Underside Treatment Opinion
Discussion
I know this is opeing a can of worms. I can ask ask 10 people and get 10 different answers, but hopefully there may be a common reply. Anyway...
Here are some photos of my 2004 Toyota Mark II that I imported last August.
It looks like it still has the factory coating which has worn through in a few areas.
The sill lips have folded in some areas and are the worst condition in terms of surface rust.
I understand alot of people don't like underbody seal because it hides everything. I've read and have been recommended Lanoguard by a couple of people, again something I'm not too sure on (does it work long term or is it just good marketing).
Bilt Hamber and Buzz Weld seem to be the two favourites for DIYers. Another option is full strip back, some sort of treatment (which one?) followed by epoxy primer then a top coat. Alot more involved and would prove difficult without indoor space and more costly but it must be worth the extra cost and effort in the long run?
Heard bad things about Upol Raptor cracking, but some swear by it
What about an ice blast, rust treatment and a clear coating?
Here are some photos of my 2004 Toyota Mark II that I imported last August.
It looks like it still has the factory coating which has worn through in a few areas.
The sill lips have folded in some areas and are the worst condition in terms of surface rust.
I understand alot of people don't like underbody seal because it hides everything. I've read and have been recommended Lanoguard by a couple of people, again something I'm not too sure on (does it work long term or is it just good marketing).
Bilt Hamber and Buzz Weld seem to be the two favourites for DIYers. Another option is full strip back, some sort of treatment (which one?) followed by epoxy primer then a top coat. Alot more involved and would prove difficult without indoor space and more costly but it must be worth the extra cost and effort in the long run?
Heard bad things about Upol Raptor cracking, but some swear by it
What about an ice blast, rust treatment and a clear coating?
I've used/tested many over the years and I always come back to Bilt Hamber Dynax UB (black) or UC (clear).
As with anything prep is key but the Bilt Hamber just does what its designed to do with multiple years of durability. The latter is where Lanoguard falls down - If you like mess and crawling around under the car every year then crack on, otherwise it's just a distinctly average old school product & clever marketing.
I've found uPol Raptor decent on flat sections like sills but not so good on intricate, multiple angles or box sections - Nissan Navara was the test car for this.
Out of curiosity I've just MOT checked an old L322 that I owned/sold over 5yrs ago and one that I spent a good chunk of time covering every inch underneath with Bilt Hamber - no mention of corrosion on any of the MOT's since which I don't think is a coincidence.
As with anything prep is key but the Bilt Hamber just does what its designed to do with multiple years of durability. The latter is where Lanoguard falls down - If you like mess and crawling around under the car every year then crack on, otherwise it's just a distinctly average old school product & clever marketing.
I've found uPol Raptor decent on flat sections like sills but not so good on intricate, multiple angles or box sections - Nissan Navara was the test car for this.
Out of curiosity I've just MOT checked an old L322 that I owned/sold over 5yrs ago and one that I spent a good chunk of time covering every inch underneath with Bilt Hamber - no mention of corrosion on any of the MOT's since which I don't think is a coincidence.
Looks an ideal surface to just apply BH UB, treat the rusty areas first of course.
Ice blasting it first is an option but not sure if that actually removes the rust so still may need attention.
I have sprayed UB on undersides a lot worse than that to be honest.
It does need re applying every few years though especially if its a daily driver in all conditions, not a nice job if you don`t have a lift but not difficult.
Ice blasting it first is an option but not sure if that actually removes the rust so still may need attention.
I have sprayed UB on undersides a lot worse than that to be honest.
It does need re applying every few years though especially if its a daily driver in all conditions, not a nice job if you don`t have a lift but not difficult.
I'd treat the little bits of surface rust with Hydrate 80 after a light rub down and then coat everything with Dynax UC and S50 in all the cavaties.
UC is just about clear so doesn't look like you're trying to hiding anything you shouldn't be hiding and works much better than the likes of Lanoguard.
Take pictures and add them to the history file.
Edit. Could touch up the rusty bits with an epoxy primer in between the Hydrate 80 and UC steps, especially if you sand through to bare metal.
UC is just about clear so doesn't look like you're trying to hiding anything you shouldn't be hiding and works much better than the likes of Lanoguard.
Take pictures and add them to the history file.
Edit. Could touch up the rusty bits with an epoxy primer in between the Hydrate 80 and UC steps, especially if you sand through to bare metal.
Edited by _Rodders_ on Sunday 7th June 07:59
shtu said:
I'm another one baffled by the love for Lanoguard - it seems to have been pushed via Youtubers as the best thing ever, but any product that needs reapplying as frequently as it does, isn't great.
If it was my car, I'd be reaching for Bilt Hamber or Dinitrol products.
I'd go as far to say that anything pushed that hard on Social Media is probably crap. If it was my car, I'd be reaching for Bilt Hamber or Dinitrol products.
Not sure I've ever seen an advert for Bilt Hamber stuff.
In my experience Bilt Hamber is as good as any, I have used it multiple times, however as mentioned prep is key. You want to get rid of as much rust as possible, use of a converter is last resort, try and get rid of it.
My F-150 Lightning is done with a Lanolin based treatment and I would say it was good as well, it's lasting well, however it was absolutely lashed on an inch thick in places.
Stay away from Raptor, people treat this like its rust prevention it's just textured 2k paint, so ANY rust or moisture under it will just work away and pop through, and the chances of not having moisture or the start of some corrosion in the seams is minimal, there is nothing in Raptor to prevent rust.
In my opinion it's only use for bed liner over a painted or completely rust free and primed area. I think it's too hard for the underside and will chip.
My F-150 Lightning is done with a Lanolin based treatment and I would say it was good as well, it's lasting well, however it was absolutely lashed on an inch thick in places.
Stay away from Raptor, people treat this like its rust prevention it's just textured 2k paint, so ANY rust or moisture under it will just work away and pop through, and the chances of not having moisture or the start of some corrosion in the seams is minimal, there is nothing in Raptor to prevent rust.
In my opinion it's only use for bed liner over a painted or completely rust free and primed area. I think it's too hard for the underside and will chip.
I've been rustproofing cars for years.
Yes BH products are great, but ideally they need applying before rust is an issue because over time the underbody coatings will peel allowing water and salt ingress, no product is a coat once and forget it solution, a heavy coating of thick black goo looks great but there's no oil soaking into the rust itself.
BH's aerosol probes for their cavity products are truly superb, no blockages (anyone who's used Waxoyl will know), well recommended.
Recently sold my 21 year old Prado sized Landcruiser to a colleague who had been after one for years, he bought mine because of its condition which bore no comparison to most of the alternatives on offer many years younger.
Have revised my rustproofing practices over time but here's what i do.
First of all wash the vehicle thoroughly underneath and scrape off any loose rust, last thing you want is to help seal in any remaining salty filth, once dry you can use a rust converter.
Then i have a 3 stage process, the 3rd stage is mainly for ladder chassis but it works on suspensions axles subframes and other similar parts that see heavy weathering.
1 Spray AC50 or similar into the hard to reach recesses, it spreads and get into all crevices.
2 Spray chain lube over all affected areas, its sticky stuff and resists abrasion, multi packs of aerosols can be found cheap if you don't have spraying equipment, its good as a cheap cavity spray too but for full cavity protection inside doors sills etc BH's cavity products take some beating especially as the supplied probes are the dogs danglers.
3 Hand apply marine grease over exposed heavy weather parts of suspension sills subframes axles.
Don't forget to treat brake pipes and any alloy pipes such as aircon.
The initial rusproofing as above is a days work, but an annual re-application of ACF50 and chain lube takes less than half an hour once the vehicle is raised.
There's two things about my method, the underside is not a pleasant place to work afterwards given how greasy and oily everything will be, but these treaments soak into nuts and bolts so reducing the chances of snapped bolts if and when underbody work is required.
Yes BH products are great, but ideally they need applying before rust is an issue because over time the underbody coatings will peel allowing water and salt ingress, no product is a coat once and forget it solution, a heavy coating of thick black goo looks great but there's no oil soaking into the rust itself.
BH's aerosol probes for their cavity products are truly superb, no blockages (anyone who's used Waxoyl will know), well recommended.
Recently sold my 21 year old Prado sized Landcruiser to a colleague who had been after one for years, he bought mine because of its condition which bore no comparison to most of the alternatives on offer many years younger.
Have revised my rustproofing practices over time but here's what i do.
First of all wash the vehicle thoroughly underneath and scrape off any loose rust, last thing you want is to help seal in any remaining salty filth, once dry you can use a rust converter.
Then i have a 3 stage process, the 3rd stage is mainly for ladder chassis but it works on suspensions axles subframes and other similar parts that see heavy weathering.
1 Spray AC50 or similar into the hard to reach recesses, it spreads and get into all crevices.
2 Spray chain lube over all affected areas, its sticky stuff and resists abrasion, multi packs of aerosols can be found cheap if you don't have spraying equipment, its good as a cheap cavity spray too but for full cavity protection inside doors sills etc BH's cavity products take some beating especially as the supplied probes are the dogs danglers.
3 Hand apply marine grease over exposed heavy weather parts of suspension sills subframes axles.
Don't forget to treat brake pipes and any alloy pipes such as aircon.
The initial rusproofing as above is a days work, but an annual re-application of ACF50 and chain lube takes less than half an hour once the vehicle is raised.
There's two things about my method, the underside is not a pleasant place to work afterwards given how greasy and oily everything will be, but these treaments soak into nuts and bolts so reducing the chances of snapped bolts if and when underbody work is required.
Belle427 said:
Sorry if it offends but acf 50 on the underside of a car is useless.
No it’s not, it does a fantastic job of preserving motorbikes and protecting from salt. So cars are no different. Yes, it’s not the most resilient in areas subject to heavy road spray / water but on all other areas, inside box sections, areas sheltered from direct spray etc. it creeps very well as it’s quite thin and will firm up as the solvent evaporates. It also has anti-corrosion additives in it.Gassing Station | Bodywork & Detailing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff