Under Coating

catken · October 3, 2008

Being from Minnesota we use a lot of salt on our winter roads.The truck that I'm about to get, I hopefully will keep 10+years. Do you believe this to be a wise investment or am I wasting my money. Ken

Zembonez · October 3, 2008

Being from Minnesota we use a lot of salt on our winter roads.The truck that I'm about to get, I hopefully will keep 10+years. Do you believe this to be a wise investment or am I wasting my money. Ken

I can see where it might help on a brand new truck. I'd think it would just trap whatever dirt and salt was already there on a used one. Does Ziebart (not sure of the spelling there) still do that stuff up there? They used to be pretty highly thought of.

Nothing rusts here. We have 50s and 60s models with nothing but surface rust because the paint is gone... come to think of it... we don't have Winter either!f

DofD · October 3, 2008

I've always undercoated my vehicles and have never had any issue with rust setting in from salty roads. In salty areas, I would recommend getting an undercoating done.

tobias · October 3, 2008

Being from Minnesota we use a lot of salt on our winter roads.The truck that I'm about to get, I hopefully will keep 10+years. Do you believe this to be a wise investment or am I wasting my money. Ken

I can see where it might help on a brand new truck. I'd think it would just trap whatever dirt and salt was already there on a used one. Does Ziebart (not sure of the spelling there) still do that stuff up there? They used to be pretty highly thought of.

Nothing rusts here. We have 50s and 60s models with nothing but surface rust because the paint is gone... come to think of it... we don't have Winter either!f

That's funny you say that. I was in Austin for New Years a few years back and it was maybe 50-55 degrees out one day and I was outside in a t-shirt and jeans and slippers reading the paper and people close to us were actually wearing full-on winter coats and hats. People were looking at me as if I were crazy.

My last truck went 16 years without undercoating on Indiana roads (we use salt here too) and never had a problem. There was a little surface rust on the frame but no damage. I'm sure it's nothing like the winters in the 'Sota but it's not Texas either.

Zembonez · October 3, 2008

That's funny you say that. I was in Austin for New Years a few years back and it was maybe 50-55 degrees out one day and I was outside in a t-shirt and jeans and slippers reading the paper and people close to us were actually wearing full-on winter coats and hats. People were looking at me as if I were crazy.

Funny you should mention that as well!

Here in Texas we call Austin "THE LAND OF FRUITS AND NUTS" It's like the gay and lesbian stopping point after New York and California... I'm glad NOT to live there. It is funny how many people don coats when the weather is nice out. (my wife for example) I don't think I even had a jacket on in the last few years here. It's been really mild. Certainly not coat weather.

tobias · October 3, 2008

That's funny you say that. I was in Austin for New Years a few years back and it was maybe 50-55 degrees out one day and I was outside in a t-shirt and jeans and slippers reading the paper and people close to us were actually wearing full-on winter coats and hats. People were looking at me as if I were crazy.

Funny you should mention that as well!

Here in Texas we call Austin "THE LAND OF FRUITS AND NUTS" It's like the gay and lesbian stopping point after New York and California... I'm glad NOT to live there. It is funny how many people don coats when the weather is nice out. (my wife for example) I don't think I even had a jacket on in the last few years here. It's been really mild. Certainly not coat weather.

Why is that? Do you like to stand out in the crowd?

VMax2007 · October 3, 2008

That's funny you say that. I was in Austin for New Years a few years back and it was maybe 50-55 degrees out one day and I was outside in a t-shirt and jeans and slippers reading the paper and people close to us were actually wearing full-on winter coats and hats. People were looking at me as if I were crazy.

My last truck went 16 years without undercoating on Indiana roads (we use salt here too) and never had a problem. There was a little surface rust on the frame but no damage. I'm sure it's nothing like the winters in the 'Sota but it's not Texas either.

daddy wears "slippers"? Were they cute little Giraffe slippers?

tobias · October 3, 2008

That's funny you say that. I was in Austin for New Years a few years back and it was maybe 50-55 degrees out one day and I was outside in a t-shirt and jeans and slippers reading the paper and people close to us were actually wearing full-on winter coats and hats. People were looking at me as if I were crazy.

My last truck went 16 years without undercoating on Indiana roads (we use salt here too) and never had a problem. There was a little surface rust on the frame but no damage. I'm sure it's nothing like the winters in the 'Sota but it's not Texas either.

daddy wears "slippers"? Were they cute little Giraffe slippers?

House slippers, but yes.

VMax2007 · October 3, 2008

House slippers, but yes.

Nice, but I like Dan's plaid ones better.

2000DV4.8 · October 3, 2008

House slippers, but yes.

Nice, but I like Dan's plaid ones better.

I have women's size 11 fuzzy blue slippers.

unit731 · October 7, 2008

http://www.rustbullet.com/Products/Automotive/Automotive.htm

http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?

http://www.roversnorth.com/waxoyl/

There are many products out there. Most of of the older traditional ones like Rusty Jones have gone bankrupt as, in the end, they did not work. These traditional products put a hard black 'plastic' coating over everything, which in turn, created cavities, that in the end promotoed rust.

These newer materials claim to be pliable.

Up here in hill and mountain country, we still use the less expensive - but much more messy - hot oil undercoating. Done annually. Hot oil undercoating is still legal in my state. Few shops do it as it requires a dedicated lift (usually) as it is quite messy.

Superman TNT · October 8, 2008

I live in the NE. Trust me . . . we use salt. Rusty Jones, Zeibart, etc . . . all use to be huge back in the day before car companys started to coat everything in the factory. Once they started to do that rust proofing and under coating are more of a waste of money and can even have negative effects on cars. Two trucks ago I bought a 2001 Chevy Silverado and took it straight from the dealer to an under coating shop. They had the newer softer, plyable black coating stuff. They coated everything. Two winters later the stuff strated to dry out and peel off (which they tell you will never happen) and by the time I traded the truck in after 4 winters it was like I had never had it done. I never had my 2004 2500 HD coated and I am glad I didn't. It had less rust on it and was in much better shape after 4 winters than my 2001 was. I just bought a 2008 2500 HD and I am not going to have anything done to it either.

Kodiak450 · October 8, 2008

This is what I use to combat road salt in the winter...

http://www.kellsportproducts.com/home.html

This is what Fluid Film looks like after applied to metal surfaces.

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=84527

I bought a one gallon container and use me paint sprayer for my compressor to apply it. I first place X amount into a metal container and place the container on top of a muffler on one of my machines to heat up the FF so that it thins it done and goes through sprayer easier.

T1mef1yz · October 15, 2008

I am originally from Texas, Kate area and never had to worry about this as some of the Texas post above reflect but being Military, I have recently been assigned to Hawaii. I just bought my 08 Silverado early September and have been bouncing around with the thought of doing it. The dealer wanted an arm/leg for it (1200+ I believe). But I have spoken to some people here that have never had it done and have not problems

T1mef1yz