newbold1 Posted February 2, 2004 Report Share Posted February 2, 2004 I just recently relocated to the Northern US (suburbs of Chicago). I have always lived in the south and have never been exposed to so much continuous snow and salted roads. What is the concensus on having cars undercoated? Is it worth the expense? Does it really do much to protect the car? What are the pros / cons? I have never had it done before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezobens Posted February 2, 2004 Report Share Posted February 2, 2004 I also live in the Chicago area and depending on the vehicle, undercoating is pretty much gone by the way of the dinasaur these days. Anything domestically built in the mid 90's and newer have either galvanized sheet metal or have extensive corrosion preventing coatings on them or both. In many instances, adding undercoating to a newer used car will actually accelerate corrosion due to moisture that gets trapped under the undercoating. My 94' Eldo with 130K has spent it's whole life in Chicago and the body is still 99% rust free. The stuff that you can't avoid anyway are things like brake and fuel lines, suspension items etc. But even these hold up surprisingly well considering the climate and conditions. The only thing I would consider undercoating on would be some foreign cars. But even most of them have come a long way in corrosion prevention these days. Also, I can't say enough about a good coat of wax and frequent washings to keep the salt off as much as possible. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted February 2, 2004 Report Share Posted February 2, 2004 I second ezobens comments. I too am in the Chicago area and usually got rid of my cars at about 5 years old because of rust starting to show. That is no longer the case. My last car ('92 Deville) was 8 years old when I traded it with 125K and not a spot of rust. My current '97 likewise. Just was the salt off as soon as the roads dry out after a snowfall and salting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjhat Posted February 2, 2004 Report Share Posted February 2, 2004 Your probably safe like it is. Cdillac has a pretty good undercoating, as this is part of their way of reducing cabin noise. The only thing I would check is the skidplate, as it sometimes makes contact with. curbs when parking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
careldo Posted February 2, 2004 Report Share Posted February 2, 2004 Well after reading this you guys have just made me poop in my pants. Since this is my first winter with my eldo i had it sprayed with a ''chemically enhanced oil" now i am worried that i may have done more bad than good. what do you guys think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted February 2, 2004 Report Share Posted February 2, 2004 Well after reading this you guys have just made me poop in my pants. Since this is my first winter with my eldo i had it sprayed with a ''chemically enhanced oil" now i am worried that i may have done more bad than good. what do you guys think. Well, if it's "just an oil" it probably won't trap any moisture like the old tar like undercoatings and will probably was off in a year or so. My guess is you won't hurt anything though I am not familiar with the material you are talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
careldo Posted February 2, 2004 Report Share Posted February 2, 2004 My understanding is that "chemically enhanced oil" is basically oil with thicking agents to avoid oil drippage. i think careldo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted February 2, 2004 Report Share Posted February 2, 2004 I just recently relocated to the Northern US (suburbs of Chicago). Sorry to hear of your loss! Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbold1 Posted February 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 Sorry to hear of your loss! Yeah... I will have to get used to the cold and sloppy winters. But, no more 100+ degree summers! I think living in Chicago will be fun once the weather gets better. Anyway, living in Arkansas wasn't all that exciting. What a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfoo Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 I hate to bring back an older thread buttttt... I have rust on my frame supports in the back and in the front, rust on the fuel lines and brake lines, rust on the evap canister bracket, rust under the hood in weld joints, rust starting to form on the 'holes' on the underbody of the car where there are edges and also bolts and things. My back doors are rusting from the inside out. And my 98 expedition has so much rust on the bottom i can peel off 1-2mm thick chunks of it from the frame. The driveshafts are rusted, the rear end, the tow hitch, all the suspension components, etc. I really have to disagree about the 'newer' cars having better rust protection. Undercoating when done properly is the way to go. Contact a place like ziebart or something similar, they know how to do it right. Bot of my cars have no visible rust on the outside, trunk, etc. and I wax maybe once or twice a year. My friend has a 2000 eclipse, and he has lots of rust under it, lines, suspension, supports. even his engine block is rusting. His rotors and calipers are rusted. He leaves it outside all the time. I just recently made enough space in my garage to put the car in it, the previous winters were hard on it I suppose. I plan on undrecoating both of my vehicles.. I might do the caddy myself with paint and then 3m coating after I replace all my rusted brake and fuel lines.. man i'd hate to slam the brake and have it bust out a line because it's all rusted to crap. even the serpentine belt drive wheel is rusted and my a/c compressor and some other crap down there. amazingly the actual 'green'(the car is green) underbody of the car has hardly any rust but i can see it coming. really bugs me that the brake/fuel lines aren't stainless. Now I have to go purchase 10 foot sections of tube and bend it myself to match the ones on there because you can't buy premade lines. And let me tell you another thing.. washing the underbody DOES help big time because the lines are 5 times more rusted in places that I couldn't hit with the hose very easily by spraying under it. Ohio is a bad area for rust :/ Wow that was long winded.. i better go to bed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUPA BAD Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 I had my 85 caddi under coated and before everything look like the rust was spreading now that the coating is on its all nice and oiled. its been throught a CANDAIAN winter and looks better than last year its a yearly undrcoat oil spray that really sticks, an extra bonus s that is its also prevent my breaklines from rusting installed last year and there still ain't any rust. I got it done at tis place called KROWN. Its a white oil thats spraid under. They drill holes in the bottom of the doors and in the hood, trunk, rocker panels to prevent it from rusting from the inside out. I am planning to get my 88 converion van done and my 87 Caddilac done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
67coupedeville Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 Forget any sort of rustproofing or undercoating. The changes since the mid-80's to car construction have dramatically reduced or eliminated any corrosion problems in vehicles. More background on this.... The shift in construction techniques from vehicles with separate frames and bodies to frame-integral or uni-body cars also drove a lot of the anti-corrosion measures that are built into the cars. Where a fender rust-thru was a cosmetic concern in the pre-70's cars it quickly becomes a structural concern when the body IS the frame. Most structural "black metal" and skin of the vehicles these days is double sided galvanized steel or corosion protected otherwise. In addition, the entire body is dip coated wtih an electrostatically applied base coat or primer to seal all seams and prevent moisture/corrosion from entering cracks and pores where it could be trapped. I don't know for sure about all this "New Construction." My old 85 GMC truck is from the same design as the 1973 with some moderate improvments such as lighter fenders, different doors, etc. The boxes all rust in the same locations, the cab corners all rust in the same places, and the front fenders all rust just above the wheel well. As well, I bought my 92 Chevy ext. cab and it has zero rust, I use to work at a car wash and it seen more water than my buddy's boat. It now is rusting on the same places as most other 88-98 Chevy trucks are, cab corners, and rear wheel wells. Another thought, we are putting together a 1989 Fleetwood that was in a front end accident. Took the front passenger fender off and there was a ginat rust hole in the front of the cab between the fender and the cabin compartment. You can't wash in there regularly without a hoist . My thought is that ALL car manufacturers design their vehicles to rust. In turn, I look at my 1989 Caddy and say "Well maybe its time for a new one." Down to the dealer and buy a new one...if I could afford one . It is kind of like computers...mines too slow, gotta get a new one. Rust is a marketing tool to keep selling cars . That's just what I think, but what do I know ! Spence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.