Undercoating

Does anyone know if Toyota undercoats their trucks?

 

If you pay them to, they will. It’s optional.

You’re better off to use something like fluid film, it can be removed if necessary and doesn’t harden and trap water or salt under it.

 

Applied Fluid Film to my Tacoma today. Pretty simple.

 

Couldn't have said it better. You should never apply a rubbized/tar coating. It will actually cause more rust than no treatment.

 

to the whole underbody?

 

I do. Makes a mess, but better than rust! Even if it gets on exhaust, it will smoke a little but not burst into flames since it is made from sheeps wool.

 

does it wear off and you need to recoat it every year? this is the first time i've heard of this stuff

 

Yes, I covered pretty much everything but the brakes.

 

It will wear in the most vulnerable areas, I usually reapply in spring and fall. It’s pretty cheap and easy to apply.

 

cool! thx for the tip. heading to the Amazon now

 

You could pay to have it Rust Checked or Crowned. I think its about $150

 

I'm sure that it is covered somewhere, but my search skills are failing me at the moment. How many spray cans of FF for a complete undercoat?

 

Only thing I'd offer as a caution would be in fluid filming the leaf springs. In my experience the FF actually gives debris such as road grime, dirt, etc., something to stick to and can CAUSE noise. I was getting squeaking after I treated mine last winter and I just kept retreating - then I finally just pressure hosed it all off the leaf springs and haven't had a squeak since (and have been offroad several times as well). FF is great stuff overall though - smells terrible though so I did learn to wear some protection over my mouth/nose. It's not toxic or anything but it smells horrible (to me) and once you get that shit up your nose it just won't go away!

For the summer time I've used Chemical Guys Bare Bones and like it really well for a sleek undercarriage look. FWIW

 

The inside of the C channels section does have a waxy coating applied from factory. I still Fluid Film.

 

Yup.
Once a year and you're good. No mess either, except for the drips on your driveway/garage floor for a while.
The other thing is, the places that do the work for you have the long/angled spray wands to get into the tough areas.

IMHO

 

Thanks guys

 

4-5 cans should be adequate.

 

Thanks! I'm going to try to get this done before the snow flies...

 

If you have an air compressor, skip the spray cans and get the sprayer and a gallon of FF. The kit comes with extensions to get inside tight spaces and works really well.

I just did my Tacoma yesterday for the second time.

 

Unfortunately, my garage is pretty lacking in tools and equipment at the moment. Eventually I'll get there.

I found this useful tool, http://www.fluidfilmundercoaters.com/, though. There are a few "shops" in my area that will do the undercoating for me. I was quoted $125 to have it done, so I'm sold on that.