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Does anyone spray paint the undercarriage?

Mccorm67

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Father-in-law picked up a new snazzberry Gladiator back in June and immediately climbed underneath and sprayed the undercarriage black. He's an older gent who drove and serviced diesel big rigs before retiring. He told me "oh, they don't make these the way they used to, they do the bare minimum these days" as if to paint the underside was a standard step during manufacturing. Is this the case, and is this wise to do? My '22 JLU will be my first ever new vehicle and would love to do whatever will protect it long term.
Thanks!
T
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Jeep Wrangler JL Does anyone spray paint the undercarriage? old-man-yells-at-cloud-yellin


The undercarriage comes from the factory already painted. If the FIL's intent was to replace the factory undercoating with something better, he would have had to remove the body from the frame and strip off all the old coating first, otherwise the whole effort was only so much shouting at clouds.

.... My '22 JLU will be my first ever new vehicle and would love to do whatever will protect it long term.
Don't beat on it, keep up on maintenance, and keep it out of the salt.
 
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Mccorm67

Mccorm67

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Jeep Wrangler JL Does anyone spray paint the undercarriage? old-man-yells-at-cloud-yellin


The undercarriage comes from the factory already painted. If the FIL's intent was to replace the factory undercoating with something better, he would have had to remove the body from the frame and strip off all the old coating first, otherwise the whole effort was only so much shouting at clouds.
LOL I think it was much more likely he assumed it wasn't done, didn't notice that it actually was done, and took matters into his own hands. Aaaaaannnnd he might have a little too much time on his hands :)
 

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I remember growing up in the northeast it was somewhat common due to the road salt and other chemicals used on the road. I know my dad had a few vehicles that the frames eventually rusted on. Biggest thing is to rinse the undercarriage after snow if you live in an area that uses salt or similar.
 
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Mccorm67

Mccorm67

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I remember growing up in the northeast it was somewhat common due to the road salt and other chemicals used on the road. I know my dad had a few vehicles that the frames eventually rusted on. Biggest thing is to rinse the undercarriage after snow if you live in an area that uses salt or similar.
Thanks for the tip 👍🏼 Oh, I have to add (since you mention road salt) FIL has a BIG problem with those newfangled chemicals they spray down in stripes on the highway before ice/snowfall. "Someone made a deal with a family member who owns the company that makes it, even thought they're not supposed to use it anymore", etc etc etc etc etc lol. He has a lot more time now to entertain conspiracy theories :)
 

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Father-in-law picked up a new snazzberry Gladiator back in June and immediately climbed underneath and sprayed the undercarriage black. He's an older gent who drove and serviced diesel big rigs before retiring. He told me "oh, they don't make these the way they used to, they do the bare minimum these days" as if to paint the underside was a standard step during manufacturing. Is this the case, and is this wise to do? My '22 JLU will be my first ever new vehicle and would love to do whatever will protect it long term.
Thanks!
T
Not the whole thing, but I've got a 14 year old JK that has seen 14 years of winter road salt and the frame looks like new. I did not spray paint it but what I did do most of those years, usually in October or November, was to hit any hint of rust with Rustoleum Rust Reformer. In more recent years, after Rust Reformer, I've hit critical areas and the inside of the frame with Fluid Film. Wool Wax makes a very similar product that goes on black, too.

My JLUR has gotten the same treatment. My wife's new JLUR will also get it.

I also always hit scrapes on the skid plates or frame with either Rust Reformer or just black Rustoleum spray paint. They develop surface rust pretty quickly if you don't.
 

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Hi,

I do this every know and then hit any surface rust (usually by weld areas as well) with a rattle can usually tractor paint or whatever black paint I have handy, helps a little I'd like to think.

Undercoating or some actual rust preventive might be better but does make it messy to work on later down the road.

Regards,
Jim
 

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I used Por15 on nearly all undercarriage. After 3 years, it looks pretty good. We'll see how long it lasts, but i dont regret doing it. It does scrape off, when abused.
 

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Minnesota owner here. Every car I have ever owned has been pre-spray coated. Except my jeep. Which I had done a few weeks after purchasing. MN is notorious for its use of salt on the roads. My undercoat from the dealer was $600. I felt that it was worth the money due to MN winter. I have never had a frame rust issue. That may be from the spray coat, or the fact that I wash my car even in the winter so I can knock the salt off a bit.
 

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I spot treat with Rustoleum Rust Reformer/Rustoleum Satin-Black Paint in the warm weather months. In winter salt season, try to keep the salt and road grime rinsed off as best as possible. Rinse and repeat.
 

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Yep, you guys are on it.....washing the undercarriage regularly after salt exposure is HUGE. I've got a nearby touchless carwash that has a nice undercarriage wash. I do it every time when the roads finally dry up after being salted.
 

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I spray all our vehicles with fluid film, and just switched over to woolwax. We have two cars that are ten years old with minimal rust from doing this.
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