Has anyone heard of coating undercarriage?

[bonniej0]

I just bought a 2001 Holiday Vacationer 33' and I was concerned about the undercarriage. The gentleman that sold it to me is a used salesman and he does his own repairs. He told me it would cost $700 to sand blast/ sand surface rust, the undercarriage and spray chemicals to protect undercarriage from rusting any further, is this a bunch of bs or for real and how much should it cost?

[alexleblanc]

I come from several automotive restoration projects over the years, I'd suggest using some POR15 product - clean it, converts it and coat it. I've done this with several things over the years and it works.

www.por15.com

[wa8yxm]

There are two schools of thought and a few different coatings that may make a difference.

I have not seen it in years but there used to be a product line that was sold as "rust converters" supposed to react with rust, stop it and seal it, I can not attest to how well it did or did not work. Only aware of the existance.

The two schools of thought are as follows:
Undercoating, if done properly, when new, is great, but if you chip it and moisture gets UNDER the coating, then it is the exact opposite of great, it may make it rust faster.

That said, there used to be a company that guaranteed their work. I had 'em do a car I once owned, and yes, it rusted out,,, but well after the warranty period.

Not sure if the undercoating made a difference or what that difference was.

[rockhillmanor]

I lived in the North salt, salt and salt was everywhere each and every winter. We don't have tens of thousands of cars on the side of the road broken down where the chassis's fell off because of rust! :B:W:B

Seriously don't sweat it. :C

[BrianinMichigan]

Used crankcase oil lightly sprayed underneath will do the trick.

[bonniej0]

Thank you to all that responded to my question I'm so screwed he already sanded the surface rust and applied something to it. I just bought it, what a waste of seven hundred dollars that I don't have. I'm so afraid I'm going to make a lot of stupid mistakes being brand new at this and I can't afford to make those kind of mistakes. I'm waiting to go pick it up its a two hour drive

[crasster]

Think of it this way. There are many coaches out there that are 30 years old and don't have undercarriage problems. I think its a waste of money (my opinion). Just keep it clean. Give it a good wash if you drive on salt laden roads.

[Dale_Traveling]

I've done a bunch of modifications and upgrades to my coach over the past couple of years which involved a lot up time under it. I don't even want to think about how much of a mess it would have been if the chassis was undercoat. I remember what a Ziebart treatment was. Lots of heavy tar sprayed on EVERYTHING. Granted this probably isn't the case but still any sealant is going to be messy.

For a 2001 I wouldn't bother. As stated too late and the sealant is going to hide potential damage and you might end up with a ticking time bomb. As a second point a coach chassis is a lot thicker than the pressed metal of a car. Going to take a long time to rust to a point of failure. Probably everything else will go first. Save the $700 for fuel and camp ground fees.

[rockhillmanor]

I lived up North and when undercoating and Ziebart came out everyone went running to have it done to the vehicles to 'save' their vehicles from rust. All these applications did was make money for the companies and service departments applying it.

Over the years this all went by the wayside when it was proven they did not work.

[rgatijnet1]

Undercoating applied this late would just encapsulate any existing problems and be worse than if left alone. There is no way that they can remove all electrical and other lines and hoses to sand blast the ENTIRE undercarriage so the small part that they can easily access is insignificant. I would not do it but I would make sure that after each season you make sure that the underside of your coach is rinsed well with fresh water.

[valhalla360]

Is it just looks or structural?

If it's just a light coating of surface rust, don't worry about it or if it bothers you clean it up apply some rust converter and slap a coat of paint on it.

If there are holes eaten thru or deep pitting walk away now. Undercoating won't fix it and it's probably not worth repairing.

[Tom_Barb]

bonniej0 wrote:
I just bought a 2001 Holiday Vacationer 33' and I was concerned about the undercarriage. The gentleman that sold it to me is a used salesman and he does his own repairs. He told me it would cost $700 to sand blast/ sand surface rust, the undercarriage and spray chemicals to protect undercarriage from rusting any further, is this a bunch of bs or for real and how much should it cost?

Drive the top of the world highway, your undercharge will get sand blasted.

[chuckftboy]

enblethen wrote:
It is too late to put any undercoating on the rig.
Best thing to do is keep it clean using pressure washer before winter.

X2 its really a bad idea to coat over rust, it will compound any problems and there is really no way to clean it all off. Atleast not for $700.00

[DutchmenSport]

I'm sure they can do that, and in my opinion, the price sounds reasonable. But you are looking at a 2001 vehicle in snow and salt road ridden Massachusetts? I think your situation would be the same as here in Indiana. If the undercarriage was not protected in 2001, the damage is already done by 14 years of winter salt and chemical corrosion from the roads. Even if the camper did not move when it snowed, it's probably still laden with rust that has already done deterioration to everything. Blast away the rust, and how much metal is left anyway. I think you're wasting your money if you do. Those types of protections are only worth while when the vehicle is new. Beside, unless he can completely remove everything and treat every minuscule spot, the existing rust will be under the treatment and will continue to spread anyway. Personally, I don't think there is any advantage to doing this. Someone else may have a different opinion.

[enblethen]

It is too late to put any undercoating on the rig.
Best thing to do is keep it clean using pressure washer before winter.