Greetings all, I just took delivery of my Prius '07 Pkg#2 yesterday, and I love it! Drove it from the dealer in New Jersey back to where I live on Long Island, fighting horrendous traffic on the George Washington Bridge (average speed 5MPH), and my Prius was averaging 43MPG... In heavy congested bumper-to-bumper 5 MPH traffic! Wow. :wub: Anyway, I got a question I'm sure my fellow Prius owners can help me with: Here in NYC we do get lots of salt on the roads during the winter so I always undercoat any new car I bought in the past, and I'm thinking of doing it for the Prius. Are there any do's and don'ts for rustproofing the Prius, or can I apply the undercoating like I would any regular car? Just want to make sure so I don't inadvertently screw up the car or void the warranty. Thanks!
I wouldn't. I live on Long Island also, but I gave up undercoating years ago. I think the underside of cars are made much better now. No more bare metal. Just look at your wheel wells. Also there are some 'gizmos' under the car that would probably get srcewed up with undercoating. An example is the headlight aiming sensor. It is attached under the rear wheels. Marvin
Thanks for the info! I guess I'll skip the undercoating as per your advice. Another related question: When I drive my Prius to a car wash, should I decline the underbody wash because of the sensors there? Thanks! (Sorry if I sound neurotic.. I love my new Prius and I want to take care of it properly).
Undercoating is a scam. Won't improve rust resistance over factory and, if anything, can cause drain holes to get plugged up, exacerbating corrosion issues. See, e.g., here: "Remember that scene in "Fargo" where the slick auto salesman tries to pressure a skeptical buyer into paying for undercoating? Well, the Coen brothers got that one right: You really don't need after-market undercoating. 'Modern vehicles come from the factory with a fairly extensive quantity of coatings on the chassis, and those do a pretty darn good job of protecting the vehicle,' says [Douglas Love, communications counsel for Consumer Reports]."
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JustLurkin @ Sep 1 2007, 04:15 PM) [snapback]505533[/snapback]</div> No, they're waterproof, and, unlike the waterproofing gunk, water drips away and evaporates.
Around here, it's pretty easy to find 5-6 year old cars/trucks with rust already starting. In a high road salt location - such as Ontario - it's even easier to find vehicles with heavy rust. I've always had good results with Rust Check, but am leery of having it done to my Prius. First of all, it's a yearly spraying, and second of all, they drill holes into the body to spray the oily stuff in. I'm not convinced they understand what happens when that oily stuff is sprayed onto head curtain airbag modules, or pyrotechnic seat belt tensioner systems. If you don't intend to keep a vehicle beyond 5-6 years, I sure wouldn't worry about additional rust proofing. My 1984 Ford F-150 has been Rust Checked since new, and underneath it looks like it just rolled off the assembly line. It could use a paint job, which will be done next month.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jayman @ Sep 2 2007, 01:50 PM) [snapback]505919[/snapback]</div> I live on Long Island. Not only is salting pretty regular in the winter, but I live right near the water. Any day with a good wind (which is most days) my car is covered with little salt encrustations. Still, haven't had a rust issue in years (aside from unrepaired body damage)
