Should I get undercoating applied?

Salt isn't the only thing that causes rust. Water by itself will cause rust, along with a host of other common chemicals. Watch your frame rails near the cat. This seems to be a problematic area.

 

Not that you need another opinion, but here is another one for Fluid Film. I just checked the frame that is in the wheel wells, this after two snow storms and circus pretzel salt applied to roads. Nice and dark, no salty white residue over the fluid film. There is dirt on it, but the salt would be caked on there prior to my application this past November.

So glad I listened to the people here who recommended it.

 

So I ended up applying some WD-40 Rust & Corrosion Inhibitor Protection. Picked up a can at Walmart for $13.50. Its a clear waxy like substance , smells pretty good two. States it protects for a total of one year from salt & water. Im guessing this is of similarity to the fluid film? It took me a total of 45 minutes to apply it underneath and lightly wipe off some excess spots.

Ill try and post some pics tonight.

 

it's obvious you do in fact live in Texas. My 2006 Tacoma was damn near impossible to work on. Up in Vermont where roads are sprayed with salt brine every day in the winter things take off quick. I spray my 2009 ATLEAST 1x a year before winter.

To the OP, if you live in an area where roads are salted, yes, it is worth it. If its not used that much you can probably get a couple years out of 1 application of fluid film.

I used fluid film, melted parafin wax/oil mixes, but i am currently using this, Tectyl 185GW Black, it stinks like hell for a week but the end result has been fantastic. It stays around and forms a dryish wax coating, black too...

http://www.mil-specproducts.com/Products/TECTYL-185GW-Black

 

I also spray oil into the door panels and tail gate, that and the wheel wells were the first to go on my first Toyota

 

Heres after I applied the Rust Inhibitor Protection. Like I said earlier, its a waxy film like substance.

 

Has that truck ever moved ?

 

Inches of what exactly? Sry.

Yeah. It has 350 miles. Been driven in light rain only once. This is not my dd so I am hoping to keep it thus way. Also want to see how long the inhibitor holds up.

 

The reason I bought my 2013 Taco is for driving on snowy and salty roads so what I did was spending many hundreds of dollars on spray cans of underbody coating and went to work until my boogers turned black. Not sure how long that stuff will last but at least I can now claim I tried .

 

Anyone else use the WD40 Rust Inhibitor?

 

I give my truck underbody and frame a good spray down with wd-40 every 6 months .
Helps keep a lot of the junk off and penetrates the steel enough to slow down corrosion .
Old timer I knew did it for his old Toyota pickup , his frame looked mint after almost 20 years .

 

I got my truck last spring. I called around for under coating prices but for around a grand (I think) you got something that would wear off and needed to be touched up every year. Then I talked to a real nice guy at a body shop who talked me out of it. For my new Taco he said wait a year or 2, clean the frame off real well and paint it with POR15. I think I'll do that, hit it with Fluid Film every fall and keep doing the warm water wash's in the winter when it's salty. The truck is not a daily driver.
FWIW the best rust treatment product I've used is Ospho, a phosphoric acid based treatment.
http://tinyurl.com/m76jx7n

 

I'd never own a vehicle without getting it Krowned treated yearly. Great stuff

 

Why? corrosion prevention?

 

The problem with the rubberized asphalt spray is that it dries out and cracks over time, letting water/salt behind it. Then the corrosion/rusting gets to attack without ever drying out because it's behind the undercoating then. Much like the factory paint, only the rough texture of the spray hides the bubbling up better.

 

Just get 2 cans of fluid film from Autozone...it's ~$20, they have it in the chemical section. I did mine late since I got it in November too so it was already cold which is not ideal, you can spray it on a damp frame as well. So far I used 1 can and was able to cover the frame and rear leaf srings and hitch and diff, shaft.... I will wait until it gets a little warmer and apply some more...

Aviod hot high pressure undercarriage car washes. I run mine through a touch less in the winter, and make sure I not select the undercarriage wash. Rinsing it off with a hose is fine but way to cold outside right now. It will accumulate some dirt and dust since the stuff stays wet and if you spray it on you will get some on the exhaust which will burn off, smells for a few days.

Mine is garaged as well, but driven as a daily driver. 12-15k/ year

Repeat next year and you should be good for a loooong time.

 

I own 08 DCLB, and also working at company who sells rust protection undercoat and cavity wax. you need both. Cavity wax for door jam and all the places you cannot see. undercoat we have does not need re-coating. and will protect your car for 10 years if new. 7 years if about 2-5 year old depends on rusting condition. we also sells rust cleaner for surface rust.
You can get undercoat almost like bedliner. completely dry from us.

 

This is NOT a good idea if there is a presence of salt..

 

My local dealership recommended rubberized undercoating. They said its more cost effective and only needs to be applied every 5 years. I'm still going with fluid film though. It's always been good to me.

 

You do NOT want rubberized undercoating, it will look good but trap moisture and often make the rust worse