Underseal!
 

Hi all,

This is my first post here (maybe of many!) although on reflection I've been reading posts here for several years as there's often useful guidance for BMW drivers too...

I'm in the process of buying a JDM Impreza wagon and obviously want to keep it free from rust. Yesterday I stumbled across this rustproofing service at a place near Rugby, offering a lengthy guarantee on the product. They have even formulated an improved solution with an additive that makes the wax coat more resistant to damage!

https://before-n-after.co.uk/

Anyone been here yet or have any thoughts?

Unless they're removing all the components from underneath including subframes so the entire underbody is exposed before starting any treatment I wouldn't bother. Most places don't bother doing this because it's too much work but then you're only getting half a job done.

Assuming this is your first Scooby, rust hides in a lot of places. You want to try and get the car as must free as possible. Like @RockyRoad has said if they aren't removing subframes etc then just use what ever you prefer and get it done where ever is easiest for you.

he wont do impreza ,cancelled my solt twice but im happy he did ,900 quid for water wash and coat all in one day is a rip off.
Buy import and underseal it when landed in UK or buy cheaper UK based wagon and do full or rear restoration at Tas Motorsport

I had my hatchback undersealed by TGM sport and they have done an exceptional job including undersealing the rear subframe etc.

Wow thats mental. See its a scooby, ramp up the price.

So maybe not the best solution then. Finding a provider who's prepared to do the extra work seems key.

surely something is better than nothing?

Any recommendations for North West or Midlands would be helpful. I can justify Hampshire and a visit to friends in Southampton. Obviously the right job far outweighs any inconvenience in getting it done though

He immediately assumed the car has an after-market front spoiler...

Great info. Thanks!

You should be ok leaving it all in place, check it come MOT time and top up as needed. Yeah you could go the extra mile and if budget allows why not.

I thought this at first reading but the rust in the out-of-sight places could be the most detrimental. I think it really is a proper job or nothing

Sorry mate didn't mean to scare you. These cars rust from the inside out. Assuming its a classic, take the boot lining out, careful not to rip it or break clips, done this a few times. Check the turrets and the sides especially where the jack goes, don't forget under the spare wheel. On the outside check the whole wheel area, there are no arch liners on the rear. I've heard there can be rust when you drop the fuel tank but with yours being a fresh import it should be fine. I need to check mine still. And the fuel filler neck rusts.

Thats the main bits I can think of.

I did my last one myself with Bilthamber dynax UC although you could perhaps use something a bit heavier if you plan on using the car often. Cost about £70 all in I think and I had some left over for top ups.
Doing it myself took around 7-8 hours at a guess but meant that I knew it was done properly. It would've been easier if I'd had access to a ramp but I didn't know anyone that had one at the time.
I did it on axle stands on my driveway. Thoroughly cleaned the underside with an APC and a soft brush and left it overnight to dry fully. Removed wheels and any plastic bits that I could and then just took my time to get it in all the hard to reach places.
Here's the thread: https://www.scoobynet.com/members-ga...ty-crisis.html

If you really don't want to do it yourself then I would look for either a classic car restorer or check out the Land Rover forums.

Thanks. I read this recently! Great project.
I'm in a similar situation ramps wise. I'd have to work on the street outside the house. Will have to investigate access to ramps somewhere if I end up doing it

Renting a ramp somewhere would be ideal but I'd do all the prep work at home first so it's just the actual coating you do on the ramp to save some coin.
Even if you have a mate who has a garage or similar where it would be dry and level at least.

I would argue in this case it’s not. There’s a lot you can’t see hidden away that could be hiding all sorts of problems but because the bits you can see look ok you think you have a nice rust free car when in fact it’s full of holes with no structural integrity.

to do it properly does cost a few quid ,, im on my second car doing a full underside rebuild and to do thing right you need to rebuild or replace quite a bit under there

Had mine done 2 years ago at Surrey Subaru Specialists; Dan stripped the relevant bits off, stripped it back and then applied Dinitrol, and it's bloody time consuming.
I've seen him do several and the car's come out looking mint, but any problems get addressed along the way before the underseal is applied.
Was good to also see that the car was exceptionally clean for a 2002, so hoping the preventative work will pay off in years to come.

Any of these people who say they do it in a day aren't doing it properly. Anyone can paint over rust with underseal, but that's not really achieving the objective of preserving the car!

Just having my RA done and needs to be bare before you start and I mean bare


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sco...0cfdab0fa8.png
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sco...efdbe6d76e.png

I take it there were rust deposits on the car to go this far?

Probably not lol, it's just how Domino does things, if a job needs doing proper he does it proper. Steve has explained things about this process to me as its something i've been considering, i think your basic starting point is around £2.5k with a reputable company, but you can spend incredible amounts on restoration like £8 - £10k just on the under side of the car, you can get it done cheap but its one of them, if you do it cheap ypou'll probably end up doing it 2 or 3 times.

no but unless you remove it all completely how would you know if there is anything under the surface ,, rust can hide anywhere including under underseal and paint so removing it all is the only true way to make sure nothing is there ,, its also having cavity wax treatment , rust encapsulation then 3 coats of body colour buzz weld protection

my type R has already been done this way so it work well

Here is the before


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sco...a13b6a8476.png
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sco...96764f09ce.png
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sco...4814b382ca.png

You guys are talking about cars that have been driven in the UK all their life. I agree that these need stripping back to be done properly.

I would certainly not pay £2.5k for a clean fresh import though. As they have never been undersealed before it’s very easy to spot any potential issues. Both of mine were spotless underneath. It’s also very possible to do the under seal in a day once it’s cleaned and degreased. At the end of the day, the underside is not meant to be show and shine quality, it’s meant to be functional.

I also like the Bilt Hamber approach of checking it and topping up every year or two. That way you are always monitoring it and can treat anything before it gets out of hand. These big under body restorations are usually on cars that have had little to no maintenance underneath.

I'm getting mine done at JR Classics next year ,it's just outside Doncaster, he does a lot of imported stuff, he's sorting some rust on my rear sill / jacking points as well, word of warning though, he's booked up solid for a year so you'll be waiting a while:lol1:

or just do it yourself , four cans of dinitrol at 60 £ work well , you need the cavity spray pipe too at about 5£ , it’s not difficult to do , bad areas can be jacking points , sills and rear arches inner and outer (wheel well ) area of arch , i’ve done all my jdms and they have lasted well , my jdms have generally been very clean in the first place 👍 and just top up the areas every so often ( i seem to be getting issues posting so hope this one works )

anyone offering to do a underseal job in one day isnt doing it properly and thats just a fact ,,, you can't remove enough from the car in one day to allow it get where it need to for it to be protecting the car properly ,, what about behind the petrol tank and under the subframes ??

iv already seen the work from one of the big name companies in the subaru world and there job was awful , didn't remove anything and just masked stuff up ,, underseal had got everywhere on suspension components and underbody parts ,, proper pants job and they are ment to be a subaru specialist so should know better but clearly think you can just smash over the top of everything lol

mine are both JDM cars ,, type R and type RA , both Jdm cars with no underseal and both were still considered to be in good condition so you are wrong with regard to my cars ,,, but I still say if your doing it you might aswell do a proper job instead of sealing in anything that could be problem later on

I enquired at my nearest Dinitrol center last yr for a quote, prices started around the 400 quid mark depending on condition/prep work required, they want the car for a minimum of 3 days, 1 day to remove trim/exhaust/ mask up suspension/brakes etc and clean/treat any areas that need doing, oven overnight to dry, then 2nd day to apply the Bilt Hammer/Dinitrol then back in the oven to dry again, 3rd day refitting things they'd removed/masked up, summit like that anyway, it was a yr ago lol think they also take pictures before/during and after for you to keep.