When buying a new car, is it good to have the car sprayed with rust proof?

Question

Okays, I am going to buy a new car, and I was just wondering if it was good to purchase the rust proof spray package. This package is where they spray the outside and bottom of your car to protect it from rusting. I live in Minnesota, so is this really worth purchasing for 700 dollars?

I guess my real question is, does it really work?

Answer 1

God Bless you...

NO!!! Do not spend $700 on rust protection!!! Let me ask you something--Do you keep your vehicles for more than 5 years or 100,000 miles? Most cars have at least that much warranty for rust protection--if they don't, don't buy it!

Yes, the rust proofing is effective, but absolutely unecessary. The dealerships sell this stuff at a HUGE profit...would you believe the material cost is less than $60? The labor is less than an hour...you do the math!

If you trade every three to six years, I wouldn't worry about it. The rust protection on the car from the manufacturer should be fine--if not it is covered by the warranty.

The same goes for spill proofing the seats...don't waste your money...go to Wal-Mart and buy some 3-M Scotchguard in a can and spray your seats yourself.

Answer 2

The after purchase rust proofing is over-kill, and a waste of money. Without saying so directly, that salesman is leading you to believe that there is no protection under the car now. But there is. All manufacturers treat for rust at the time the car is made. If they didn't, there would be serious finish issues after only 2 or 3 years.

Answer 3

About to same you a whole bunch of money..... Look around and find a nice 2-3 year old used vehicle that already has the rust proofing installed... This sounds like your first new vehicle---right... New cars are very much over rated. Or you could save all the money and drive what you have---can't be that bad of a ride... Verses those $400 a month payment...
Rust proffing---you are new to Minn --- look around and see how many rusted cars that you see---give you an idea how good it works,,,

Answer 4

Be very careful with purchasing optional services from auto dealerships. As is true with many things in life there are good under-coating procedures, and products; and there are bad ones as well.

First and foremost, under-coating your new car to protect it from rust among many things, is an extremely good idea. The other poster here mentions salt. Under-coating isn't going to help you with the problems commonly associated with salt. Furthermore, salt is not used anymore, and is illegal in many states. Magnesium Chloride is one common alternative to salt, and many places use this, or something very similar. The proponents of using, "Mag-Chloride", tout it as being less corrosive than salt, but there is significant evidence that if it is, it is too little so to be much help to drivers.

The under-coating procedure itself has to be done correctly, or you will not realize the full potential of protecting your car in this way. It is not a, "perfect science", applying this coating. The more meticulous the person who applies it, the better the job. Small blemishes, and imperfection create areas where the elements can attack the under-coating. It is very important to get it on right. A missed spot, a thin spot, a drip, these are all things that can render your new under-coating useless.

With that said, I'd say that under-coating your new car is so important that I would not leave it up to the dealership to do. New cars have an under-coating that many feel is not good enough. Unless you are experienced in these things, telling the difference between a factory installed, and a dealership installed under-coating is almost impossible. Beware, many dealerships will charge you for an under-coating that is not there. If you look to verify, and mistake the factory installed coating for one they were supposed to install, how could you tell the difference?

$700 for this procedure is inexpensive enough that I'd be suspicious. Do this: Demand that you be allowed to inspect the new vehicle's under-carriage prior to the under-coating being put on. Snap a pic with your phone or digi-camera. Check to see if an under-coating was actually installed by comparing the before and after appearance of your under-carriage.

Additionally, if you are being offered a manufacturer option, NOT a dealer option, by all means, buy the factory under-coating option. This is VERY important. If you do not know which one you are buying, clarify. "Factory under-coating", is one of those things like a radio these days. They call it, "standard equipment", on a lot of models. But it is clearly not. It will usually be listed on the car's window sticker as, "rust-proofing", "under-coating", etc., if it is factory installed.

Even with the presence of a factory under-coating, I still recommend having a third-party product installed. If it were me, I'd have it done by a reputable body-shop, or repair garage. It is that important. I'd expect to pay as much as $1500 to have this done properly as it is a one time expenditure. It will be tempting to let the dealer do it because it will then be bundled in your financing package. Bite the bullet, it is a one time expenditure that will add a tremendous amount of resale value to the car. Additionally, many places have financial options, even the smaller shops. You can get 90 days same as cash, or installments, or whatever, I know you just bought a new car and are broke.

One last note. If you buy a new car, immediately drive it to the nearest service garage and have a gel-cell battery installed. That's right, throw out that brand new battery and put in a gel-cell. I recommend the, "Optima", brand. About $120 but worth triple that in the pain it will prevent.

So, yes. It is very important and necessary to have, "rust-proofing", added to your new car.

Answer 5

Seems very expensive around £350, I would find an independant workshop who would do it for around 1/3rd of the price, I wonder if it is required at all though most manufactuers are quite good @ rustproofing whilst theyre being built, often garages sell add ons like spraying the seats & bodywork they make a huge mark up, my advice is just say no.

Answer 6

yes do it!!!!!!!the salt on the roads in winter will kill the underside of your car if you don't