How to Remove Auto Undercoating
- 1). Place a trolley jack beneath the jacking point at the front of the vehicle, ensuring that the handbrake is on. For additional safety, put the vehicle into gear as well. Place wooden blocks behind the rear wheels before jacking up the front end of the vehicle and placing axle stands into position to keep it off the ground. Lower the trolley jack and repeat the process at the rear of the vehicle so the car is fully raised and resting on 4 axle stands.
- 2). Clear the floor of debris to provide a comfortable working area and put on protective overalls, safety goggles and a pair of latex gloves. Take an electric heat gun and a metal scraper, and position yourself underneath the vehicle. Use an electrical extension lead if the cable of the heat gun does not allow access to the entire underside of the vehicle. Fix a torch or lead lamp to the chassis so that you can clearly see the existing undercoat.
- 3). Turn on the heat gun and pass it slowly over the undercoating, taking care to keep out of the way of potential hot-spots such as the fuel tank. Heat the undercoating in 12-inch areas. Use the sharp edge of the metal scraper to pry beneath the surface and ease it from the chassis. Continue working on small areas to remove the undercoating in stages. Avoid the use of oxyacetylene torches, as these create high levels of smoke which may have toxic qualities.
- 4). Clear all accessible areas of undercoating until the metal finish of the chassis is clearly visible. For hard-to-reach areas, spray a coat of chemical solution that removes undercoating onto the remaining undercoating. Leave the first coat to foam so that the active ingredients in the product can penetrate the remaining layers before applying a second coat and leaving it for a similar period of time.
- 5). Once the chemical solution has loosened the undercoating, scrape off the last layers with the metal scraper. Use a wire brush on hard-to-reach areas and crevices. Once all of the undercoating has been removed, wash the chassis with warm, soapy water before drying it thoroughly and adding a new application. Leave it to dry completely before lowering the vehicle to the floor.
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