Purchase Undercoating Warranty through Toyota?

Just purchased my first Toyota Tacoma this weekend! Going through the purchasing process I was asked if I wanted to purchase the Auto Armor Paint and interior protection, which I don't think I would get. My question is to possibly do the undercoating. I live in New England and drive mainly highway where they use nothing but salt and brine on the roads. I keep my vehicles for a long time and try to take great care for them and keep up on maintenance. I have done some research on having local companies do the undercoating, but seems that it is more of a seasonal thing that only lasts 12-18 months depending on the product used. Anyone have any suggests for me? I personally undercoated by old truck with a 3m product that last about 7 years strong and really prevented a lot of decay and rust to an extent. I appreciate the feed back. Thank you

 

With the history of Toyota frames this I think is a must. I recommend the rubberized black undercoating on a new vehicle as it deals better and doesn't gunk up like the oil based stuff. Plus you don't get it everywhere working on it. And it usually holds up when applied to a clean surface. The oil based stuff breaks down after a while, or gets covered in layers of dirt (which do help add protection). The black rubberized stuff doesn't protect frames that are already starting to rust. So on used vehicles it's pretty much a waste and your better off with the oil stuff

 

My honest opinion is to do it yourself and use fluid film. I got 5 spray cans and a full gallon of the stuff back in November when I took delivery and quickly undercoated it before there was any salt on our roads. I covered absolutely everything under the truck with it and it held up great through our winter. When spring time came I did a full undercarraige detail with degreaser and took it off. I'll reapply again this fall.

The pros of fluid film are countless for me. You don't have to deal with the tar that dealerships use so all of your nuts and bolts are completely accessible, less mess overall, and it is easily removable for reapplication.

It's also good for a bunch of other stuff like getting rid of squeaks and its non conductive so you can use it around wiring.

Get fluid film and don't look back

Side note: Many undercoating shops don't properly prepare the frame for treatment. You need to work with a clean frame to do it right. If the shop sprays over any dirt or water it can get trapped or even create pores in the undercoating that will trap water and salt and actually make the frame rust faster, but you won't be able to notice it as easily

 

One of the best insurance deals you can make is re-routing the damn AC condensation drain to not pour directly on the frame... You know, water. The thing that erodes shit and causes rust

 

I agree, do it yourself. I had my 2008 done by the dealer and the frame still rusted like an old beer can. This time around I drove the truck home on a dry day into the garage and applied truck bedliner to the entire frame and other parts that I saw fit to do. It was messy as hell and not a pleasant task, but now I know it's done right. Used Fluid Film on the rocker panels and other spots that had the little plastic plugs. They make a spray can attachment that sprays 360 degrees and works great. I hope this will help preserve my 3rd Gen better than my 2nd Gen. I used this tactic on my 2014 Jeep Wrangler which has seen 3 salty winters and so far so good, just needs touch ups each spring. Once you have a lift installed it is easier to move under the truck. Good reason to install one huh?

 

Like they said, have it done professionally or DIY. Just make sure you follow the directions to a T. If you don't, you run the risk of it not adhering as intended. In that case a rock chip could equal trapped water/saltwater. Most manufacturers warn about it on the label of the DIY stuff