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by B. L. Babb

Created on: June 16, 2009

When making the purchase of a new car, many opt for rust-proofing. Is this the most economical use of your money? It is not.

IF you can find a car where the coating was applied by the factory (such as a Nissan pickup I purchased), then it may be a good deal, however, those performed by dealers are not adequate to protect your car's undercarriage.

Why is that? A new car has already been exposed to the weather. Most vehicles arrive at their destination via car carriers where rain, road salt/snow is splashed up on and around them as they tool down the road on the trailer. Those cars built overseas come across in ships hauling many cars.

The only way to properly prepare an undercarriage for proper adhesion requires an environmentally controlled room whereby the entire room can be heated to the point of ensuring all of the surfaces are fully dry. This takes time. In most cases it is time a dealership will not spend when performing the application of the undercoating.

Also consider that the lay people applying the undercoating are going to ensure everything VISIBLE is coated, however, there are many areas they will be unable to properly coat and it is most likely these areas where the corrosion would begin.

Cars today are made from metals that are more resistant to corrosion (but not immune to it). Steel needs protection, but steel is a very heavy metal and adds weight to a vehicle that reduces fuel efficiency. Lighter alloys are more resistant to corrosion as well as easier on the fuel economy.

Consider the environment you live and drive in.

Living off a dirt (unpaved) road, the pebbles/stones kicked up by your wheels will also chip away your expensive "protection" rendering it useless as soon as the first rock chips it away.

There was a time in history where a car would require this undercoating to protect the frame of the car from damaging corrosion, but those days are long past.

I had my 2000 vehicle coated when I purchased it new believing (mistakenly) that living a stone's throw from the Atlantic Ocean would allow salt air to damage my frame. The dealer I purchased the car from performed it.

The day I took it in it was pouring rain, the dealership kept the car about 6-8 hours. Was that sufficient time for the frame to be dried, particularly in the humid, wet environment I had driven it there in, the surfaces prepared properly, the undercoating applied, and allow it adequate time to dry before shoving it out the door back into the rain?

They sloppily applied the product. My alloy rims are coated on the inside (10 years later it is still there), further proof of their lack of preparation. They didn't even lift the vehicle and remove the rims for better access; seemingly uncaring in their sloppiness.

Most paint-type products require a certain environment, humidity controlled, dry surface, possibly requiring some sanding or wire brush effort before applying to ensure good adhesive qualities.

Rear wheel drive vehicles may be at risk if the person applying it is not careful of the drive shaft. A drive shaft connects the rear wheel differential to the transmission and it is balanced. If an uncaring or untrained person applies the undercoating to the drive shaft, particularly heavy enough to place it off balance, damage can result in your drive train.

It is sincerely doubtful that most of the dealers selling these undercoating packages care enough to take the proper time and exert the effort necessary to ensure your money spent for undercoating is not wasted.

Get the car in, make it appear protected, and get it out seems to be the general consensus when this particular "extra" is purchased and they have to make good on the purchase.

With minimal efforts such as that, the undercoating process itself is flawed and offers as much protection as is already present when the car is delivered from the factory. It is a total waste of your time and money to purchase this "extra," yet no dealer will discourage the purchase. Why is this? THEY MAKE MONEY on the sale of all of these extras. From the "paint protection package," to the "interior protection package," these services are just a big money-making farce for them, money that does not end up back at the factory.

What product are they applying? Is it specifically for the metals found on your car? Maybe it adheres better to bare steel, or aluminum, yet they paint right over whatever is in the way.

In the end they are out the wages of 1 - 2 workers for a few hours as well as the materials, which most likely didn't cost much to begin with and is far less than the ridiculous price paid by the consumer when purchasing the car to begin with. It all translates down to PROFIT at the end of the sale.

If this hasn't convinced you about the inadequacy of this service yet, how about this? If your car's frame begins rusting down the road, what recourse do you have with this protection? A warranty? IF you have one, odds are it will be negated because a chip allowed access for the corrosive process to begin, thereby placing fault for the rust squarely back on you.

Living in an area that receives high snowfall (51.25" last season alone) with roads routinely covered with brine solutions to keep the roadways clear of ice, it is rare to find a frame rusting, which is what the undercoating protects and where it is applied. What rusts are the body panels. Fenders, doors, and other painted surfaces such as these. Undercoating does nothing to protect those surfaces.

If you live in an area such as that, there are things you can do to protect your car while not wasting your money. During winter months, periodically take your car to a car wash that offers an undercarriage wash. This is a spray designed to spray the bottom of your car to remove the road salt accumulations. Removing them prevents them from causing the corrosion you are trying to protect your car from to begin with.

After the last snowfall has melted, rinse the underside of your car again to ensure the salt is gone. Without the poorly applied dealership coating, you will also be able to perform a visual inspection whenever you work under your car to ensure there is no rust forming.

Do not waste your money on these "extras" offered by dealerships. They are solely designed to separate you from your money while not providing much protection. Painted surfaces today have "Clear Coat" layers to protect the color. Undercoating can only be effective if it is applied correctly during the assembly of the vehicle not after market by someone who may have three more cars to finish today.

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