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Undercoating?


kcd1184

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How about some opinions on what , if anything , I should do to winterize the body

of my new 94 Eldo. The winters can get nasty around here and the powers to be must have stock in the road salt companies because they start putting it down when they THINK snow or ice is coming.

I did a history search on the Caddy and it has been a Florida and Texas licensed vehicle. Metal and paint seem to be in very good condition. I'm finding some seperation of material to panels on the interior, (both back side panels) but that is a different story.

It doesn't look like anyone ever undercoated my Eldo and even though I wouldn't get a warranty, the bottom is clean enough that Ziebart (main undercoating company in my area) would rust proof it, no problem. Would this possibly cause problems with any of the multitude of sensors on this vehicle?

I know they drill holes in some of the panels also. Scary thought on my new ride.

I know they make stuff you can self apply but Ziebart uses special tools to get into certain spots. What do you think?

Kent

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Don't undercoat or Ziebart it. The body is dipped in a rust preventative at the factory. After market rust preventatives are a thing of the past. They will do more harm than good. The best thing to do is go to a manual wash after a snow fall and the roads dry up and flush the salt off, even if you don't "wash" it. Also do the underside. I do this all the time and the body is holding up just fine.

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Larry pretty much said it. I hear you on the salt issue too. People who don't have their roads salted .....I envy them. They use it because it's cheap and that is the ONLY "positive" reason for it. Last year I had the front repainted and had the 3M clear stoneguard film applied to the front of the hood. Can't say enough about that stuff. Worth every cent. As far as the underbody, go to the quarter(s) car wash and spend most of the time rinsing the underbody. Do that once a week and you'll be good to go. I'm having the car on the lift this tuesday and if i remember i'll snap some pics of the under body.

-kg

207,000 miles

"Burns" rubber

" I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. "

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I undercoat myself, using paint. Any parts of the car that aren't painted or coated with something or that already have rust on them I paint and make sure everything is painted unless it's stainless or aluminum. Then just spray it off every once in a while. I wish everything came painted on the cars. I love painting my rotors, calipers, suspension parts, bolts, nuts, etc..

I despise rust :> (Just as much as I hate dust.. ugh)

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Don't try and tell me they don't rust. I was just under there replacing the muffler which rusted out and was surprised by the amount of surface rust on the underside of the trunk.

Incidentally I didn't replace the exhaust pipe even though it was severely pitted. Guess it and the muffler weren't quite stainless enough. . .

Go ahead and use some rust preventative if you live in a high rust area. I suspect the recommendations against it are not considering the six month salt bath we get here.

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Don't try and tell me they don't rust. I was just under there replacing the muffler which rusted out and was surprised by the amount of surface rust on the underside of the trunk.

Incidentally I didn't replace the exhaust pipe even though it was severely pitted. Guess it and the muffler weren't quite stainless enough. . .

Go ahead and use some rust preventative if you live in a high rust area. I suspect the recommendations against it are not considering the six month salt bath we get here.

Sure they rust Steve....eventually. I notice that you're from Buffalo. So we don't have to get into the salt issue here because we both already know. Some years ago my stainless exhaust sys blew out as well. It happens to all of them eventually I hear.... just sooner in the salt areas. They corrode from the inside out, punching through the thin outter layer of stainless. During the winter months I go to the 25cent car washes and use anywhere from $3-8 and use only the Rinse setting. Maybe 1-2 minutes on the outside but most of the time rinsing the underbody. I mean I get down low and really go at it in all directions. Always getting one knee wet in the effort.

Proof in the pudding? 2 years ago i sold my 1990 Bonneville SSE (216,000 miles) on it to a mechanic. He tried to haggle me down on the price until he looked under the car. He was amazed "No freakin way this car has seen any winters". Ahh but it saw every winter. No aftermarket undercoating, just once a week underbody rinse by hand.

Some may find this helpful. I wanted to know where the major salt deposits were forming so i would know where to concentrate my efforts. On a wet muddy day I went for a joyride down a dirt (now mud)road and parked the car for a day. Next day I crawled underneath and noted where the mud clods were. At the very least you'll have fun on the dirt road.

Oh and the caddy's underwear is holding up just as well.

-kg

207,000 miles

"Burns" rubber

" I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. "

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Don't try and tell me they don't rust. I was just under there replacing the muffler which rusted out and was surprised by the amount of surface rust on the underside of the trunk.

Incidentally I didn't replace the exhaust pipe even though it was severely pitted. Guess it and the muffler weren't quite stainless enough. . .

Go ahead and use some rust preventative if you live in a high rust area. I suspect the recommendations against it are not considering the six month salt bath we get here.

Your original muffler lasted nine years - much better than the old days of needing a muffler every 2-3 years.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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Don't try and tell me they don't rust. I was just under there replacing the muffler which rusted out and was surprised by the amount of surface rust on the underside of the trunk.

Incidentally I didn't replace the exhaust pipe even though it was severely pitted. Guess it and the muffler weren't quite stainless enough. . .

Go ahead and use some rust preventative if you live in a high rust area. I suspect the recommendations against it are not considering the six month salt bath we get here.

Steve,

If you hadn't noticed I am from Northern Ill. Just outside Chicago. They spread that crap here like it's going out of style.

Regarding your muffler, how warm do you get it in the winter? That is the key to longevity. I drive 40 miles and about :45 min. to work so I get the exhaust system good and hot in the winter and burn out all the moisture. My last car ('92 Deville) still had the original exhaust system when I traded it in 2000 with 125K.

I'm not trying to say that salt doesn't take it's toll but the cars are made much better than they were 20 years ago and with a little care the bodies last much longer.

Undercoating tends to dry up and crack over years. Then it traps salt where you won't see it for a long time.

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Here's a picture of a LH frame rail, combination valve, brake line, EFE valve, etc. that was undercoated one month after this D-car was assembled in Detroit in November of 1987. It has endured daily use through 11 Ontario winters; the brake and fuel lines, fuel tank, etc. are all original. The WRAF sensor is new. :)

post-3-1088480111.jpg

___________________________________________________

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