Contact 815-464-6600

Undercoating & Rustproofing

Cars still rust!

Since 1964, CarSmart! has been protecting customer vehicles from the harsh winter elements.


We are the same family that brought rustproofing and undercoating to Chicago back in 1964. Nobody in Illinois has been rustproofing vehicles longer than we have. Our goal is to put a layer of protection between your vehicle and the elements. We use rust protection products from Z Technologies, the #1 rust and corrosion prevention company in the world.
​

Undercoating


​Undercoating is designed to help prevent rust and corrosion on the underside of your vehicle. When undercoating is applied correctly, it will act as a barrier that protects the underbody components of the vehicle from road salt and moisture. It also has a secondary benefit of being a sound deadener, helping to quiet road noise from everyday driving.

​Our undercoating and rustproofing process usually takes anywhere from 3-5 days depending on the age and condition of your vehicle.
​

The Process


Our undercoating process is extremely thorough to ensure that your vehicle is protected at the highest level possible.
​
  • The underbody of the vehicle is thoroughly power-washed to remove mud and salt deposits, as well as any existing chemicals or oils that the underside may have come into contact with. The vehicle is left to dry out overnight.
  •  The vehicle goes up on our lift and the underside is cleaned by hand as necessary
  • We mask off all of the areas of the underbody that cannot be undercoated, including the exhaust system, drive shafts, belts, and the bottom of the motor/transmission. The wheels, tires, and braking system are covered and packaged to ensure they are not coated. We then put a paper “skirt” around the perimeter of the vehicle to control overspray and guarantee that we can apply undercoating to the very edge of the underbody
  • The underbody is then coated with Z Technologies petroleum-based coating
  •  The vehicle is left to dry overnight
​

Rustproofing


​Rust Protection is applied inside of the upper body panels in “critical rust areas” such as the bottoms of the interior sections of the doors, fenders and quarter panels, wheel wells, rear cab corners and rocker panels.  We coat the lower portions with a lighter viscosity material that seeps down into the cracks and crevices where rust tends to begin.
​

Warranty


When undercoating and rustproofing a new vehicle (typically under 500 miles), we offer a 10-year warranty* on our process.  We provide warranty paperwork designed to stay with the vehicle and ask that we see the vehicle once per year for a free inspection of the underbody. The inspection allows us to ensure that our product is doing what it should, and any touch ups required will be included at no charge.

*The warranty does not apply to the following:
  • Any General Motors vehicle with the wax-based coating on its frame. This factory coating fails within a few years and will take our undercoating with it.
  • Vehicles over 1000 miles
  • Any vehicle that has been driven through salt during winter
  • Vehicles that see an intense amount of off-road use
  • Vehicles that are continually used within a harsh environment (limestone, plow trucks etc.)
  • Areas within vehicles where factory sound deadening material and body caulk exist