undercarriage durability

As I stated in an earlier post, I'm lookin in to getting an 05 xterra and wanted to run some questions past you experienced guys.

How is the durability of the undercarriage as far as exposure to mud, water, and just long term exposure to the elements? I read a previous post titled "Stuck in the Mud" and read things like checking the diff fluid, checking/repacking the wheel bearings, etc. Having mud slung all over the undercarraige may be a common thing for me if I take this thing off road, and not being able to clean it for up to 4 or 5 days on a hunting trip. I really dont feel like dissasembling the running gear whenever I get it dirty, submerged in mud or not. I do realize that a proper cleaning is needed, but there may be several times a year when that will just have to wait. Can anyone tell me if they have experienced problems with rust, common breakdowns of certian parts due to mud, sand, or general exposure? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

All rigs driven in mud need that maintenance, Land Rovers, Land Cruisers, Gelandewagons, Hummers, Jeeps, F250's, etc....its part of what mud does to mechanicals...same with sand...it gets into things, and, well, sands them...

The 2005 has a much better undercarriage than the pre-'05's...much more tucked in and unobstructed clearance lines...so you are less likely to whack things you are running over, etc.



I find that a nice protective/preemptive spray with a lubricant protectant prevents most of the problems by keeping the oxidizing elements at bay.

The only ones I had trouble with were the ones I forgot to spray. (Spray before getting dirty...like off the show room floor, etc...)

I dab of anti-seize compound on the threads, and they are good to go, etc.

This has worked on all the off road rigs I've been driving/involved with (Since mid-'70's)...and it makes other maint. work easier too.

Thanks TJ, I'm just trying to find out any specific problem areas. Sometimes car manufacturers skimp on a protective undercoating and problems develop early on. I was checking to see if there was anything that the xterra had specific issues with regarding rust or early failures.

In the "Stuck" thread you mentioned, the guy was saying that his truck had been left sitting buried in the mud overnight or something along those lines... the advice to him was just to check everything out to make sure there hadn't been any water intrusion.

As long as you're not *parking* the thing in a mudpit or a stream, you'll probably be fine.

I personally burried a M998 (H1 to civilians) in mud that went over the hood. I had a wrecker come out with a 60K winch pulled me out drove the truck to the motorpool, sprayed it off the next day and it has been fine ever since. We do quarterly services on the trucks and had no issues with the truck at all. Just keep it clean and your fine.

Tim