No. Modern unibody vehicles come with a rubberized undercoat already sprayed on the chassis.

All that stuff is going to do is put rubbery gunk where you don't want it, for way too much money.

 

Waste of money.

 

I had mine undercoated at 6 kilometers, before taking it home. Frankly, with our climate and what the city uses on the roads in winter, I would never buy a new car and not get it undercoated.

 

is it just undercoating you did? or with the rust proofing as well?

 

Your car isn't undercoated from the factory. Ask to see your car on the hoist so you can see for yourself. Some models have wheel wells that are somewhat undercoated, and sometimes there are select areas that are undercoated but nothing more......this is typical accross most brands. For the most part your underside is painted

I get paid half an hour labor to undercoat a vehicle. That gives me plenty of time to ensure I do a good job. That should give you an idea of the markup involved with undercoating. I'm glad I get to do my own car for free without question which also gives you an idea of the markup involved on the undercoating itself. Maybe you can negotiate that price??

It really depends on the tech applying the undercoat. For example, undercoating a fuel tank can cause in-tank temperatures to be higher (may retain heat from the pump) and can cause premature fuel pump failure over time. Also, if the tech does a "splash and dash" and doesn't focus on critical areas that may be prone to rust, then it was all one big waste of money. They'll also want to avoid park brake cables so you don't run the risk of having the cables bind up. Also want to avoid the exhaust, and components such as the evap canister (especially evap canister vents). Some places get little punk kids to do the undercoating and I'd never trust them with giving a crap about things like that.

 

Alternative to rustproofing.

There are a number of independent service stations here in VT that offer a unique service. For $50.00 they will put your car up on a lift and spray the undercarriage with used motor oil. Does the same thing as rustproofing at a fraction of the price. Also, years ago some old times would paint the outside of their doors with the same used oil to keep the rust monsters away. Just FYI.

 

I used to get it on new cars back in the 70s and 80s; like the other posters have noted.........the manufacturers have improved underbody protection to the point I haven't gotten any spray on garbage since 1984. Waste of money in my book too.

 

Sure it's a ripoff. Way too much money, BUT, when your car starts rusting, and it will, it is going to cost a LOT more to fix than that. I got it on my car because I intend to keep it a LONG time. Don't like rust, get a lot of salt on roads here, and there are a lot of cars that are relatively new here with rust on them. You could take Ratfink 's advice and get it sprayed and inspect to be sure it was done properly. Zebart told me there is a chart they follow on where and how to spray underneath and inside doors and panels. Ask to see it and inspect. They also inspect and reapply where necessary for the next two years. Would I do it again? Yep, and I did with my GF's car.

 

I had my Tribute for 7 years ans 227,000 miles and my wife's Rendezvous for 9 years and 235,000 miles without any underbody rust. We live in New England with tons of salt on the roads every winter. They were not undercoated. In my opinion it is a waste of money. If you really want it, buy some spray can truckbed coating (much better than undercoating) and do it yourself.

 

In the 70's i used to rustproof my vehicles but since 2000 i find that most vehicles are much more resistant (not rustproof) than older cars. That said, i don't rustproof my cars anymore. I have both hot and cold water for washing my cars so , even in winter, i wash them at least once a week to remove the sand/salt. My '01 zx3 at 11 years hasn't one spot of rust on it anywhere, even in door and hatch seams. I attribute this to keeping it clean year round. It was an inexpensive and easy fix to have a plumber , using frost proof faucets, install a hot/cold faucet for car washing..

 

I have a 15 year old Bronco that has beem spared from rust by simply washing it regularly, and drying it afterward...Sure there is some rust under the doors, and in the rocker panels, but its not visible form the outside yet (I'm sure it will be eventually!) and my view is, unless you plan on keeping the car for a LOOONG time, it is a waste of money. SImply wash your car regulary (I go to a spray coin wash for really cold days) and you get the benefit of rust aversion, and a shiny, clean car.

Also, I have sprayed WD-40 on the small rust spots (to drive out moisture) that were visible when I bought it , and they have not grown.

 

is it just undercoating you did? or with the rust proofing as well?

 

It depends on how long you plan to keep your car, and if you care how long it lasts for future owners. I had my 1993 Mercury Tracer Ziebart rust-proofed when I bought it new. I drove it 18-1/2 years in Northern Indiana winters and it was just starting to get a tiny spot of rust around one wheel well when we replaced it with the Focus. A guy at work had a '94 Escort that was almost identical to my Tracer. It was a bucket of rust. I don't know how much of this difference to attribute to the rust proofing, but I did let Ziebart do rust proofing on the Focus.

As far as worth $800? I didn't pay nearly that much. Try negotiating.

 

I didn't have the dealership do it. I had a guy that does fantastic body work do it. Only cost about $100 and he did underneath and took out the wheel wells and did inside there.

I live in Ohio so with the salt and other chemicals used for snow, I wasn't taking the chance. My parent's 2011 Focus already had some rust from just one year going without the undercoat.

 

My parent's 2011 Focus already had some rust from just one year going without the undercoat.

Do they ever wash it? Again, my experience shows that regular washing to remove the salt, sand, and other abrasives is the best weapon against rust.

BTW, at $100 I would have had it done too![cheers]

 

When I lived in New England (NH) almost of the aftermarket Rustproof businesses went out of business. The problem turned out to be the cars would rust due to the rustproofing trapping moisture. Basically the car needs to be rustproofed before it is ever driven. Spraying oil will work to a point, but motor oil will over time damage rubber. ATF fluid would be better and it won't damage plastic or rubber.

What I have been using for the last 12 years is product made by Amsoil called Heavy Duty Metal Protector. It is a spray with rust inhibitors and marine grade wax. It works great as an undercoating. I mainly use it as my chain lube for my two Triumph motorcycles, but it works great for anything that I want to protect from rusting. You could probably use any spray on Chain lube, just make sure it has rust inhibitors and marine grade wax in it.

 

How often do you apply it?

 

Bought mine off the lot, it had the full Zeibart protection done. Probably wouldn't
have gotten it if I ordered it. But, glad it's there. Just hoping it was applied correctly. ; )

 

My first Focus I had undercoating and rust inhibiting put on by the dealer (I think it was Diamond Kote). After 3 years with the car, I decided to get the annual Krown treatment. With over 514K km on the car, there are signs of rust, but it seems a lot less than other cars. That, and I also try and wash my car once a week because of my driving conditions.

My current car, I'm just using Krown. The interior I use a can of Scotchgard. I spray every year.

One other factor that I can't seem to get a clear answer on is the anti-icing or de-icing compounds now being used on roads. They are supposed to reduce the environmental impact of using salt. Over the last few years, however, it seems they are a lot more corrosive to a car.

 

One other factor that I can't seem to get a clear answer on is the anti-icing or de-icing compounds now being used on roads. They are supposed to reduce the environmental impact of using salt. Over the last few years, however, it seems they are a lot more corrosive to a car.

"Calcium chloride melts snow and ice eight times faster than salt, but without the corrosive effects. Once applied, it remains active for long periods of time and is effective down to -59 degrees F. It can be applied alone or used to wet salt to speed up melting. Calcium chloride wetted salt works in several ways. It breaks bonds between pavement and ice, attracts moisture and dissolves quickly to activate salt, and releases heat as it melts. The use of calcium chloride results in the need for 40% less deicing material, which ultimately saves time and money. Furthermore, unlike salt, it does not cause sediment problems in tanks and is easy to clean up."

-Virginia Tech

Edit: I dont particularly agree with the "without the corrosive effect portion". Based on a huge Colorado road de-icing study, all chloride de-icers, no matter at what mix ratio are corrosive over some period of time. However, calcium chloride is not as corrosive OVER TIME, meaning that you can (but I wouldnt!) go a week without washing rather than the day after driving through salt.

 

Seems like a waste of money. The only cars I've had rust in NH were an old VW Beetle and a Bertone X1/9. Modern cars don't have any problem....

 

Unclebrud, did you say that you had a Mazda 3 (First Generation, particularly) in New England and did NOT have a problem?????!!!!! If so, you must be the only one!

 

Regarding Calcium Chloride, on the surface its slightly less corrosive than salt, but the problem with CaCl is thaat its always wet, it gets in and under things, under small flakes of rust and will bore a hole right through the frame in time. Washing is a great first line of defense, I have been using cosmoline and spraying it on with a garden sprayer and misting it through other places with an undercoating gun, its not as solid as the ziebart stuff but it seems to hold up well.

 

http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=285999

 

I had a 1994 Accord that was factory undercoated... spent it's first 16 years in New Jersey and the last three here in Ohio. The body had typical rust spots but the underside of the car was SPOTLESS. Zero rust. My 2003 SVT that I babied the crap out of was far rustier on the underside than the Honda. I should've had it undercoated.