Underbody Coating
Underbody coating
It 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. It is also used to protect the internal parts or inner cavities that are not physically accessible but are prone to corrosion. The use of Underbody coating plays a very important role in the service life of the vehicle.
Generally, the protective coating of the car is painted before displaying the car in the market by automobile manufacturers. In this highly competitive world, in order to reduce the manufacturing cost, manufacturers will reduce or even completely eliminate the use of underbody coating where it is not to be easily seemed by car owners. Hence it will affect the service life of the car. Car users have basic knowledge in car maintenance by knowing to change the engine oil and exterior paint polished, but they need little attention towards the bottom of the car, where the underbody already rusting.
Purpose of Underbody Coating
1)Stone chip prevention
While driving, the stones on the roads will hit your car on the underbody, wheel arches, sills, etc. Sometimes, the underbody might be scratched by an uneven road. Hence protection coating on the metal sheet will be destroyed and exposed to the air, which will lead to corrosion when contact with the moisture in the air then the rust will soon spread to large areas. To prevent such conditions, underbody coating is necessary, which could basically protect the metal sheet from corrosion.
2)Improve driving comfort
The underbody coating becomes a thick elastic coating covering the whole under body, which could act as a good dampening material, significantly reduce the vibration of the metal sheet and lowered the noise inside the car.
3) Abort Car Fare
Car having good underbody coating will resist corrosion and prevent vibration, which means a well-maintained car. Hence a car could keep a high value while it is well maintained. It means that if a car is treated on underbody protection, it could keep the car in good condition and extend the car’s service life.
4)Collision body repair
For a collision body repair, usually the metal part needs to be re-shaped or replaced some of the parts. These new parts also need to be treated against rust and anti stone chip. So it is mandatory to spray an underbody protection coating on the repaired car.
5)External influence
External environment, such as the baking from the hot road in summer, anti-frozen in winter, raining water and the salty water in the atmosphere, will attach the underbody of a car. Particularly in coastal areas, the wind from the sea will bring more salt to the air, which will accelerate the corrosion and reduce the service life of a car. While the underbody is covered by the thick and tight layers, it would act as a strong barrio to prevent these external substances from attaching the metal sheet.
Types of underbody coating
1)Resin-based
Polyurethanes and rubber coating are popular because their elastomeric properties provide long-term stone chip damage and protection from corrosion as well as sound deadening effects. These also have the benefit of being suitable for a wide range of substrates and they can be painted over. It can be spray-applied, high build, and particularly good for areas of possible salt exposure.
2)Wax-based
An excellent anti-rust coating favorable for all substrates. The wax is applied soft and cures hard, by brush or spray, and can be layered thickly. It cannot be top coated.
3)Bitumen-based:
These underbody coating systems provide hard-wearing protection against stone chip damage and corrosion. They also have sound-deadening properties. Favorable across many substrates, but cannot be painted over.