Rubberized undercoating

Hey guys, im from Vancouver, BC and after 8 months of waiting I finally got my 2023 OR. Dealership offered me rubberized undercoating and paint protection which I declined. I know it would have been best to get it done at the time but 2 weeks later its nagging me in the back of my head.

It snows here on and off for about 2-3 months of the year. I previously drove a toyota matrix which had 265,000 km and no issues with rust. I have heard some things about how with the rubber ones it can make things worse because if water/debris gets under it, it can be trapped.

thoughts?

 

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on the new truck.

Dealer applied products are usually better at making profit for the dealer than offering maximum protection.
Rubberized undercoating is generally regarded as a bad choice, it does more to deaden sound than protect from rust.

The problem is over time the material can crack and allow water in and hold it against the steel with the predictable result - rust.

Much better to use a waxy product like Cosmoline, it stays semi soft and pliable, it won't crack. A new vehicle with a well applied Cosmoline job will be protected for a long time, it is prudent to inspect and touch up the coating before each winter.

https://www.cosmolinedirect.com/cosmoline-rp-342-heavy-spray-military-grade-rust-preventive/



Older vehicles that may have more dirt and minor rust might be better protected by an oily product like fluid film, this coating wears away and must be reapplied every year to maintain protection.

 

I'll second the rp-342 cosmoline. I coated my truck 3 years ago with and it's 99% still there unlike fluid flim, or other similar lanolin products that work ok, but have to be reapplied every year or sooner. I've only had to do very minor touchups around the rear wheel wells and leafs where its the highest abrasion areas.

 

pick anything that isnt rubberized or gets "hard". those things can have small pinholes, or voids that will hold water, and corrode underneath the coating, causing you to believe you are protected, until you find out later, when it flakes off... you are not protected, and you may have caused more damage than good.

a lanolin, or petroleum based product with yearly or every other year touch ups, in high wear areas is a better solution. many of us use lanolin products like Fluid Film, Wool Wax, or Surface shield, and apply it ourselves before the first snow, salt event of each year. others use Cosmoline and touch that up as required as well.

you just have to pick your product, and keep inspecting the body, frame, especially in hidden areas, or areas that hold moisture. the big areas to hit are the bottoms of doors, tailgate, rockers, hood perimeter, under hood structure, radiator support, inside of box side's over wheel well, cab floor, frame, and suspension. you can and should, spray everything that is metal, except the brakes, and limit what hits the exhaust (although, that will just burn/melt off with heat cycles).

the earlier you choose, and apply the product, the longer your vehicle will be protected, and the longer it will last. good luck, in your choice. Ski

 

Rubberized is worse than nothing. Get cosmo or fluid film or Krown. Wax or oil type stuff.

 

I agree with the consensus here, use a wax type of film product because a rubberized or latex based coating will only hide the rust underneath. With a wax/film you can see (assuming you use the clear or translucent product) were touch up needed on a yearly basis.
On the other hand, if you do not live in the salt belt, a rubberized coating should work fine as long as it’s applied when the vehicle is new and the frame is clean.

 

Congratulations on the new truck

I too, am from Vancouver. I can tell you from experience that rubber undercoating on vehicles here is the worst thing to do. I used to work at an autowrecker, the cars with undercoating were generally riddled with rust while the ones with no undercoating were generally rust free.

I currently work on commercial vehicles and I see the same thing. Undercoated frames rot while the bare frames last.

My truck is 5 plus years old, and I have not done any protective coating on it. I do steam clean it every years at work. Other than surface rust on bare metal parts, still looks new.

Our environment is too damp and wet and water works itself into anywhere it can into the rubberized coating. Then is rusts from underneath. Years later you notice a bubble and you push on it. Only that bubble is a huge hole hidden by the rubber coating.

 

Fluid Film or something like that. No rubberized anything.

 

You don't get it, you get oxidation problems. It'll cost you a heck of a lot more than $500.

 

Agreed. My 2007 Corolla (I know, not a truck offroad) ran for 13 years in salt-infested Ohio with no undercoating at all. I do not even recall minimally notable surface rust, even on the original exhaust system.

 

So my tacoma will be my first truck. I have never undercoated any vehicle I have had (lived in MD, STL, and now Cincy) with no rust issues at all. That being said I religiously make sure during the winter months to clean the undercarriage and wash the car after salt exposure. Are trucks that much different?

 

https://youtu.be/B2LLB9CGfLs

 

Dealer "applied" options are universally something to make the dealership money. In the case of undercoating it is most likely a couple of cans of aerosol product in a can, bought for less than ten bucks per can, and applied by a guy making close to minimum wage in less than half an hour.

Dealerships have been known to charge for options like floor mats that came in the trunk of the vehicle from the factory and were on the factory sticker, and for Scotchgard on the seat material when the material has stain resistors already in the fabric from the factory. Paint protectant is a light wax done by the same minimum wage earner that sprays the undercoating.

These dealer applied options are real money makers for dealerships. Almost as big as the aftermarket warranties they buy from shady companies for a couple hundred bucks and sell to new car buyers for a thousand dollar markup.

 

Cosmoline is a waxy like product that is very well regarded. I believe Krown is similar. The downside is they don't "self heal" and could possibly get nicks or scratches that expose bare metal where it may rust slightly. Both are excellent coatings.

Fluid Film and Wool wax are liquid products that don't harden and thus "creep" into cracks, nicks, scratches, and crevices. The downside is they collect dirt and can wash off in certain areas (and thus need touchup). These are also both excellent products.

All four of the products mentioned are pretty much the best on the market. From here just make a personal choice as to if you want a waxy product that is dang near permanent but won't self heal, or a fluid product that creeps but needs touchup. Honestly, IMO that's about the only decision to make as they all work very very well

 

In the winter, salt everywhere. Washing off the body/underbody a few times in the winter made sense. There was some rust on my Corolla ... door panels about 1 ft off the ground. Rocks or other incidental contact broke through paint and exposed the metal body panels. A quick shot of "rust top" halted the spread and it was not worth the effort to pretty-up the spots because they are so low on the car.

 

Fluid film.




.

 

Just about every vehicle here in connecticut, and ma., if left untreated with rust bad in 10 years. Toyota dealer in the next city from me has frames pile up like cord wood every year against their building. I was shocked at the number of gen2 tacos they were replacing frames on.

 

I will yield to your experience.

 

Problem with washing in the winter months, not everyone can get out a pressure washer to do it at that time of year. Going to a car wash isn't a great option either as most use recycled water thats as salty as the roads those vehicles came from.