Undercoating/Rust inhibitor worth it?

S

Signess

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Just bought a new t4r yesterday and was wondering if I should have had the undercoating performed? I tend to think their 15-20 min sales pitch for all of the add ons is a waste of money e.g. crystal fusion? Ha. But the only one that perked my interest was the undercoating. They said “Toyota stopped applying any rust inhibitor on all their frames over 10 years ago. That’s why you see a lot of old ones on the road more” as well as “rust from salt voids the rust peroration warranty.” Etc....
Should I go back this weekend and get it done? I’m also inclined to think it would trap drainage holes and potentially seal dirt and debris if not cleaned properly beforehand.
Thanks.
 
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I am wondering the same thing here in Canada. I ordered a black 2018 trd pro and was wondering. they said for $499 the dealer would apply under coating/sound reduction. I think its diamond Kote but not sure. Is it just a 17 yr old teenager with a spray can or is it actually a gun and mask stuff off. Im scared they'll get it allover the skid plate etc...Im not even sure of the color of it or if they do inside the wheel wells or not?
 
Sal1978 said:
I am wondering the same thing here in Canada. I ordered a black 2018 trd pro and was wondering. they said for $499 the dealer would apply under coating/sound reduction. I think its diamond Kote but not sure. Is it just a 17 yr old teenager with a spray can or is it actually a gun and mask stuff off. Im scared they'll get it allover the skid plate etc...Im not even sure of the color of it or if they do inside the wheel wells or not?
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Friend of mine in the Toronto Area has been a RustCheck dealer for 30yrs, the other popular applicator is Krown in these parts. Both have contracts with dealer networks to apply the products. I would choose one of these as annual application in the fall or Spring (after a few good washes) since that is when corrosion really begins to ramp up after a harsh winter ( like we're having in Toronto now ).

Not snow wise - I mean the 15 billion pounds of rock salt and brine they dump on the roads. I lift the hood these days and while folks in New Mexico may be accustomed to seeing dust all over their engine bay - I see crystalized pieces of corn flake from brine mixing with moisture and making its way just about everyplace. Lovely stuff - so I can imagine what the undercarriage looks like. However, don't care because the vehicle had its application in the fall ( I posted pics in a thread here not too long ago ). Yes it gets sprayed everywhere but a good applicator should be careful with excessive overspray. The product RustCheck uses in the body panels is more viscous so there is some run out of drain holes for a little bit, underneath it is more of a fluid film kind of product that has more adhesion quality so significantly less drip and has more resistance to wash off. The frame is painted or dipped at the factory of course like most are, I would think Toyota has improved some of their manufacturing in this area considering the Tacoma frame replacements they had to do.

Anyway - its an annual ritual for my vehicles, totally worth it from my perspective especially if you plan to keep the vehicle looking new beyond a decade around here...
 
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Toyotas tend to rust easily. A lot of people here will recommend putting something at the very least. Fluid Film is quite popular.
 
Signess said:
Just bought a new t4r yesterday and was wondering if I should have had the undercoating performed? I tend to think their 15-20 min sales pitch for all of the add ons is a waste of money e.g. crystal fusion? Ha. But the only one that perked my interest was the undercoating. They said “Toyota stopped applying any rust inhibitor on all their frames over 10 years ago. That’s why you see a lot of old ones on the road more” as well as “rust from salt voids the rust peroration warranty.” Etc....
Should I go back this weekend and get it done? I’m also inclined to think it would trap drainage holes and potentially seal dirt and debris if not cleaned properly beforehand.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Rust protection has to be a regular part of the maintenance of the vehicle to be effective. Speaking from Canada here. I think you can save some money by going directly to a Krown or rust check and getting it done there rather than the dealership. Both of the above mentioned applications are colorless except they will leave a wet or waxy look on the undercarriage. May have some drips in the driveway for a few days too

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I had Fluid Film put on my new 4Runner this past fall and so far have had no issues with any trace of rust. Although, not much time has gone by, I think it is worth doing.
 
Colorado is a salt and rust state, and I haven't experienced any serious rust issues over the last 5 years of heavy winter use.

Not sure how bad NOVA is, is it as bad as Maine and Michigan?

The only thing my friends up there swear by is the oily undercoatings you have to periodically reapply.

I would also shout out to any of our greasy Nova Scotians and what they are using. That place could rust stainless steel.
 
I tend to fall in the cost vs. reward camp. $500, which is no doubt added in to the finance total, adds up to probably $600-$700 over the life of the loan.

Then you should decide if your keeping this rig forever? I'm going to say probably not. From 100's of posts on this forum 1/2 the guys keep'em about 2-3 years and then jump into a new model.

I'm not in the habit of handing $700 to total strangers. (or finance managers)
So I'm probably not going to pay to protect it for the next guy who owns it. That's his problem, not mine.

I'll take the wife out to a few nice dinners instead.

**One thing to note** - I'm in Oregon and until last year or so they never used salt on the roads. Even then it's used sparingly and they were only testing it to see what the impact might be.
 
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Had my Ford pickup done professionally at Ziebart by their trained monkeys, after twenty years of washing it religiously, it looked as bad and rusty as any other twenty year old vehicle on the road.

Now I only use Fluid Film and apply it myself.
 
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