Doing Your Own Underseal

[Willy Eckerslike]

Hi

Just about to take ownership of our first Bongo and no doubt will have lots of questions to ask. So, here's the first one:

I did a search but couldn't see what I was looking for. Has anyone done their own underseal and got any top-tips? How difficult was it? The underseal and equipment looks pretty cheap and I guess it would need to be re-done every couple of years so figured I'd have a crack at it myself.

Cheers

Andy

[boomer]

Sorry, no tips on how to do it, have just logged on to try and get some advise and saw your message. BUT just to say - make sure you do it! We did not and regret it! We currently have and have had big problems with rust.

[dreamwarrioruk]

not too hard to do diy but very very messy. i did mine with the kit from halfrauds. make sure the bongo is clean and bone dry underneath. any rust spots must be treated prior to applying the waxoil. wear throwaway clothing, and goggles masks. make sure the waxoil is walm before you spray then you get a better coating.
i treated under the wheel arches with a thicker sealant with waxoil in to help prevent stone chips attacking the waxoil.
hope that helps you

[last_tuesday]

I've just done the rear half of our Bongo this afternoon.

Used a high pressure wax application gun, with a long extension nozzle thingy, for the chassis rails and 'closed' sections - with Dinitrol 3125 cavity wax, and a 'Schutz' type gun and Dinitrol 4941 underbody wax for the exposed areas.

At a guess, from the amount I've used today, you would need 3 of the 3125 cavity wax canisters and probably 4 of the 4941 underbody wax to do a Bongo properly.

Managed reasonably easily with the rear wheels up on ramps. I'll do the front half later in the week.

The Bongo was pressure washed underneath and has been sat in the garage for the last 3 weeks to make sure it was dry.

You could do the same job cheaper using Waxoyl and one of their application sprayers but the wax gun I used did atomise the wax very well, and sprayed it everywhere, literally . It does come off your skin with petrol, or turpentine though & wipes off Bongo & Saab paintwork using the same

Drop the spare wheel and, if your vehicle has a Winter kit fitted, remove any extra bits of plastic from the wheel arches. You can also coat the inner rear wheel arches and body section by removing the side panels in the back.

[The Great Pretender]

Hi

Just about to take ownership of our first Bongo and no doubt will have lots of questions to ask. So, here's the first one:

I did a search but couldn't see what I was looking for. Has anyone done their own underseal and got any top-tips? How difficult was it? The underseal and equipment looks pretty cheap and I guess it would need to be re-done every couple of years so figured I'd have a crack at it myself.

Cheers

Andy

If you hav'nt got a compressor get the one ALDI offer. The parrafin gun that comes with it is GREAT at spraying Waxoil.
£60 or so for the kit.

[vanvliet]

If using the waxoil choose a warm day or sit the can in hot water immediately prior to using it Get the can back into the hot water periodically to keep it runny. Warm the garage as much as possible before you start but no naked flames when spraying!!!

[coco bongo]

Highly recommended matey, they have said most of it, like making it warm to keep it runny, but make sure if you are using a spray kit to ensure proper ventilation, a face mask, and a good set of overalls!!.

I was lucky to do mine on mrs coco's cousins ramp, and using all his kit. It helps enormously to do a proper job, if you had access to a ramp.

Really get it plastered with the stuff everywhere, it aint gonna hurt it. And with the seats tilted back inside the engine bay, you can get to other bits that could do with it, using a paint brush.

Good luck.

[helen&tony]

Hi
If you do it at home, put a disposable decorator's dustsheet under the car to catch the mess....it saves a lot of time cleaning the drive!!
Cheers
Helen

[dreamwarrioruk]

or a cheap tarp like i did.

[Willy Eckerslike]

Thanks for all the top-tips folks. Doesn't sound too bad so I figure I'll have a crack at it. Might do it on next doors half of the drive when they're on holiday

Andy

[vanvliet]

oh , one last thought - - the van will smell a bit for a while so try not to go camping it it the next weekend
My van has a layer of underseal sprayed over the waxoil under the van ( not in the cavities of course )

[The Great Pretender]

My van has a layer of underseal sprayed over the waxoil under the van ( not in the cavities of course )

Can I ask why?

[bigdaddycain]

AHA!...willy eckerslike!.... will he eckers like!..... (ker-chink...the sound of the penny dropping )

[vanvliet]

Do I sense scepticism / criticism ? Yes I know that waxoil forms a skin etc.
The bloke who did the job has a lot of experience and asserts that it offers an extra layer of protection and you know, looking at it last night , I think that he was right

Here is a description of the waxoiling process It is often recommended that the waxoyl is thinned down slightly

http://tinyurl.com/6rgd2g

[mikeonb4c]

Do I sense scepticism / criticism ? Yes I know that waxoil forms a skin etc.
The bloke who did the job has a lot of experience and asserts that it offers an extra layer of protection and you know, looking at it last night , I think that he was right

Here is a description of the waxoiling process It is often recommended that the waxoyl is thinned down slightly

http://tinyurl.com/6rgd2g

My understanding of the expensive process done by Chassis Clean, Rustmasters etc. was that they put waxoyl everywhere and then a layer of Dinitrol (black, rather like underseal) over the waxoyl in areas likely to suffer waxoyl erosion by road spray and grit. That would seem to suggest the vanvliet approach was sound. The danger of using underseal alone, I was told, was that it cracked over time and moisture got behind it. Having an undercoat of waxoyl would, you hope, protect against this eventuality?