Underneath the 4Runner

[kinchy]

How aggressive do I have to be keeping the bottom of this puppy clean? Salt would be my primary issue.

Does it come from the factory with any undercoating?

Plan to hose it down as soon as the weather heats up a bit.



Anything beyond that I should know about?

W

 

[toto]

There isn't nearly as much undercoating on my 06 as there was on my 94, but they still have to coat bare metal parts so that they don't rust on the boat trip from Japan to North America. Recently they've been using some sort of clear paint for that purpose, rather than traditional thick undercoating. I don't know if the paint wears off over time, but I would think that as long as it's there it will protect against surface rust due to the road salt.

 

[TheBlueWave]

There is a tar-like substance that sprays out of a can and is made by 3M and couple other manufacturers sold in auto parts stores and places like Wal-Mart that have auto care departments. You sand and smooth off the rust and imperfections and spray the stuff on and let it dry for at least an hour, but 24 hours is recommended. That should keep you rustproof.