Undersealing

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Thu 4 May 2017 13:37
Undersealing - hillman

My son took his 05 reg. Octavia in for an MOT at a different garage and the mechanic remarked that it was the first car he'd seen for years that was undersealed.

At one time undersealing was automatic. When did the practice stop ?

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Thu 4 May 2017 14:40
Undersealing - Stanb Sevento

Dont think its necessary anymore with zink coated steel and plastic wheel arch linners. Its still used but only on selected bits, wifes car has underseal on the cills but its painted over so you dont see it. VAG cars had all their body cavities flooded with wax and you could see chunks of it in the engine bay but there is little evidence of it in recent cars.

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Thu 4 May 2017 16:02
Undersealing - galileo

Dont think its necessary anymore with zink coated steel and plastic wheel arch linners. Its still used but only on selected bits, wifes car has underseal on the cills but its painted over so you dont see it. VAG cars had all their body cavities flooded with wax and you could see chunks of it in the engine bay but there is little evidence of it in recent cars.

The bean-counters must have seen and costed the wax. Bean counters 1, engineers and customers 0

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Thu 4 May 2017 17:41
Undersealing - gordonbennet

I had a bit of an eye opener this afternoon, went into our tyre bay with me lorry for a new tyre and they had a Ceed on the ramps having new discs and pads, 60k 12 plate, surprised how rusty the two subframes and associated suspension parts were, boot lid too, main shell underneath solid.

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Thu 4 May 2017 18:11
Undersealing - KB.

The mention of underseal rekindles all sorts of memories....

In the late sixties (I was about 17 or 18) I had a Saturday job in a garage that "specialised" in repairing Minis and 1100s - specifically replacing the subframes and repairing the engines and gearboxes. The proprietor was an out and out crook and bodger extraordiaire and must have had death threats thrust upon him on a weekly basis. He eventually went out of business due to numerous court actions, but only after a good few years of stitching customers up a treat. All his work came from a small advert in the Exchange and Mart every week

Body Schutz underseal was a constituent part of his armoury and, as can be imagined, was used to cover a vast multitude of sins... various sills and bodyparts (obviously) as well as gearboxes that had holes in them and were fixed with David's Isopon P38 (he must have had that stuff delivered by the lorry load). We sprayed the underseal on using his compressor and I have to say it did give a super looking finish.

The big bonus for me, however, was that whenever I bought a car for myself (and I did have a few in those days) I could have the engine and underneath steam cleaned locally, then after I finished work treat all the underside to a lovely thick coat of Body Schutz.

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Thu 4 May 2017 18:18
Undersealing - SLO76

I had a bit of an eye opener this afternoon, went into our tyre bay with me lorry for a new tyre and they had a Ceed on the ramps having new discs and pads, 60k 12 plate, surprised how rusty the two subframes and associated suspension parts were, boot lid too, main shell underneath solid.

Much as I rate the Cee'd as a used buy I've mentioned the rust issue before. They really would benefit from a spot of underseal.
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Thu 4 May 2017 18:45
Undersealing - Andrew-T

<< Much as I rate the Cee'd as a used buy I've mentioned the rust issue before. They really would benefit from a spot of underseal. >>

But only if it's applied to a new car. It's closing the stable door if any tinworm has started. Not only has it started, but you can't see it any more.

Edited by Andrew-T on 04/05/2017 at 18:46

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Thu 4 May 2017 20:01
Undersealing - Stanb Sevento

But only if it's applied to a new car. It's closing the stable door if any tinworm has started. Not only has it started, but you can't see it any more.

LOL NO NO NO Andrew Its best use is to plaster it on nice and thick over a very doddgy rust repair on an old car and while its still soft throw some road dirt on it to make it look old. Works a treat.

I have always been deeply suspicious of cars with any aftermarket underseal, there are plenty of other things that work better.

Edited by Stanb Sevento on 04/05/2017 at 20:06

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Thu 4 May 2017 17:57
Undersealing - craig-pd130

My 2014 Volvo V60 doesn't have visible underseal but you can see dribbles of excess cavity wax from the drain holes in doors and box-sections.

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Thu 4 May 2017 20:45
Undersealing - Terry W

Underseal only ever worked whilst it was firmly attached to the metal/rust. More frequently the underseal failed allowing moisture behind the seal and panels rotted out before any real signs were visible.

Coatings have improved massively since the 1960/70s when cars were junked because of extensive corrosion. Today the final failure is likely to be electrical or emmissions making repair uneconomic - why build a body to last 25 years when some of the rest only lasts 12-15.

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Thu 4 May 2017 22:04
Undersealing - carl233

I have had good results with underseal; my own Mondeo MK2 from early 1997 now with 226,000 on the clock, undersealed and wax injected when I bought it in 2003 is still in great order underneath. Subframe has no surface rust. I tend to do an underbody inspection every 6 months but the results have been very positive. If you intend to keep the car for many years it can be useful.

As many owners tend to keep cars not that long and quality has improved it is becoming less needed. I was suprised though looking in the local Ford dealership that current vehicles have rust on bolt-on components such as driveshafts and very minor surface rust starting already on the subframe welds all whilst still in the showroom!

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Thu 4 May 2017 22:40
Undersealing - craig-pd130

I have had good results with underseal; my own Mondeo MK2 from early 1997 now with 226,000 on the clock,

Mondeo 1 & 2 bodyshells and major panels were galvanised too, they're pretty good at resisting rot generally.

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Thu 4 May 2017 22:56
Undersealing - SLO76

I have had good results with underseal; my own Mondeo MK2 from early 1997 now with 226,000 on the clock,

Mondeo 1 & 2 bodyshells and major panels were galvanised too, they're pretty good at resisting rot generally.

Absolutely loved these. I remember the first Mondeos we got in through the showroom doors. They were light years ahead of their rivals in almost every respect. I took a two owner 65,000 mile Mk II 1.8 LX I bought for £300 round Europe in a banger challenge a couple of years back and it handled those Alpine passes no bother, with greater steering feel and more nimble handling than most modern family cars could today. Even managed to get my money back on it when I came back.
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Fri 5 May 2017 07:56
Undersealing - madf

Our 14 year old Yaris has no rust anywhere underneath. I sprayed/painted ALL the componenst with Waxoil/Dintrol when we bought it 12 year ago. And touched it up regualrly.

Did not spray the springs - one rear one broke due to rust this year..

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Fri 5 May 2017 09:40
Undersealing - John F

I'm surprised no-one's mentioned Kurt Ziebart's invention yet. My 1980 TR7 DHC was 'ziebarted' from new and must be one of the few unrestored examples left. Even its sills are original! Admittedly, most people now do not keep their cars in cool dry garages for 37yrs!

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Fri 5 May 2017 10:31
Undersealing - SLO76

I'm surprised no-one's mentioned Kurt Ziebart's invention yet. My 1980 TR7 DHC was 'ziebarted' from new and must be one of the few unrestored examples left. Even its sills are original! Admittedly, most people now do not keep their cars in cool dry garages for 37yrs!

Although they were no worse than anything else in the 70's the factory rust protection on the TR7 was pretty poor. I remember in my first year of selling cars back in 1996 a punter offered up a converted 1977 TR7 with a 3.5 V8 as a part ex and it was crumbling everywhere despite having been repainted 5yrs earlier. Unbelievably he expected £5k for the thing and was horrified when I bid him £300 - he'd've had this much off without a trade in. I knew I wouldn't be able to deal with him but I wanted a shot of this V8 beast he'd been going on about. Engine was spot on but it was otherwise a pig. Obstructive gearchange, heavy steering, flimsy rattling interior and near solid lowered suspension It ended up gathering dust and rust in his garage before being scrapped. He should've left it as standard and spent the money on decent body and chassis repairs.

Edited by SLO76 on 05/05/2017 at 10:32

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Fri 5 May 2017 18:53
Undersealing - John F

a converted 1977 TR7 ...... crumbling everywhere ...... Obstructive gearchange.....

Indeed, the early Speke flimsy turret-tops with overpainted seaspray, poor build quality and a lousy gearbox were indeed dreadful cars.

But the well engineered Canley ( and finally Cowley) convertibles were almost a completely different breed. They were built properly with stronger bracing and the LT 77 gearbox. (Only Land Roving farmers broke these boxes towing stuff in too high a gear). But by that time its reputation was trashed and the dollar reached 2.40 to the pound, so that was that.

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Fri 5 May 2017 19:10
Undersealing - SLO76
"But the well engineered Canley ( and finally Cowley) convertibles were almost a completely different breed. They were built properly with stronger bracing and the LT 77 gearbox. (Only Land Roving farmers broke these boxes towing stuff in too high a gear). But by that time its reputation was trashed and the dollar reached 2.40 to the pound, so that was that."

To be fair to the thing, it was more down to the standards of the conversion than the origional car I think.

I was never a fan of the coupe but the later convertible was a much better looking motor. It's s shame they never got a chance to develop it further or roll out the proposed 16v Sprint variant.
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Fri 5 May 2017 10:43
Undersealing - bathtub tom

I'm surprised no-one's mentioned Kurt Ziebart's invention yet.

Didn't all the franchises go out of business due to warranty claims?

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Fri 5 May 2017 09:39
Undersealing - carl233

Yes indeed Ford electro-galvanised most of the panels, on purchasing it at 6 years old the OS sill did have a rust bubble though, I fixed this as well as pumping so much wax into each sill it was dripping out for months!

I would say the weakest areas of the car are the sills and rear door crevice, also not unknown to see some with rusty rear arches. Fine cars though in general, I am of the opinion that in many respects cars reached their peak in the late 1990's where ease of repair, durability and driving pleasure were so well balanced.

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Fri 5 May 2017 12:17
Undersealing - corax

Mondeo 1 & 2 bodyshells and major panels were galvanised too, they're pretty good at resisting rot generally.

It was a shame that their bumpers were so fragile. The early Mondeos contributed largely to gaffer tape sales!

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Fri 5 May 2017 21:58
Undersealing - Big John

I am sure my 2014 facelift Superb II has what looks like "underseal" type protection underneath although it's hard to tell as just about the whole of the underside and wheelarches is covered in plastic. I suspect this is in place to help the aerodynamics. There are 4 gaps near the sills - to allow car jack access

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