I just got a new 2006 Prius and they tried to sell me a bunch of extras which I did not buy. I live in Roanoke, VA, where it does snow occasionally, and we do get a lot of freezing rain as well, so they do salt the roads in the winter. (In fact, we got about 6 inches yesterday). Do I need to buy the protective undercoating or not? They were going to charge about $350 at the dealer, which I didn't think was terribly high.
Do I need undercoating on my new Prius?
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There is a rubberized coating under a geat deal of the vehicle, especially in the location of the cabin pan and other flat areas. Wheel wells are very well coated.
It is smart to have the underbody sprayed down when the roads are cleared or ocassionally during the winter to flush out any frost control chemicals, including salt or salt slurry as a preventative measure.
Most body shops will do undercoatings, and when dealers sell it they have to go out to the same body shops anyway. If you feel you need an undercoating just have it done on your own time and you will save a lot of money.
I am not aware of undercoatings being destructive or dammaging to vehicles unless it is done improperly and items which shouldn't be coated are. A good body shop that does undercoatings will property isolate catalytic converters, mufflers and any exhaust gear from direct spray or spray drift. The same goes for parking break cables or anything that must run freely underneath the vehicle.
But I wouldn't be afraid to drive the vehicle in your climate or road conditions without an additional undercoating.
It is smart to have the underbody sprayed down when the roads are cleared or ocassionally during the winter to flush out any frost control chemicals, including salt or salt slurry as a preventative measure.
Most body shops will do undercoatings, and when dealers sell it they have to go out to the same body shops anyway. If you feel you need an undercoating just have it done on your own time and you will save a lot of money.
I am not aware of undercoatings being destructive or dammaging to vehicles unless it is done improperly and items which shouldn't be coated are. A good body shop that does undercoatings will property isolate catalytic converters, mufflers and any exhaust gear from direct spray or spray drift. The same goes for parking break cables or anything that must run freely underneath the vehicle.
But I wouldn't be afraid to drive the vehicle in your climate or road conditions without an additional undercoating.
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