and oozing around rusty areas to bond with and protect unoxidized metal. It also sands up quickly in case you need to perform bodywork and can be painted over.

Advantages of Underbody Coating

1. Provide protection against rust and moisture- The main advantage of Underbody coating is that it provides protection to the under body of an automotive by covering the metal surface by a coating of rubber or sealant. This restricts the water along with the salt (generally found in coastal Areas) to come in contact with the metal surface of the undercarriage, this further helps in restricting the rusting phenomenon.

2. Provide protection against rocks and Chips-

Similarly, as the rust, the rocks and chips also cause damage to the undercarriage of a vehicle. While the vehicle is moving on an uneven road, there is possibility of some rocks and chips to strike the under surface of the vehicle and damage the underbody. To avoid this scenario, Underbody coating comes into plays so, if the vehicle is protected with underbody coating, there is a Rubberized surface under the body which will reduce the striking effect of rock or any other material. Also, it protects the important parts like Engine, Clutch, Differential etc.

3. Reduce noise and vibration-

The underbody coating also helps in reducing the NVH (Noise Vibration Harshness) level of the vehicle by absorbing the road noise and the chips sounds which is made while moving the vehicle in an uneven road. This overall increase the driving experience.

Disadvantages of Underbody Coating

1.Increase overall Weight of the Vehicle-

Applying underbody coating may reduce the risk of rust and corrosion but nothing in this world comes for free. The same goes with underbody coating, it also comes with an extra weight which further can impact the mileage of the vehicle to some extent. So, one must consider the extra fuel cost before going for Underbody Coating.

2. Expensive process-

Going for Underbody coating is an expensive process and can be little harsh on the pockets but it's nothing as compared to replacing a vehicle after corrosion.

3. Doesn't help to recover already corroded parts-

Underbody Coating doesn't help in recovering already corroded part. Even if the there are spots of rust or corrosion, the vehicle need to be repaired first, then only one can go for underbody coating, which can be really expensive.