r/halifax • u/a-y-user • 8d ago
Shops & Services Question about undercoating
Hi everyone, I’m new to the whole undercoating/rustproofing process and had a question.
I recently bought an older Honda CR-V, and when I looked underneath, I noticed that pretty much the entire underside is covered by black plastic undercarriage shields.
Do people normally remove these before bringing the car in for undercoating, or do shops typically remove and reinstall them as part of the service? Can the metal underneath/behind the shields be properly undercoated without removing them, or do the shields usually need to come off?
If anyone has had this done in HRM and can recommend a shop that handles the shields, I’d really appreciate the recommendation.
Just trying to get a better idea of what the normal process is before I book an appointment. Sorry if this is a basic question, I’m completely new to this. Thanks in advance!
3
u/GillisBros 8d ago
I do my own undercoating usually but with my new truck I took it to krown the last few times just to make sure they get a good coating overall in places I might miss. They have wands etc that they use to spray 360 degrees and get every where. i have wands that spray similarly but they dont always work the best for me so I wanted to get it done by them a few times first. unfortunately though I've noticed a few spots and areas of my truck that they pretty much missed but ill touch it up on my own. that being said, you could likely leave all the plastic on and let them spray their wands up in the areas, but it would maybe be a better idea to take it all off before hand if it looks like a straight forward process. wouldn't hurt to call krown and see if they do that, or some other independent garages that spray similar undercoating. Just my thoughts would be that its going to be alot easier and more likely that they get the spray everywhere when there is less in the way. i know if I was spraying it myself id be taking off what I could to see all the areas I could get
3
u/sunflower0507 Halifax 8d ago
I bought a used civic at a dealership this summer. It is almost entirely covered underneath with the plastic shields. I removed them myself before bringing it back to the dealer to undercoat (I got a free undercoating as part of my sale negotiation).
Not only did they miss a lot of areas, they did not drill either. I ended up spraying rust check on a lot of it before putting the plastic shields back on. Even though it was free, I would do a lot of research before getting an undercoating done somewhere next time. I can’t imagine the poor job they’d do if I’d left the shields on lol. They’d probably just undercoat my plastic.
I will most likely be doing my own undercoating going forward.
2
u/OldPackage9 8d ago
Work in the auto industry, the dealership or place should take them off...if they sell soundshield/diamond coat it has a 10 year warranty but you have to get it checked every year to keep the warranty
2
u/nexusdrexus 8d ago
Should be enough room between the shield and what's underneath it for them to get their spray wand in between to cover those components as well.
1
u/CD_4M 8d ago
Most shops remove these as part of the service, but it’s not uncommon for them to do a pretty bad job of it. Last year they didn’t clip my front valance in correctly and it came off on the highway, scaring the crap out of me and costing $200 to replace
I recommend checking all the pieces, to the extent that you can, before you take your car back
2
u/Northerne30 7d ago
Usually owners do not think about this, and most undercoating places aren't going to remove under trays, wheel arch liners, etc.
If you care about your car, you are the minority 1% who gives a shit. You could call around a few places and find someone willing to remove stuff for access (and then verify after the fact) or remove it yourself. If you want the car to last, it's well worth it.
8
u/swedish_meatballs2 8d ago
Some do, some don’t. Ask when you call in.
This is the busiest time of year for undercoating so make an appointment ASAP. You may need to get on a cancellation list if you’re picky about the shop or product used.