Undercarriage Protective Plate for Toyota Corolla 2016
 

Dear kind, empathetic, gentle, helpful, generous reader,

I have tried to rust proof the under carriage of my dad's car and the brakes but I still notice some rust on the brake calipers & parts of the pad (I used Rustoleum's Caliper Paint Kit ) . I am thinking of taking care of that and any other issues that seem to be appearing with the under carriage of the car (the exhaust pipe is a concern).

I was thinking of covering the under carriage of the car with a plate . I read about this undercarriage plate on an experimental vehicle in 2004. Recently I have seen this with cars that are used for off road activity. I am looking for something very light and rust proof so I don't have to treat the underbody every year for winter and it also helps save money by way of fuel economy.

Q: is there such an under carriage protection plate available for a Toyota corolla 2016?

Hello arthur and welcome to the forum.

People here usually construct their own undercarriages from cloroplast or aluminium. But if your main objective is rust prevention, a belly pan will only cover the problem so you will not see it.

Washing under the car after it has been on snow / salt is a good idea.

How much rust are we talking about?

Yea... An underpanel might make it worse actually. You will just trap all the humidity and salt under the undercarriage rather than it just dripping off.

The idea was to create a protective cover made of plastic which will not be susceptible to salt or water .

I would be interested in constructing an undercarriage cover from cloroplast or fiberglass or some other light plastic material.

I don't think there is much rust down there presently since I immediately rust proofed the car once it was out of the showroom and then gave it an annual once over with extra protective layers.

Some spots, joints however have exhibited some surface rust which is bothersome.

How do I find out about creating my own cloroplast cover / shield. It sounds like a not so minor undertaking. Isnt there anyone who makes covers for toyota corollas 2016 models that I may purchase? or something generic ? am also on a budget btw .

https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=...omrear.jpg&f=1
https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=...omrear.jpg&f=1
^^That is a Prius

You could start by finding a picture of the 2016 undercarriage. I didn't try very hard. I did see a comparison of a 2011 and 2016 Prius and the bellypanning was much improved.

But say you wanted to add one anyway. Right?

You can put it on a lift and use a plumb bob to transfer the locations of mounting points to the floor. One big piece would be optimal, but how do you get it under the car?

Coroplast is not fit for purpose and fiberglass is noxious and tedious. I suggest composite cladding; brand names include Polymetal, Maxmetal or Alumapanel. Stiff as 5/8" plywood at 1/10th the weight and twice the price (worth it because it is pre-finished). I've worked with samples:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-fr...1-100-0866.jpg

Mostly it's used for signage. And wings on dirt-track race cars.

1) So much of the under carriage is still exposed.
2) I want to avoid metal and go with some light plastic / non metallic / non corrosive covering.
3) I guess once I have the sketches I will figure out how to mount them to the bottom right?
I can't wait to get a Tesla (don't they have such under carriage protection standard?)

Most new cars have undercarriage covers standard, but they don't keep salt out entirely. And, once it's in, the cover holds onto the salt. They're there for aerodynamic purposes, not to protect from rust.

Polymetal is plastic, skinned with aluminum coated with baked enamel.

The Tesla has the battery as a skid plate. It's armored but we've all seen what happens when they crash.

Standard practice is to fit two or three panels that avoid the exhaust. It's an opportunity to incorporate a diverter, spats, and diffuser. ...and dirt and water.