How to Prevent Corrosion on the Underside of a Truck or Car?
When we talk about car maintenance, one of the most overlooked aspects is the undercarriage. Even when a car is being detailed, most often the bottom side is neglected. While you might not think it’s important, it’s essential to prevent corrosion on the underside of your truck or car. Let’s put it another way. Would you head to the gym and only work on your arms and chest? Of course not! Your legs and the rest of your body would look silly in comparison to the upper portion. That’s precisely what you do to your vehicle when you don’t prevent corrosion on the underside.
Why Do I Need to Prevent Corrosion on the Underside?
The first question we will get is – why do I need to prevent corrosion on the underside of my vehicle? There are numerous reasons that you want to tend to your undercarriage regularly.
1. Weather
The most common reason for corrosion is due to the weather. Especially when you live in colder climates with snow, you battle the road salt. The properties of this salt make it a catalyst for oxidation which leads to rust. AAA estimates that road de-icers lead to $3 billion worth of damage to undercarriages each year! This is why you need to get the salt off your vehicle as soon as you can!
2. Location
If you don’t live in the colder climates, you think you are in the clear. WRONG! How about living near the beach? That salt water in the air has the same effect on your undercarriage as the salt on the road. It will lead to rust forming on the undercarriage, so you must take steps to prevent it from happening.
3. Moisture
The next enemy to an undercarriage is moisture. Whenever the undercarriage is exposed to moisture, you are in trouble. This occurs when you head down that wet, dirt road and the moisture becomes trapped beneath the dirt. This is why you see vehicles in rainy or humid climates have more corrosion than those from the desert.
4. Dirt
This leads us right into dirt. Debris gets stuck to the undercarriage of your vehicle and allows the rust to build because of that moisture that’s trapped underneath. On top of that, dirt scratches away any protection you’ve applied to the undercarriage, rendering it useless.
Steps to Prevent Corrosion on the Underside
Prevention is always a better option than treatment. You don’t want the headache of dealing with a rusted undercarriage. That’s why you must invest in a product that’s going to thoroughly protect your underside from corrosion. With all the products on the market, it can be tough determining which one is best for your needs. We highly recommend using Durabak for the undercarriage. Here’s why:- The bed liner protects from salt, snow, rocks, debris and dirt which destroy the undercarriage.
- Moisture cannot penetrate the bed liner.
- Dirt, debris and grease won’t stick to Durabak's bedliner paint.
- It’s easy to clean and looks nice.
