I was considering undercoating my whole truck to prevent future frame and bed rust. There are a lot of companies that do a good job in my area. On the other hand Ive had the dealer tell me that undercoating is bad because if it gets chipped by a stone the water will get behind the coating and rust the metal faster than normal. I dont know which to beleive. I dont fully trust the dealer because he was trying to sell me one of their factory chemical sprays instead. If any body has had it done, or has heard of any problems; Could you please let me know.

 

On a show called Dream Car garage I watch on Speed, they advertise some stuff that is supposed to be good up there in Snow country...http://www.krown.com/#default

But I think in general in my area thats a thing of the past...dunno know about up there.

 

Mine is Ziebart'd courtesy of the dealer who does it to every new vehicle he sells. Don't see how the stuff can chip honestly. Don't forget that rustproofing also goes INSIDE the doors to prevent the bottoms of the doors from rusting out. I happen to believe it is worth the investment.

 

due to the advances in paint and metal technology...and the fact that alot of places have gone away from using salt...I think that those coatings are useless


but hey, if it makes you happy, go for it.

 

i have used KROWN for 20 years on all my Ford trucks, GMC vans and a Crown Vic for 8 years; never had any rust on any of them. They drill holes in the inner door panels, take out the tail lights and spray deep inside with a long wand and all around the undercarriage.
With the amount of salt on Canadian roads, it is a hundred bucks well spent!

 

Unfortunately Tylus; Over here in PA, They not only over salt the roads; But are now using a brine calcium by product that they spray before a storm, and this stuff eats away at everything especially wiring, worse than any salt. As for all my cars, I own Volvos which are made in Sweden and probably have the best rustproofing I have ever seen. But since my truck is a daily driver, especially in the winter, I want to protect it the best I can.

 

Undercoatings are an additional layer of protection. As for rocks chipping the coating and allowing moisture to get behind the surface that is a minor hazard compared to the the prevention of paint chipping due to those same rocks. I have actually contemplated having a bed liner coating applied to really provide protection. BTW When we bought the '08 there was a charge for undercoating that I did not order. But I was buying from dealer stock. When I inspected the truck I found that the coating was missing from a lot of the surface. I made them redo the job to my satisfaction.

 

Never had much luck with these coatings when I lived in Michigan, stuff would plug factory drain holes in panels. Brother-in-law has a body shop and I saw way too many opened panels on cars being repaired to convince me that it is just a feel good marketing hype. You have some minumum wage kid drilling holes and sticking a spray tip into doors etc.... never a solid coverage. IMHO

 

I did it when I got my '05 just a year ago. It was a super Ziebart sale and they knocked even more off because I was doing a bedliner (the main reason I came in). The trucks are pretty well rust protected these days, both in the use of plastics and with better paint and metal. With the undercoat, I suspect I'm even better protected. I reviewed all the plusses and minuses and had originally decided not to do it, based simply on the cost/benefit ratio (I am good about washing the salt off regularly). When they did it for about 40 percent of retail, I said what the heck. I did have to go in and unplug a few weep holes after. No serious biggie. Time will tell if it's a worthwhile investment. The truck is noticeably quieter. You have to deal with a "hot tar" smell for a while after and it will drip black stuff or a couple of weeks, as well as a waxy kinda stuff from the doors. I live down a half-mile gravel lane and, thus far, the stones have not penatrated the coating anywhere that I can see.

 

Stay in Hawaii long enough and you'll get your cars Ziebart'd (or similar). Year 'round salty air will wreak havoc on your cars/trucks here.

 

I may get mine undercoated. Got it in Ohio and it is already rusty everywhere. Bunch of sissies spray the roads and dump salt for a light dusting of snow around here and rust everything like crazy. Never had this in Oregon.

 

I was under the impression that undercoating was a dealer scam to get more money from the customer.

 

I know one of the popular things done in Northern New England is to coat the underside of the vehicles in a very heavy grease. Through the course of the winter, I guess it slowly dissipates, and is gone for the most part in the spring.

 

well before this winter i was going to used spray on bed liner in the wheel wells and some other spots and paint the frame ..but ran out of time before the rain and snow started flying this year ...i live in pa too and they hammer the roads with salt and old trucks rust like no tomorrow ....where i live they do such a good job salting, they salt the road and side walk with my truck and other cars in the middle

 

I hear that. The new brine solution they are spraying (the white stripes sprayed on the road before a storm) are really taking their toll. I also use bed liner spray in my wheel wells for a clean protected look along with tire spraying the wells with my tires; It makes the surface a little slick which looks good and repels dirt for a bit.