Considering underbody coating and LineX for snow and salt protection

Merry Chistmas everyone! I hope you are all doing well during this season and get some quality time with friends and family.

I have been looking at purchasing a 2021 TRD Off-road 4x4. This would be my first Tacoma if I make this purchase.

If i do purchase, I plan to do the following right away:

Underbody coating
KDMAX tune.

I live in a state where it snows, and they use salt on the roads. Would it be worth it to get my front bumper, rear bumper, quarter panels, rocker panels coated with LineX? As well as getting cavity wax installed throughtout?

What are some other preventative measures I can take? Not just on the body, but other things as well?

Thank you and Merry Christman!

Goat

 

Modern tacomas dont really rust like older ones, I'd just do the fluid film after giving a solid cleaning the day before.

The coating never really stopped the rust on the older frames, so Toyota switched to a wax they spray internally.

Only the chrome rear bumpers on some offroad models can rust, but even that has been limited.

Its a nice truck and has all the updates that Toyota has found over the years of 3rd gen. The tune will make it a lot more enjoyable.

 

Thank you for the response. What are some upgrades to go with the truck if I purchase?

Is there a protective layer I can put over the infotainment screen? Any upgrades recommended?

 

Love to see it........post some pics....

 

Wool wax, NH Coatings, Fluid Film, etc the underside of the truck yearly. Over time all types of hard coating bed liner stuff will hold moisture between it and the metal.
Screen Pro Tech is amazing for the dash cluster and infotainment screens.

 

Instead of doing the underbody annually, can I just do an Underbody coating?

 

It’s not the same. I had to rethink rustproofing since they lay down nothing short of runway deicer on the main drags around here. Just think if there’s any breach in that coating, now it’s acting as a determent rather than an asset. You won’t even know it’s rusting out.

 

You would never be able to completely seal everything with Linex as you are imagining. There are just too many crooks and crevices! Water would find its way in and then have no way out. By the time you figured out you have a problem, you would have a big problem.

 

Linex does offer a corrosion inhibiting protector now. it is not the bedliner stuff you are all thinking about. I believe it is paraffin based, longer lasting than lanolin based. Ski

 

Krown, fluid film, etc are the way to go. Even the 3rd gen frames (which are mildly reworked 2nd gen frames) are prone to rusting. Tinkers adventures (I think that’s the channel?) just did a technical video on it.

I do Krown on my 3rd gen every year. Well worth it as my under carriage still looks great and I live in the Midwest.

 

You talking about Tacoma frames?


I use Krown rustproofing, yearly! None of that once only applied shit!

 

Paint bare metal and any surface rust, welds, with rust reformer, (little brackets, bolt heads and nuts etc) I use the Cosmoline for the more exposed, flat surfaces and a creeping protectant( I like PB Blaster Surface Shield) for the inner frame, leaf springs, frame supports etc. Drop the spare and get up in there. Don't need to coat anything green. I don't wash the frame as the "coating" seems to add protection. Don't use anything hard or encapsulating. I've had to touch up some places here and there but I don't have to completely reapply every year and I've been rust free in salty NJ for 5 years

 

Yearly fluid film is 10x better than any 1 time coating.

 

Are there shops that can apply the fluid film? Isn’t an air compressor needed?

 

You can buy FF in spray cans and DIY, or get a gallon can and use a spray gun type applicator. FF spray cans should be readily available at most hardware and auto parts stores.

 

Good Afternoon,

Here is a photo of the underbody of the Tacoma I am looking at. This is about the worse it gets from what I observed. What do you guys think?

 

Doesnt look bad honestly. Could hit it with something like a metal bristle brush then spray some paint over it to protect. After the paint is completely dry hit it with a pressure washer to clean the rest of the frame, let it dry and then spray it with Fluid Film, Krown, Cosmoline or similar rust preventer.

What year is the truck and is it in the rust belt? I'd still go and hit every square inch you can reach with a ball peen hammer.

 

Normal and nothing to be concerned about. I grew up in NH, moved to Az, then to CO (been here since '99), and am so glad I don't have to deal with road salting.

What State are you in?

 

It is a 2021 with 23,000 miles. I live in MN. However, this truck was bought at an auction out of Long Island New York.

Edit: I also looked at the CarFax, the lifetime of this vehicle has been spent in Long Island New York.

 

Cosmolene