With winter fast approaching, public works departments throughout Aroostook County will soon be spraying liquid calcium on local roads to prevent vehicles from slipping and sliding.
And while that process is great for drivers, it is not always the best thing for automobiles – particularly the undercarriage.
“Rustproofing (also know as undercoating) has increased in popularity in recent years,” explained Levi Cyr, a mechanic at Cyr and Sons in Houlton.
“Given how many towns are using salt and liquid calcium in the winter, it really can do a number on your vehicle in terms of corrosions. This process helps prevent that from happening.”
Undercoating involves spraying either a tar- or oil-based substance on the exposed parts of a vehicle’s underbody. This coating acts as a barrier once it hardens, to keep out moisture, salt, and other substances. All parts of the vehicle’s undercarriage are sprayed with this substance.
“We spray everything, including the wheel wells, and obviously the frame,” he said. “There are also rust inhibitors in the mixture to keep things from rusting.
Rust is a type of corrosion that takes place when iron, which is found in the steel of most car manufacturers, and oxygen mix with air or water. Over time, rust can eat away at the frame of a vehicle, causing it to disintegrate. Once it starts, rust can often spread quickly, Cyr said, and can shorten the lifespan of any vehicle.
While it is obviously best to have a vehicle coated when it is brand new, that is not to say a used vehicle cannot benefit from the treatment. When treating a used vehicle, the undercarriage must first be cleaned and sanded so that all dirt and exposed rust is removed.
Cyr said 10 years ago, many people never gave undercoating a thought, but today it has become one of the more common reasons someone brings a car into their shop.
“I think a lot of it has to do with people didn’t know about it and towns were not using as much product on the roads as they do today,” he said.
