new here

[Tim]

Hi Guys....I'm new here so here a little history: Purchased a 2002 1500 Siverado 4x4 worktruck in late Jan. 2001. so far I have had installed, Westin step bars, Sportmaster hinged tonneau cover, a remote starter and had the bed sprayed with Rhino liner.  The plan is to keep this truck for about ten years....do you think I should have it undercoated or is the factory undercoat good enough?   I live in upstate New York and every time we get a little snow they come out with tons of salt on the road.....thanks in advance for the help !!!

Tim ???

[silverado man]

let me be the first to welcome you.  I dont know anything about undercoating, Im sure someone here will give you the advise you need.  

[bluelab]

I wondered about the same thing myself.  I bought my 2002 1500 silverado in December from the same sales man I bought my 1999 s10 from.  He sold me the undercoating and rust protection in 1999 on my new s10 but when I traded up in 2002 into the Silverado he did not recomend me not going with GM rust protection.  He actually recomended a 3rd party rust protection from a company called Rust Check.  Makes me wonder if GM do something different with their formula.  This sales guy has been good he does not try and sell me stuff I dont need recomends buying upgrades that help resale value.  If I buy another Silverado or I should say when I buy another silverado I will go to him.

[RyanbabZ71]

gm applies a wax substance to the frame.  

 

I read somewhere that if you apply an undercoating you void the warranty for that area.  I forget exactly where this was but it voids the warranty because the wax subsatnce is supposed to do the job

[WEFs99]

I don't believe any manufacturer recommends undercoating anymore. The rust thru warranty is pretty long on all vehicles. The dealer is a different story, it's something else to sell you.

[Stepside Z]

First off welcome to the forum. Second I don't feel the new trucks need rust proofing. All body panels with the exception of the hood and roof are two sided galvanized steel. That fact alone tells me you can get 10 years with out the rust proofing.

[CityTruck]

I'm gonna join the popular opinion here.  I don't see how spraying undercoating over the wax coating is going to provide any benefit and removing the wax coating first would be cost prohibitive.  IMO

[Ed Hahn]

Hi Guys....I'm new here so here a little history: Purchased a 2002 1500 Siverado 4x4 worktruck in late Jan. 2001. so far I have had installed, Westin step bars, Sportmaster hinged tonneau cover, a remote starter and had the bed sprayed with Rhino liner.  The plan is to keep this truck for about ten years....do you think I should have it undercoated or is the factory undercoat good enough?   I live in upstate New York and every time we get a little snow they come out with tons of salt on the road.....thanks in advance for the help !!!

Tim ???

If you DO decide to undercoat, don't ask a dealer to do it.

 

Just go to the autoparts store and buy a couple cans of it, and do it yourself.  It'll cost you maybe $20 and a couple hours to do it.

 

Make sure you don't plug any holes up with it.

 

BTW, I don't plan on undercoating my truck at all.

 

ed

[bradyb]

Obviously none of you guys live in Salt Lake.  Here everything is undercoated.  You don't see too many Japanese cars that are more then four years old that don't have rust on them.  My truck is only four months old and after this past winter all the suspension pieces and the exposed steal under neath that wasn't covered with an under coating is starting to rust.  GM's waxy coating probably didn't last two moths here.  The undercoating also keeps things a little bit quieter.  I personally like to have my fender wells black anyway.  I think it's kind of ugly when the inside of a truck's rear fenders are the same color as the bed.

[siume99]

Welcome to the forum.  I got my Tahoe done when I bought the truck.  It is a teflon wax they put on, but at least with the package I got, they also sprayed the inside of the door panels (without drilling).  I was also under the impression that there is a warranty of some kind included.  (I think that is one of the reasons why I opted for the dealer doing it and not an autobody place.)  I have more info at home about this.  The "2001 Light Duty Truck Warranty and Owner Assistance Information" booklet mentions under the After-Manufacture "Rustproofing" section:

"Your vehicle was designed and built to resist corrosion.  Application of additional rust-inhibiting materials is neither necessary nor required under the Sheet Metal Coverage.  GM makes no recommendation concerning the usefulness or value of such products.

Application of after-manufacture rustproofing products may create an environment which reduces the corrosion resistance built into your vehicle.  Repairs to correct damage caused by such applications are not covered under your GM New Vehicle Limited Warranty."  I also know that manufactures are on a budget and have to be cost effective when making things.  Meaning....they could make it better, but it will cost more.

 

Citytruck mentioned

I'm gonna join the popular opinion here.  I don't see how spraying undercoating over the wax coating is going to provide any benefit and removing the wax coating first would be cost prohibitive.  IMO

 

I apply the philosophy of waxing a car.  The more coats the better.  That is one more layer that needs to get worn off.  ??? It is also another way to damp out road noise.

 

If you do apply it yourself, be careful not to apply it to the exhaust system (headers, cat, muffler, tale pipe).

[01z71]

First, Welcome to the forum.  Second, I don't see the need for under coating our trucks.  The newer trucks have good rust through warranty protection and as long as you rinse off any salt build up from the under side I don't see any problems with just leaving the factory wax.  Just my $.02

[CityTruck]

siume99 said:

"I apply the philosophy of waxing a car.  The more coats the better.  That is one more layer that needs to get worn off.   It is also another way to damp out road noise."

(I can't figure out the quote thing)

 

I see your point.  I agree from the standpoint of waxing a car (truck).  I was looking at it more from the standpoint of putting rustoleum paint on a candle than I was at adding a second layer of wax.  I'll be the first to admit that I don't know all the mechanics of the various rust proofing techniques.  I really dislike the fact that there are parts on these trucks (most vehicles, but usually more on trucks) that are just designed to rust.  The reality is that the rusting part will probably outlive the truck as a whole, but I still don't like it.  The worst example I think is the metal framing under the dash (looked at your's lately?).  Anyway....  I digress...  It's still the best truck around.

[siume99]

I see your point.  I agree from the standpoint of waxing a car (truck).  I was looking at it more from the standpoint of putting rustoleum paint on a candle than I was at adding a second layer of wax.  

 

I see your point also.  I guess I never looked closely under my truck before I got it.  They had already sprayed the underside of my truck.  (I had them get it from a different dealer.)  So it already had what looked like a wax.  Is that factory standard?  I don't know.   ???  I imagine if it came with a wax on it, they stripped that off and reapplied.  I do know that they were worried when I was going to pick it up (AS SOON AS POSSIBLE I was thinking )  They wanted to pressure wash, dry, and apply the undercoating.  That's to get all of the road grime off.  

 

BTW Have you ever applied the Aerosol Rustoleum on a candle (burning  ;) )  That would take the wax off your truck!!  :0

[CityTruck]

BTW Have you ever applied the Aerosol Rustoleum on a candle (burning ;)  )  That would take the wax off your truck!!  

 

I figured out the quote thing  

 

Haven't tried that one yet  

 

That would probably make the whole rust issue seem somewhat trivial (for a minute or two anyway).