CrawlinPepper

Have an appointment to get my xj undercoated and rust proofed on Monday. Is it worth having it done or should I just go straight to have it rhino lined underneath? Any prep work I should do?

Thanks guys.

Northwoods Snowman

I would research the shop doing the work. I think it's worth having done, but I took mine in last fall to have it done and the shop I went to in Milwaukee said they could turn it around in 5 hrs (should have been red flag #1.) The shop closer to home in Appleton (and every other shop I called for pricing) said they had to keep it overnight which makes since since they need to wash the underside and let it dry completely. The Milwaukee shop didn't clean all the dirt off the bottom (actually sprayed undercoating over dirt that was sitting on the lower lip of the rear bumper end caps/quarter panel cover!). There was even still dirt sitting on top of the pig tail harness that wouldn't be there if a pressure washer got anywhere near it. They did an incredibly crappy job spraying the underside and less than a year later I have a LOT of undercoating peeling off. On top of that I'm it doesn't look like they really sprayed it with the rust stop stuff either like they were supposed to.

I'm going to take it into the Appleton shop once I get a job going again for the $50 "check up" and see if they can fix the thing.

Oh, and if you want the rust stop stuff sprayed in the doors/hatch to stop any seam rust, forget about it. That's the only real reason I took mine in and the guy I talked to (not the shop owner) said they could do it. When I picked it up they said they couldn't get into the panels to spray the stuff with their tools and it was only sprayed on the underside!

_StationWagon_

What about sensors & stuff under the jeep? Are they affected? Do these shops protect them? And does the undersoating mess up access to bolts?

liqour crazy

i worked for an oilfield service co for 7 years and every spring and fall we would hotsy all the trucks and trailers and do it our self. its an extremly dirty job to do on your back. but it can be done. that being said ive done my 03 dodge 2500 with cummins and xj for last few years once year with boiled linseed oil and a tiny bit of black paint and whatever else i feel like throwing in it. pb blaster wd40 whatever i feel like. the linseed stays oilish while paint hardens and makes like a shell. the gun i picked up i got at a auto paint supply place for i think 70 buck. it was over priced but helped out a local guy. as far a sensors ect. the only thing ive noticed that over spray gets everywhere, plan on a day of gooooood washing afterwards. and the stuff burning off the exhaust can be a bit stinky for a fe weeks.

CrawlinPepper

That sucks. I'm having a bad feeling about going to this place now. Talked to them on the phone before about prep work and the guy was like yeah was wash it and sand some of the rust but that's about it. Didn't sound too enthusiastic about it and really gave off the feel that they really don't do the best work.

I have POR 15 in my garage that I can do myself. It's just a time issue plus I really don't want to crawl underneath it. Anyone have any good shop recommendations for the northern Indiana area?

Northwoods Snowman

I would look up yahoo reviews and such. When I had mine sprayed they didn't spray the exhaust, trans, t-case, engine, or drive shafts. Haven't had any issues with sensors. They have probe tools and such that they can put into the rockers, doors, hatch, fenders etc. and spray the inside of the panels to help keep them from rusting out.

If you go through with it I would clean EVERYTHING as well as possible. Jack the thing up and pressure wash the underside. Another option would be to see if they would spray the body panels with the rust proofing and not touch the undercoating, then undercoat it yourself. I would rather have POR 15 than their rubber undercoating anyday.

_StationWagon_

It's funny but I have crawled under my XJ & used rattlecan undercoating for years. And it works except for on my hard working skidplates which get scraped off - as expected. I take my time, wear a mask & goggles & go to town bit by bit. I live in Jersey - they salt the roads & yet my XJ really has minimal rust - if any. (My rocker panels & door bottoms are pristine.)

I don't expect the treatment to last forever. I check after every rock wheeling trip & I do touchups. Plus I'm very **** about washing under there in the winter. This kind of thing takes commitment & elbow grease. A one-time shot would never work for me, nor would it provide me with peace of mind.

I don't mean to be insensitive if you have a physical disability or other reason for not being able to crawl under there; other than that I say do it yourself, then use the money you save to buy parts .

XJ D

Ziebart over clean is worth it to me. If your truck is already heavily rusted underneath it is too late. I usually do it myself on used vehicles though. Prep is everything. I usually power wash and degrease. Followed with removing heavy rust where you can. Rust preventing primer and some black paint before the rattle can undercoating. You don't have to spend the summer under your rig, but it does take a couple days of dirty work if you want something worth the trouble. Once done, a touchup down the road is pretty easy.

Only problem I ever had with Ziebart is it will usually pull away in a few spots. It does much more harm than good at this point as it really traps mud and road salt.

CrawlinPepper

When it boils down to it, quit being lazy and do it yourself. Cancelled the Ziebart service. It seems like you are right XJ D about new cars. Everyone that had it done with a new car gives a great opinion where the people with used cars have issues. I think it definitely has to do with prep issues. Either way, I am just going to jump into it and do it myself.

I am going to try to break this project down into sections - the rear, the front right, and the front left. I have Marine Clean here from POR-15 as well as their POR-15 rust preventive paint. I am planning on Marine Cleaning the surface, rinsing, then it says to use prep and ready and keep wet for 20 minutes, then paint after that has been rinsed and dried.

Has anyone ever used this stuff before? Any advice? I want to put Herculiner over it, do you guys think it will adhere correctly?