Undercoat & Rustproof ?'s

Well, I talked to the dealer this morning and they are supposed to be working on getting the truck I want. That being said, I want to get it undercoated ASAP. The dealer is offering me the undercoating and rustproofing "at dealer cost" of $500. Or I can take it to Ziebart to get it undercoated for $400 or get their undercoat and rustproof for $600. I can take it back to Ziebart yearly for free touch ups.

My questions are... which is probably the better product, Ziebart Undercoating or the Dealer Undercoating? With the rustproofing they spray a substance in the body and door panels. Does this actually work or am I better off not doing this one?

Thanks!

 

I got both the undercoat and rust proof and sound proofing on my Taco in Feb.

all i can say is, Too early to tell for undercoat and rust proofing but the sound proofing they put in the wheel wells is worth every penny if you do alot of highway. Makes the road noise nice and quiet

 

Did the dealer actually do it or did they send it out? The dealer I'm working with does it in-house, where as most of the other dealers send their work out to Ziebart.

 

Personally, I wouldn't undercoat. What some say is true...it's almost impossible to undercoat every nook and cranny under there that is prone to rusting. Also, if it does rust under the undercoating, you wouldn't be able to see it until it gets really bad.

But since you're set on undercoating I think that Ziebart's would be a better choice. They would probably do a better job than the dealer and the yearly free touch ups would be a plus.

 

Are others really against undercoating? I guess I was always under the impression that it was doing good protecting things. I had it done on my current car and it seemed to help. Whereas my parents car is pretty rusty underneath.

Any and all opinions are welcome. Thanks!

 

Well from what I read some people are against the rubberized type of undercoatings since they are porous and can trap moisture between the undercoating and frame, which would speed up the rate of rust.

I personally gave much, much thought to undercoating my own truck but in the end I decided to just leave it as it is. At least this way, I can see the rust and fix it accordingly.

 

I got my truck undercoated at the dealer. Very good job.

Probably not worth what I paid but still good. Can't remember what I paid for it exactly...too much is the only real answer.

 

Dealer done in house by Platinum Mitsubishi in Calgary, they also did a full detail looked perfect top n bottom when i got it. Yes I actually crawled underneath and i've got an X-Runner, no easy task that is.

 

I also decided against it mainly so I can see what's going on and fix it accordingly. Also, it's nice to be able to get to every nut and bolt if needed. I'm sure if I lived in a area that used salt in the winters I'd use something to help protect everything, but I'm in a desert enviroment where they use lava rock when it snows. I just get under the truck a few times a year and clean, then do touch-up with rustolem (mainly just around some of the welds.) So far in 3 years the only thing that's rusted is the muffler...but that's to be expected.

 

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm really torn on what to do. I want to protect it, but I don't also want to increase the probability of causing rust problems by trapping in moisture.

 

If its a New truck i dont see why not. After a year or two you can start spraying Krown oil spray for RUST proof..my 2C.

 

Problem is there is not enough paint on the frame and underside. So undercoating bare metal is really not the best idea. Undercoats dont contain rust inhibitors which is the item needed most in order to protect metal.
You can spray them but there is really nothing to hold on to for undercoats so its going to be yearly ordeal probably.
If you can buy some farmer grade primer and paint and paint it first. then when is dry spray with undercoat.

 

Get it sprayed with Krown undercoating. To date, Krown is the best undercoating substance I've come across. It's not a rubberized compound, rather a proprietary oil-based blend which "creeps" on metal surfaces, actually moving around corners, into seams, etc... It's amazing stuff. Now, it needs to be re-applied annually, but $130/yr. is cheap insurance for rust proofing.

 

Only way to apply Krown is if I do it myself, which I'm thinking about. There are no Krown dealers in the States that I can find.

 

Look up Carwell. Its our version of Crown.

 

Closest one is over 2:30 minutes away.

Decisions, decisions... do nothing, have Ziebart undercoat it or try to protect it myself with something like Carwell and clean/prime/paint yearly.

 

If i were you, I wouldn't loose too much sleep over it. I have spent alot of time thinking about the rust on my frame, but when it comes down to it, it is just the frame of your truck. do what you think you should do, and if it rusts, it rusts. if it doesn't, even better.

I use a wire brush and some rubberized undercoating every year, although i only did it once, and looking at the calender, it's about time for a fresh coating. If the rubberized isn't the best idae, then screw it, at least it looks good, and I don't see any rust, which gives me the peace of mind.

Also, if the frame does rot out, then at least toyota will have our back, at least they did with the first generation.

good luck

 

For the money you pay for the trucks, or any behicle for that matter, its the smart move. I wouldn't listen to the guys who say to do nothing. There are plenty of pictures around here of people who do 'nothing' and i wouldn't want my vehicle looking like that if i can do something about it. Living in NY, you know waht the salt does to anything driven on the roads. ...and it will help when you re-sell it it it doesn't look like shit underneath.

The Carwell process only takes about an hour or so. Do it when its new and before the salt flies. Make a road trip out of it. Take your girl to lunch in teh area. The 2.5 hours will give it a chance to drip elsewhere other than your driveway. For about $130.00, and the cost of gas you will have a year to think about whether you want to keep doing it. You could always get the stuff to do it yourself after the initial application.

 

I pick up my new Tacoma later today. I had them throw in the rustproofing and undercoating package. They had the truck taken yesterday to have it done. I live in Western PA and the salt that is on the roads in the winter is terrible. I want my frame to last more than a couple of years.

 

What do you guys use to do touch ups on the rust? i have heard of sprays that you can use that actually reverse the chemical process of rust and turn it back into something stronger than what it was origionally, however i have no idea what it is called, what are you guys using and if you have heard of what i am talking about what is it called? thanks