5 replies to this topic

[shane_roberts]

Hi everyone I have nearly finished the welding ov the underside of my mini. And I have started to bare metal it.
What is the best way to seal the underside I want to give it a good finish but it's still got to be used as a daily runner so it needs to be as resistant to the rain, snow, salt and crappy weather we are gonna get as possible lol.
I have seam sealer and hammerite underbody seal but is it best to etch it first. What products have everyone else used and in what order.
Thanks in advance.
Shane

[strettman]

hi shane, por15 and then underseal is probably what i will be doing on my mini. i'm not too sure how well underseal sticks too por15 but where there's a will there's a way.

coating it in por 15 should give it excellent life. por 15 and the marine clean and the metal ready can be quite expensive but it is recommend you use them all for the best results.

thanks

[Mini Mad Drakeley]

i personally aint going for the clean look, using etch, zinc phosphate, red oxide, stonechip and the underseal. im being very thorough

a good way to get a real nice finish and be well protected would be to use the POR15, its not very cheap though but im using it on my subframes and its brilliant
youtube video of vw beetle with por15

and im fairly sure theres also a special primer you can use on top of por15 to allow you to paint over it, normal paint doesnt take particularly well to it

Edited by Mini Mad Drakeley, 27 October 2011 - 09:54 PM.

[panelbeaterpeter]

Best way is.. etch primer, thin dusty coat, let it dry completely, stone chip, then if you like primer, followed by body colour and then waxoyl. That looks clean and factory, is protected against stone chips, and moisture. Avoid black underseal if you think you might want to sell your car in the near future, to those in the know it looks dodgy, a lot of people use it to hide rust and seam sealer etc.

[Nic]

Im with peter on this one, underseal is way outdated. best way is as above, then regular washing with clean water and half yearly doses of clear waxoyl or equivalent will keep it in top condition. looks 1000 times better than underseal and you can see any areas of rust if they start, and then deal with them. also its doing the job properly as underseal really is just a bodge in most professionals eyes. the u-pol gravitex stuff is a great stone chip and over-paintable with most auto paint systems.

[sonikk4]

Im with peter on this one, underseal is way outdated. best way is as above, then regular washing with clean water and half yearly doses of clear waxoyl or equivalent will keep it in top condition. looks 1000 times better than underseal and you can see any areas of rust if they start, and then deal with them. also its doing the job properly as underseal really is just a bodge in most professionals eyes. the u-pol gravitex stuff is a great stone chip and over-paintable with most auto paint systems.

I would second this although on my Clubman it has the original paint which has then been Ziebarted from new.This is a hard black underseal much like Waxoyl.

I would seriously consider going over all seams, joins etc with a good quality sealant before stone chipping etc.