Aftermarket undercoating

[bcampbe7]

I live in Tennessee but bought my 2004 Yukon XL in Illinois. It only has 31K miles on it but does have some slight rust on the underside, mainly the steering components (tierods, steering box, etc.).

 

We don't have to deal with the salt on the roads in the Winter like you do up North and I was thinking about having the truck undercoated. There is a local company that does the bedliners that also does undercoatings. They would charge around $200 to do the Yukon. That includes wire brushing any rust and then applying the undercoating.

 

Is this something that is worth doing? Is there an undercoating kit that I can buy to do this myself?

[mrsilv04]

Since you're in Tennessee, why worry?

 

I'm in Illlinois, and I've never paid to have a vehicle undercoated.

 

There's a local Chev/Pontiac/Buick/GMC/Chry/Dodge/Jeep dealer that still thinks that undercoating is necessary (necessary to increase their profit, that is). Part of what they undercoat is the plastic front wheel wells... I'll never buy a vehicle off of that lot with that mentality.

 

These vehicles are built with more and more resistance to rusting. I'd be more concerned that they'd stop up "drain holes" with the undercoating, and promote rusting.

[Wingnut]

Aftermarket stuff is at best snake oil...At worst, it might actually speed the deterioration due to reducing the effectiveness of what was put on there to begin with.

[bcampbe7]

Thanks for the replies guys... That was what I was thinking in that it was not worth it. I guess the little amount of rust that is present now had me thinking.

 

Should I even worry about the rusty stuff? For example, the steering box is completely covered in surface rust. Living in Tennessee I have never had to worry about rust.

 

Maybe this is ( ) is in order.

[Wingnut]

I wouldn't sweat that at all.

[bcampbe7]

I wouldn't sweat that at all.

 

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Cool...

 

My previous SUV (Land Rover) had the factory rust prevention system (leaked oil and most all other fluids) so I didn't have to worry about rust so much either.

[Wingnut]

I wouldn't sweat that at all.

 

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Cool...

 

My previous SUV (Land Rover) had the factory rust prevention system (leaked oil and most all other fluids) so I didn't have to worry about rust so much either.

 

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My mom had a Honda that came with a factory equipped "escape and evade cloaking system" or "Bond option #5, smoke screen". Known to most as a "2 quart a week oil burning habit".

[mrsilv04]

Should I even worry about the rusty stuff?  For example, the steering box is completely covered in surface rust. 

 

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You could probably find new vehicles that are still on the dealer's lot that already have surface rust on components like the steering box.

 

The last thing that I worry about on my Silverado is the steering box rusting out... wait... I've never worried about something like that before.

 

Enjoy the Yukon and stop worrying. Everything is good!!!!

[Mr. Smith]

I wouldn't sweat that at all.

 

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Cool...

 

My previous SUV (Land Rover) had the factory rust prevention system (leaked oil and most all other fluids) so I didn't have to worry about rust so much either.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

 

My mom had a Honda that came with a factory equipped "escape and evade cloaking system" or "Bond option #5, smoke screen". Known to most as a "2 quart a week oil burning habit".

 

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Smoke screen option is nice but if it had the passenger seat ejection system that would rock!

[Rolandd]

I wouldn't sweat that at all.

 

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Cool...

 

My previous SUV (Land Rover) had the factory rust prevention system (leaked oil and most all other fluids) so I didn't have to worry about rust so much either.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

 

My mom had a Honda that came with a factory equipped "escape and evade cloaking system" or "Bond option #5, smoke screen". Known to most as a "2 quart a week oil burning habit".

 

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Smoke screen option is nice but if it had the passenger seat ejection system that would rock!

 

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Hondas in the northeast had their version of an ejector system: passengers were dropped through the rotten floor because the seats were bolted to the sheet metal. Of course, drivers were not immune. I do so miss the eighties....

[pm26]

Aftermarket stuff is at best snake oil...At worst, it might actually speed the deterioration due to reducing the effectiveness of what was put on there to begin with.

 

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Nobody has this aftermarket add on crap down to a finer art than Toyota.

 

Years ago, most Toyota trucks and vehicles were imported from Japan. Toyota has set up these distribution centers, where accessories would be installed, as many of these vehicles were shipped without air conditioning, and this was installed by these distributors.

 

When nearly all of new Toyota production was transferred to the US, for some stupid reason, these "distribution centers" are still up and running, even though they should not have any purpose at this point. A/C units are now installed at the factory. Except now they specialize in BS like adding leather seats, and the infamous "Toyogard" protection package. Practically every effin' new Toyota I see on the local dealers' lots have this add on. Undercoating and side glass etched numbers added for a mere $ 600. What a crock this is. Doing something like this after you buy the vehicle would cost you $ 200 at most.

 

Unfortunately, there is a horrible local Chevy dealership in my area. You guys should see this. Every new truck has a $ 1,400 add on sticker for an imaginary "protection package", and they are not even undercoated! And they put a GM plastic bedliner in every truck, for a mere $ 450!!!! The retail price of that bedliner is somewhere around $ 250. It takes about 20 minutes to put one in, the hardest part being drilling of about ten holes in the tailgate, because GM did not devise a smarter way to attach the tailgate piece. Imagine you want to buy a new truck and you want to have a spray-in bedliner done to it. This &^%$# dealer will force you to buy a plastic bedliner at a rip-off price and if they take it off, you have ten holes in your tailgate!!!!!

On top of this, this dealer's parts department charges 10% over retail on all GM parts and they lie about the prices and claim that they are discounted. I honestly do not see how they stay in business. People must not care much about spending extra money to pay for his army of salesmen, I guess.

[mrsilv04]

...I honestly do not see how they stay in business.  People must not care much about spending extra money to pay for his army of salesmen, I guess.

 

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Fools and their money are soon parted?

 

When I look at a new vehicle with all of this extra crap on it (like the undercoated plastic wheelwells), I tell the salesman right off, that I don't want it, never did want it, and I'm not paying for it. If a $800 paint and fabric protection package screws the deal, too bad for Mr. Salesman. Someone else made the decision to add it... but I'm not paying for it. Same goes for accessories on a used vehicle. Either they come with the vehicle at no extra cost, or take them off.

 

The truck below was purchased from a Chevy dealer. I paid *wholesale* for it, and added nothing to that for the additional accessories that the first owner put on it. Its a safe bet that the dealer didn't give the first owner anything extra for the accessories, so I'm not going to give the dealer anything for them either.

[rdraidr]

We build transit buses made of Stainless, aluminum, treated wood floors and some mild steel components. They are designed to last 12 years in the worst conditions and all of them are undercoated - ours with PPG Coreashield (sp). The customer is required to maintain that coating while in use. We take great care to not coat certain electrical connections, air connections, etc. where the undercoating would do more harm than good.

 

Would the undercoating help? Possibly, but we don't use $300 to do an entire 40' bus. So, that gives you an idea of what they are making profit wise and how careful you have to be when applying the stuff. By the way, I don't undercoat my own vehicle and I've never had a steering gear box fail due to rust.

[dreman]

I had an older Thunderbird I bought used, and it was undercoated to prevent rust by the original owner when he bought the car. Shortly after I bought it, I was underneath working on something, and saw part of the undercoating sagging. I tugged at it to see how loose it was, and it came off, along with a thick coat of rust! It seemed to be letting water in at various cracks, and then holding it against the sheetmetal, promoting rust! Further checks showed closed up drain holes and wide areas of rust under the undercoating. I don't think undercoating is a good idea unless the manufacturer does it at the factory.

[pm26]

I had an older Thunderbird I bought used, and it was undercoated to prevent rust by the original owner when he bought the car.  Shortly after I bought it, I was underneath working on something, and saw part of the undercoating sagging.  I tugged at it to see how loose it was, and it came off, along with a thick coat of rust!  It seemed to be letting water in at various cracks, and then holding it against the sheetmetal, promoting rust!  Further checks showed closed up drain holes and wide areas of rust under the undercoating.  I don't think undercoating is a good idea unless the manufacturer does it at the factory.

 

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You simply do not want to brush on too much. Sprayed on thin undercoat is not bad at all, but when it is brushed on too thick, it will peel off becauae of its own weight. Plus, I would use only flexible rubberized undercoating.