Here are the tools that I used in this video: Wire Brushes (small): amzn.to/3sTpNz7 Wire Brushes (large): amzn.to/3HuV8vO Needle Scaler: amzn.to/3Hs1LPI Surface Finisher: amzn.to/3znL3xW Surface Finisher Wire brush: amzn.to/3FUtLuJ Bulk Products: (Compressed air required) Professional Spray Gun: amzn.to/3JITJUo Graphite Powder (Turns clear products black): amzn.to/3mYBzEm Surface Shield: amzn.to/3FYKptw Fluid Film: amzn.to/3qGGXNC Woolwax: amzn.to/3pSJTre Aerosol Products: Spray Can Handles: amzn.to/3F1d93y Inner cavity tool: amzn.to/3NNtZbP Inner cavity Adapter (Surface Shield only): amzn.to/3mYbOEq Surface Shield: amzn.to/3JGW4PO Fluid Film: amzn.to/32OQtX4 Woolwax: amzn.to/3sWTJKt My Amazon Store: www.amazon.com/shop/repairgeek Help support the channel, buy using my Amazon links As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases and your cost is exactly the same.
So I’ve had decent luck stopping the oxidization of rusty metal with a rust converter product.. currently I’ve got an old truck frame I want to protect from rust worsening. By the sounds of it you’d recommend fluid film it once I get it cleaned up and don’t body with the rust converter first? Have you any experience with a product like that?
So i bought a 93 nissan d21 someone had cleaned and painted the frame with what looks like tractor paint. Its extremely thick and rubbery. They seemed to do an ok job of removing the loose stuff but not perfect but more so got paint on lot of stupid areas. All in all its a 93 pickup with 75k miles that i got cheap and use for winter or dump runs. Should i try and strip and clean it better or think wont matter much?
Tip for the DIY guys doing this laying on your back in the driveway: Park your car on a big sheet of plastic. Raise your car up on 4 good jack stands. Tape a plastic skirt around the sides. Weight down the bottom edge of the plastic skirt. Put a fan at one end to draw air through the tunnel you created. Wear a hoodie, old clothes, and some sort of face cover.
Boston, MA area - Thanks to Fluidfilm & Woolswax my 2010 Crown Vic is rust free. I spray the undercarriage in the heat of August giving it time to ooze into all the crevices.
If you are using ramps, I've found it easier to ramp up the sides of the vehicles rather than front and back. It helps with better access and more space one side at a time vs front and back.
So? I have owed many trucks and I definitely live in a Salt belt. All of my trucks have been GM and my experience is that after the 3rd winter you will see the start of all the future problems with the factory pealing at the frame areas. What I also see because I always wash and scrap first is at the very least 2 gallon pales of dirt most of which is in the cavity of the frame and suspension areas. That said what good does it do to spray over the top of salt invested sandy dirt?
Michigan native here and they salt the roads like mad. I noticed after undercoating (done before winter started) my XJ that salt does not stick at all to the bottom of it, its amazing lmao. will be doing this every year from now on. and if anyone is curious it took me about 3 full cans of the Surface shield aerosol to coat everything on the bottom. thanks for another great video!
H4x0r, stay ahead of the rust on the XJ. They rot out so easily. Try to get inside the unibody "frame rails" near the rear wheels, as mine rusted from the inside. It's not an XJ if it doesn't have rusted out rockers. 😂 I miss my XJ and its dinosaur engine. I can still immediately recognize the sound of one coming.
So I've been noticing surface rust on my 1-year old tacoma in Dallas. I have seen other tacomas and toyota vehicles a few years older here with NO rust at all. So I'm pretty annoyed by that and have been attending youtube university recently and your info is definitely the most helpful. The single best bit of info that I just learned here, which really surprises me, is that you can apply these something like fluid film over surface rust and that will totally stop the rust. I thought rust was basically a terminal cancer that you had to root out one way or another. So, based on the fact that my rust is very, very thin surface rust, I plan to just apply fluid film over it and call it a day. Huge win. THANK YOU
I learned to do this as an apprentice over in Germany at an Opel dealer. We used to power wash the under side of a car let it dry then put it the paint booth for a few hours @ 130 if I remember correctly. Your video was a great refresher. Good job and great content, thanks!
This is brilliant... I've spend years thinking about this topic and while most of what you instructed is known to me but so much of it is not in my mind. You have pulled it all together and provided examples of success and failure that I've never seen anyone else do. This is THE Best resource on the web.
Gonna be working on my rusty old van, thank you so much for making this video easy to understand for those of us who are new to working on cars. So much of the information out there is geared towards people who already know what theyre doing, what the tools are and all of that.
Thanks for the information, these lanolin and cosmoline products have made a huge difference in the long term quality of my vehicles vs trying to sand and paint everything, and there is a massive time savings. Thanks for spreading the word to help other mechanics.
Great video. I do my vehicles every fall when I swap to snow tires. One thing I like to do is I put plastic garbage bags around the rotors/calipers before I spray so whatever product I'm using doesn't contaminate the brake pads.
I put it on my calipers, bleed nuts, everything except the pads and rotors. I then take it easy in traffic with the brakes leaving twice as much room and not towing stuff for the next 50 miles. I then do a little burn off braking a couple times to get them nice and hot. I haven't had any issues with slick brakes.
Been using lanolin based products on my cars here in lovely Cuyahoga County, OH for many years. What a godsend. Toyota truck looks like new after 8 winters while my many neighbors and their untreated trucks rot away. And they think I am nuts. 😂
my friend fell into severe medical debt and is looking at selling her newer car for a reliable 2000 Mazda Protege ES. since rust is a _huge_ issue with that model, we've been looking at videos for coating the undercarriage and yours by far was the *best* . thank you for the detailed instructions and hopefully if everything goes well for her, she'll still have a reliable car that will last her a few years until she gets back on her feet!
I had several questions about coating the underbody when I started this video. I no longer have questions. 😁👍If an ignorant guy like me can get familiar with the process after a video, then you did a good job explaining.
@@RepairGeek An important step seems to be skipped over at aprx 19 min 26 sec: ie: After wirebrushing the loose rust scale off, it seems to me that before applying a Fluidfilm treatment, that an important product category that you have previously reviewed (a phosphoric acid based rust- arresting treatment spray & neutralizing rinse & dry) would be a very prudent thing to do before applying a film protectant. Can you comment on your thoughts re: this step? - I for one, really believe in the power of an acid treatment to better help stop any surface action before filming....
I've been working underneath my 05 f150. A lot of places are full of mud and sand. The front fenders are the worst for collecting crap behind the wheels. I highly recommend hitting the underside of trucks with a pressure washer.
As I have stated before. I truly appreciate your continued commitment to stopping rust on our vehicles. I had new rockers and cab corners put on my '03 Silverado last year. They put in a few holes so I can get inside with a wand. I ran the truck up on jack stands and used a hand held wire brush. Eight cans of Wool Wax later and the whole underside was done. Also was able to get the spare tire down for the third time in the life of the truck. Side benefit, Wool Wax lubricated the lowering/lifting mechanism for the spare tire. Believe me it did not want to come down. THANKS AGAIN!!!
I recently had the rockers and cab corners on my 06 GMC Sierra too.. these trucks are great and just go..esp comparing them to the note on a new pickup lol.
I live in the rust belt, bought a 2007 D-max 2500 Silverado brand new in 07 and immediately undercoat it with Fluid Film. I've been undercoating it every year since using Fluid Film and there is no rust what so ever on my truck. Recently I was offered more than I paid for my truck in 07.
@@shelbywilson114 my spare tire support is rusted to the release mechanism. Debating whether to even try and get it down. I have roadside assistance, so as long as I stay in civilization I'll be fine.
I have an undercoat formula which saved my toyota tacoma's frame from being replaced.... Received a recall from toyota to replace my frame... WHEN INSPECTED, the report was my frame was in perfect shape and did not need replaced
have a 03 t4r . bought in Georgia . 8 years in Wisconsin now. liquid salt is the new thing here and it is much worse. i wondered why there is often a frame sitting at the Toyota dealer. I may rent a bay @ $35/ hr to redo mine this fall.
I spent a lot of years working at Sherwin-Williams, one of the biggest things that we tell all of our customers during paint preparation is make sure everything is clean dull and dry. As far as Coatings go this gentleman has a good perspective on how to prep and keep your vehicles lasting longer. If you are going to use a cheaper route like say Grill paint or barbecue paint I would find a place where you can get the humidity down to absolute zero and even then I'd be willing to use a heat source to make sure that you have no moisture at all trapped inside as he said earlier if you put a coating on top of something that is containing moisture it will eventually pop the paint as the sun is the greatest natural puller. That's why you see so many houses on the west side that have their paint popping is because they did not get it completely dry they put a coating on top of it and then the sun hit it and it pulled out all the moisture. Would I can take away from this video is he was true and honest and no matter what you use make sure that your surface preparation an adequate dry time are impeccable to have any chance to survive❤
Good information presented in a no BS manner - thanks. The electro-chemical basis of rust is actually quite interesting, though I can understand why you didn't go into electron exchanges. Years ago I read a book on rust published in England. The author included photos of zinc sheets that were used to line the inner spaces of automobile fenders that acted as sacrificial anodes. They were meant to be periodically replaced, much like the zinc anodes attached to the hulls of ships.
I found that using a blunt air chisel with the air pressure really low works well to vibrate the rust scale off. Just need to be careful. Been spraying my cars for three years now. Seems to be keeping the rust at bay. The good thing is it forces you to look over your cars from every angle to know exactly where you are at before going into winter. Great video. Keep up the good work.
The more time you spend hands on the more you know about your vehicle. Sometimes more then the mechanic you might need to bring it to. If that's your option.
I used to work at a undercoating garage some 30 years ago. First we would use the pressure washer to remove the rust, salt and sand from dirt road. Then we would coat the rust whit rust converter then again with the pressure washer to neutralize the converter. Next was thin film lanoline for 1 year warranty or heavy rubberized rubber for 10 year warranty whit top coating of lanoline every 2 years. The worst part of the job was spending the day in full protective gear whit respirator.
Yep, after thoroughly degreasing the are you want to treat, you need to apply a phosphoric acid rust converter to the rusted areas (keeping the areas "wet" with rust converter for at least 30mins (in warm weather - longer when cool/cold). After that wash with water and allow to dry then spray with an epoxy primer paint that preferably has a zinc phosphate additive. Then spray on a coating of stone chip preventative.
I find this video searching for fluid film on YT. I now follow this channel due to the expertise and thorough knowledge shown in this video. Thanks for your help.
Thanks for the video. You made this topic of undercoating crystal clear compared to many other videos and forums I’ve been reading on. I’m going to fluid film my 2009 4Runner and aside from some minor surface rust the frame is in fantastic shape so I want to keep it strong for many years to come. I wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing by using fluid film and not some other rubberized coating or product.
this might be the best video I've seen describing this stuff. Thanks for putting it out there. I have a very crappy British car that's falling apart from rust and now I have a plan to save it.
For those of us with older cars without stainless steel exhaust parts , clean them with wire wheel on drill or grinder wipe clean with thinner or similar solvent then run vehicle for fifteen minutes to dry parts off. Once dry , spray on a good coating of galvanizing primer which should contain 90% or more zinc. Apply again in the spring or just touch up, this will allow you to keep your exhaust pipes from rusting out in three years. While you are replacing pipes spray the inside and outside before mounting on vehicle. Note clean the oil coating off the new pipes before coating with zinc primer.
Be careful zinc is super toxic, that's why welders get sick from welding galvanized. I would not recommend a zinc coating on any exhaust components, as they get super hot and melt the zinc
Very thorough. I have been personally undercoating my vehicles for years, and always trying something different. The old school of used motor oil and driving down a dusty road afterwards still works very well. Since dusty roads are hard to find today, I’ve experimented with spraying the oil coated metal with fine saw dust with a hand held sandblaster. Sounds funny but so far I’m liking it. This keeps it from dripping and makes it stay on longer. Internal surfaces need to be sprayed with something that creeps. But prior to that you need to blow out all the rust chucks that may be in there as they could shield the metal from the oil. I’ve also tried FF and recently surface shield. The bottom line is no matter what you use you must look at it once or twice a year. What you might have missed the first time you’ll catch the second time around. It’s a commitment. But also gives you a opportunity to take a look at everything. I agree though do not use anything that gets hard or does not creep in cavities or areas where two pieces of metal come together. Thanks for all the work you put into these videos, greatly appreciate it.
Right on! I've only been at this a few years, but just did 2 with bulk spray on fluid film, key is to get INSIDE those frame rails and other cavities just like you said.
Under the sludge the dust forms it continues rusting. I've destroyed cars!with this method of used motor oil then dust. It looks fine outside but under it it dissolves.
Guys can you please don't spray old used motor oil on the underside of your trucks ? That's really messed up for the groundwater. Just use wax and or fluid film which is way better for the groundwater.
Did my car a year or so back when I first bought it - took off all plastic splash shields in the wheel wells and under the engine bay, also and removed brake pads and rotors. This gave me superior access to hub faces/knuckles and all sides of the front and rear crossmembers. Added some extra work, but was well worth it to get unfettered access to everything!
@ The product I used is called “corrosion free”. Didn’t specifically mention it as I didn’t think it’s really important; anything is better than nothing - corrosion free, fluid film, Rust Check, etc etc
This is badass, thank you!!! Gonna do this on my Pontiac while she's still good before she gets any problems. Her rockers are a different story, though. She lived near the salt lakes before I got her but everything else is great on her.
Well done dude! I have been in doubt, questioning myself about all the reasons why should I use a Lano product and how...I have researched quite a lot on youtube but your explanatory video was the best I could get hold of. Clear and straight forward! Thanks a lot and well done!
Great video! Lanolin is 100% the way to go. In contrast to this video, I do not spray external surfaces, but instead brush it on. Takes longer yes, but I use FAR less product and it's only where I want it and it's brushed throroughly into the surface which gives a better smoother result that looks much nicer, like a painted surface would. I cringed at all the spray on the brake rotors. Spraying makes an absolute mess, not only underneath of the vehicle, but everywhere else in your garage. If you're spraying with jack stands, you'll be 100% waterproof afterwards. I bought a 1 gallon can and 2 trucks and 2 cars later, the can still looks full. I spray internal areas with a spray can because I don't want to invest in the gun even though I have a complete compressor and gun setup for paint. Although a cheap gun might pay for itself because there's hardly any product in the spray cans for the price. Also, I always do my exhausts, manifolds, and even turbo exhaust housings. It's my favorite application areas. Yes, it will smoke some the first heat up, but by brushing the layer is very thin and spread even unlike spraying so burnoff is minimal and the result is clean and smooth. It doesn't burn completely off, but transforms the previously rusted metal into a smooth dark brown color which looks great and a transformation from before. It also tends to last much longer than non exhaust areas. I'm 4 years on initial application on my 4Runner's rusted exhaust and it looks the same despite regular pressure washing the underside thoroughly because I like my cars clean.
@@ProfessorDickify Pretty straightforward. Unlike painting where you need to evenly apply the paint, this is more like you're rubbing lotion into dry rough skin using a brush. You brush it in until it's even. I'd use the same stiff brush with lanolin product on it to even clean off flaking rust. Week later that rust would fall off and I'd reapply the lanolin to a now smoother surface. I never had to wire brush beforehand, just pressure wash. I use Ospho acid with a wire toothbrush on my brake rotors. Unlike lanolin, it's harmful to work with needing a respirator.
Didn't have to watch the entire video and I couldn't have been more happier. Been thinking about how to deal with the minimal rust under my truck and BOOM, this video. Please keep this up!
I use the black fluid film on my Fusion. It’s such a pain in the ass removing all of the plastic covers under the car. The good part of having the plastic covers is that the car wash undercarriage spray doesn’t blast off all of the fluid film.
Just recently discovered your channel while searching rust prevention/mitigation strategies. Thank you for these type of videos. I've got a 24 yr old, 270k mile car for my daily that, despite my best efforts, is starting to show some underbody age/surface rust. Gonna be trying to head that garbage off at the pass with some Surface Shield. Thanks again!
@@RotoRCol 1998 Camaro Z28. Been my daily driver since 2005. Only complaint about doing it is that it makes working on anything under the car now pretty nasty. I've never gotten so dirty changing a fuel filter. But I guess there's a trade off to just about everything!
I’m in Ohio and gosh I wish I could have everyone I know just follow this video. Even if it’s just one application. Boss bought new trucks last year for our delivery service. Absolutely against any sort of undercoating. So I’ll just sit back and watch it happen to the new trucks. 🙄. This is one of the best videos out there !!!!
Great video as usual man. I know you posted this awhile ago, but just wanted to say thanks. I bought out ALL the Surface Shield in Calgary, AB today from all the stores I found online that had stock. Took me a few hours but pressure washed under my F150, then neutralized all surface rust frame spots and welds with Krud Kutter (best rust converter I’ve ever found, as has project farm!) re-pressure washed entire undercarriage and just finished coating it all in Surface Shield. Took me all day but she’s gonna be awesome during our salt enduring winter up here! 💪
I don't see him clean the metal properly. Isn't a brown color indicate that rust is still on the surface? Unless its a multiple phase task and subsequent attempts will clean the metal properly. Also must the material get on the tires?
Great video! The only thing we do differently is , I heat my fluid film until it's very thin . It really wicks into everything. Fantastic stuff for a central PA winter .
I do the same thing..you can just put it in front of a heater for a bit. Works great when you pour the Fluid Film in the spray can you are going to use and heat it up just a bit. It sprays way easier.
Totally agree with you on the GM Wax. Coated my 2015 Silverado with woolwax this past year. I'm in NE Ohio also, the factory wax was pretty much non-existent on the back half of the truck frame.
Gm is still dipping their higher end trucks in that wax.u can scrape it off with your fingernail.they say it penetrates inside of frame.who cares if it doesn't last
Refreshing to see a (positive word use) kid that has patience. SO MANY simply don't last more than 20 - 30 seconds before they're done with 'X'. Shame you're so far from N. ILLinois I'd stop in with my car. THANKS FOR A GREAT VIDEO.
This was incredibly informative. I'm having a battle with rust on a 1992 Toyota Pickup and after watching your video, I have hope. Thank you for sharing.
1992? Maybe look into Toyota recall, buy back and see if that truck is on the list. They did buy back certain models back then due to frame rot. Could possibly give you big bucks for a rust bucket. $$$$$
I did this last year with Fluid Film costed me over $100, after one winter of driving wet salted roads the fluid film is gone and the rust reappeared, I’m going to just use old used engine oil from now on, it’s a lot cheaper and will do the same thing.
Exactly!! I've read through all the comments on these FF vids - and yours captures the issue - for people driving in serious winter salt - the FF is just not going to last. That's why I prefer Cosmoline and Epoxy paint and phosphoric acid.
@@blauer2551 after doing the used oil all over the frame and body twice, I live in the countryside so I do a lot of gravel roads and it added a layer dust its working great, there’s a something in the dust that just makes it water proof and so far it’s working I don’t wash it off, only in the wheel wells.
Great video ... I've been spraying motor oil my cars for 40 years and it works great ... none of my cars ever rust and the rust that's already there never gets worse with regular spraying ... the cavities in the outer body benefit greatly from the oiling and lasts along time because they r enclosed and water does not wash it off.. I spray everything underneath including the rubber stuff ... it rejuvenates old rubber parts including cv boots ball joints ...it also rejuvenates plastic bumpers and moldings...rejuvenates leather interiors and dashes.. I liked and subscribed and look forward to your next videi
An old school Italian mechanic I once knew (in London UK) used his own spray-on rustproofing material: a mix of diesel and (old?) engine oil. He had used it on his 30 year old British car, in perfect condition.
Absolutely brilliant content. I've just purchased a 2009 x type Jaguar. It passed its MOT (I'm over the pond in Scotland) but had an advisory on the sills. Apparently, excessive rust on the sills is a common problem with this vehicle. Anyway, I was wondering - once I've had the body shop carry out the necessary repair and welding to the pinch weld and any serious corrosion - how I would protect the underside, and that's when I landed on your excellent tutorial. Whilst I'm not comfortable carrying out any mechanical repairs, I'm more than happy to tackle the time-consuming wire brush and application of protection tasks. Just didn't know where to begin, and now I have a much better understanding of the procedure. Thank you for sharing!
i wonder, being English or Scottish, how the American English must sound to you. As an American, it seems like it must be a little bit of a strain to speak and keep an English or Scottish accent; but of course this is false if all you have heard during developmental years is the Queen's and King's English or Scottish accent. I just wish I could hear it from your perspective. We do not get to choose the languages or accents we speak or have, anymore than we can choose our skin, eyes or hair color. English from the UK is pleasing to the American ear in my opinion (with several different accents in the UK) Faked English accents by American actors seem to be obvious to UK dwellers. On the other hand, faked American accent by English actors is generally quite convincing, with few noticeable slip ups. Daniel Craig's southern USA slow drawl English in Knives Out is quite convincing.
I am a Brit , Welsh by birth , but most of my life I have not lived in Wales . My welsh accent , slight accent though it is.returns once I arrive in Wales , even without speaking to anyone .... strange but true ! There many , many , Brit accents and some times I do not understand every word I hear ! When I am in the company of Americans I find myself grinning a lot as there as so many words that have very different meanings ; I just find it amusing I am not looking down on anyone's use of language . I took my family to Disney years ago and after a couple of hours it started to rain . Near by there was a lovely older lady , who was working , looking after kids doing drawing 'lessons' . I wanted a cigarette , so I left the kids with her and explained that I would be in sight and that I was off for a fag . Well that shocked the lady , horror in her face shock ! So that started a conversation that was highly enjoyable for all of us and we all learnt some lessons ! Lol . Diversity in our language is a blessing in my opinion . ATB and HYN @@troy3456789
Ok first of all, I also do bodywork professionally. I've listen to what you have said and I have the following to had up but nothing major and I can say that you are right. Second.. I speak french so excuse my mistakes... I live way up north in Québec with salty roads... So rust is about 90% of my work... For undercoating... I thrust POR-15, I have looked at your peeling... This is due to a bad application, it does not fail.. that paint is strong has hell! Reason for peeling (please everybody, read the technical data sheet of every paint you will apply and that even though you think you know how to paint! Every time I try something new, I read it first and I even refresh my self with what I use regularly) Bad preparation, not appropriate sanding grit, bad clean up prior painting, metal not dry enough prior painting. ATTENTION For POR-15 IT IS CRUCIAL TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS BECAUSE IT WILL FAIL AND THEY DO WARN YOU. YOU APPLY 2 THIN COATS, THE SECOND COAT MUST BE APPLIED TO THE FIRST COAT WHEN THAT FIRST COAT IS TACKY BUT DOES NOT STAIN YOUR GLOVE WHEN YOU TOUCH. TOO EARLY, THE WHOLE PAINT WILL FAIL, TOO LATE, THE 2ND COAT WONT STICK TO THE FIRST ONE. Remember everybody, NO PAINT WILL EVER STICK TO A SURFACE THAT WAS GLOSSY! IT HAS TO BE PREP WICH IS CLEAN-DEGREASED/SANDED/CLEAN-DEGREASED AGAIN! POR-15 is very very sensitive to oil... it will fail if any You should never paint straight out of the por-15 can... alway poor some in another pot and never EVER put the remaining back in the can... you will destroy your good paint! Its not worth it! What goes out never go back into the can! Some may say "why should I clean first if I am gonna sand?" Easy, because by sanding over a greased panel, you will introduce oil/grease deep into it and your job is than worth shizer! Now I clean with a laser... 100% effective and cheaper on the long run! Now, over the por-15 once dry and inside the frame... I shoot them with annual anti-rust oil! Every years... The secret to avoid loosing your car? To avoid redoing your under carriage... Do this the sooner and then on... every single year! When a car is brand new the better... you want your panel and frame members to be cleaned and no rust.. dont give it a chance to start.. once rust appears.. the cancer has started! And remember, it never sleeps... PPG recommend the etch primer to be painted within 15mins after final sanding! There is always humidity in the air! Anti-rust proofing oil should be applied when temperature warm so it will introduce itself every where.. too cold it won't. I recommend doing it now in september... not too early prior winter because you want it at its best... it will dry out overtime... but stay there... then you had up... the oil disperse the water! seals the metal... but it works over time... Thrust me... I rebuild 10 years old cars.... When I do my shopping at the graveyards.. first thing I look is for those stickers on the door... I see the difference! I open those cars for body parts... thrust me it works! When anti-rust oil and/or paint are applied over rusted surface... the rust will always keep moisture... This is why you take it off.. before painting... You want to know how much steel there is left? Easy, look at the bubble.. the bulge of the paint... mesure it.. imagine it goes under as much as over.. and divide that by 2... that what you have lost! Rust is twice as big as steel! it doubles in size! As years goes on.. car steel is getting thinner and thinner! ( 22 gauge +/-) That don't leave room... Another important thing before painting... I know its another step.. a bit more money... but it helps.. Metal are being treated with phosphates and order crap... Every time you take paint off a piece of metal, wether chemically or mechanically you should treat the metal with a metal prep solution... Poor-15 has one! It gives the metal the strenght and energy to fight rust... once its gone the rust kicks in! When rust appears.. its because it does not has anymore vitamines... it also help into the etching of the paint! Now I was thinking about trying something... bring it from the naval engineering... welding zinc anode to the body of my car! This is how you fight rust on the hull!
I agree with what your saying about cosmoline but I think it's superior to lanolin products on the fronts of control arms and the outsides of frames where it doesn't wash off but also where there arent cavities for it to become trapped. I think a combination of cosmoline on high wear areas and fluid film/ surface shield inside cavities and harder to reach areas is the "best" in my opinion but it depends on vehicle type, condition, and your personal situation.
I agree. On exposed high water contact areas it's hard to beat. I try to use 1 one size fits all approach because it's easier to justify buying 1 product over 2 and it makes the spray process easier because you're not switching products depending on where you're spraying.
I'm new to your channel. At first glance I was put off by the length of the video, as most long videos could easily be edited down to half the time. But, after watching I realized you are very articulate, methodical, know your subject, and want to make everything perfectly clear. That's worth my time. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I wish you were in central florida. I'd just take my vehicle to you to get it done right.
I am so happy to have seen this video before tackling my 2000 Tundra (The RUST King!!). I've been holding on to Por15 while I gathered remaining parts and supplies. I IMMEDIATELY went to Master Coat site and they are sold out die to the high demand from YOUR VIDEO!! That's awesome and a bummer at the same time. Keep up the good work and thank you!!
For years I've handled rust in the following way: Scrape off the loose stuff. Wash and let dry. Apply a rust convertor. Then I apply por 15 followed by rustoleum paint. Every couple years I go back and reapply por 15 and rustoleum. I usually only add the rustoleum on surfaces exposed to sunlight. It's worked fairly well on my older vehicles. I've never seen por 15 come off in big chips like you suggested. Mostly I see the rustoleum flake off. I'm not stopping the rusting process completely but I've slowed it way down. You're dead right about the frame interiors. Sadly, many who restore old vehicles don't seem to take that into consideration. I bought some spray cans of Fluid Film recently and will try it out when the weather warms up. NOT going to try to remove years and layers on the other stuff I used. Will just spray on top of it and hope for the best.
Por-15 eventually "pops" and let's moisture & air under it. Just spraying Fluid Film over it will just allow the rust process to be hidden from sight. I had a shop do a rust repair, and they covered it with por-15 after welding in a patch piece. It was the only area that rusted after 1 winter. I had sprayed the car with a lanolin oil like I normally do. All the other areas have remained rust free. So I'm no all that impressed with por-15. It suffers all the same issues the rubberized undercoating have when driven on salted roads.
@@williamallen7836 Yep, Por -15 will not stay on no matter how much prep you do before applying. No 'hard coating' will remain impervious with all the vibration that it has to endure.
I'm Lazy, I just spray about 3 cans of fluid film underneath each year before winter. I don't brush, wash whatsoever. Just out on ramp and spray. So far I have no rust issues for the past 20 years. 😂
I sprayed my 2024 corolla cross, I stripped it all down the day i bought it and sprayed almost a whole gallon of fluid film in and under and inside every place possible. Im a bodyman and live in nova scotia, a terrible place for rust and corrosion. Also, I use a needle scaler on heavy corrosion like truck frames.
In quebec here, same issue with corrosion... not from ocean air, but the cities drop salt all over the place on the roads during winter... 2009 toyota corrola here, just started to get some surface rust on the roof and one side door... I've had the thing professionally rust proofed every year since I bought it, but skipped the last 2 years... will be going again this year... clearing the bottom of the car of surface rust is a great idea before getting the under chassis proofed
An interesting thing happens in my farm shop when I spray these products. There is a lanolin vapor that also coats my machinery and tractors. Sort of a second hand smoke benefit if I can say.
@@RepairGeek Might it be a worthwhile solution to run a large, high-quality air purifier when spraying? It would suck in and trap lots of that atomized stuff, don't you think?
@@gregorymarsh9504 open a door. I've tried using the fan on my shop heater to push this vapor outside. It just ended up coating the inside of the heater and the heat exchanger. The first time I started up the heater for the season it filled my shop with smoke.
@@gregorymarsh9504 you can try anything. If this purifier is moving a large amount of air you'd have to clean it after every vehicle. Opening a door is free and requires no maintenance or electricity.
I spent most of my life in Ontario Canada, the best way to keep a vehicle from rusting is to have it clean and dry (paint is superior to undercoat), the only advantage to oil is that it seeps and you can just spray it everywhere, I had a ford ranger with a fender that had a huge patch of missing paint, in 8 years it hardly had surface rust while the box rockers and frame rusted away even with undercoating, it's very important to wash the mud sand and salt from the underside of a vehicle, which is something nobody ever does, especially people who get their vehicles undercoated since they don't want to wash it away
A great vid! I have used Fluid Film but currently prefer NHOilUndercoating. The only issues I've had is it attacked the valve stems on a set of snow tires, after about 4yrs, they softened up and needed replacement. No biggie. I don't bother with the wire brushing, etc. I just blow the loose crud off with an air gun. My theory is the rust actually hold more of the product in place over time. Think about the inside and top of frames in trucks. You can't really knock the rust off those areas, or the backside of gas tank straps, etc. I use more product than you do, relying on the product to "creep" into/onto areas it wasn't directly sprayed. Lastly I had the type of gun you are using but traded up to a Lemmer gun. Once you use one you'll never go back. Pressure pot type so it moves a lot more product with minimal over spray, regulator on the gun, quick disconnect for the tips and needle adjustment for fine tuning. It's excellent.
I spray once in spring and fall. I use garbage bags to cover my breaks and drive belts and pulleys, so overspray doesn't mess them up. You have to remember to take them all out or they can sucked into the engine! I prefer to use a suppled air system to breath, as it's more comfortable yet more awkward than a cartridge respirator. I have had rust check red the inhibitor, melt, swell, crack and destroy rubber over time. On rubber and aluminum, I use a silicone spay that is advertised to be safe on rubber. I use the rust check green, a fluid film like spray on large parts like the drive shaft and some other parts and I use rust check red on the rest of it. The best time to spray is when changing your tires in the spring and fall, so you can access the wheel wells with spay at the same time! Here where I live, I get a lot of road sand that likes to build up on parts around the wheels and when it gets to thick for the inhibitor to penetrate, it all has to come off and start from scratch because I found that underneath the oil soaked sand, that things can be still rusting away in some areas. Oh yeah, I like your hoist!
Before last winter I used Fluid Film on my 22 year old snowblower for the first time as I had never lubed or protected anything other than the zerks. It also offered some lubrication to the rotation points (i.e. chute and unversal linkage that controls it). I just pulled the snowblower from the shed 2 weeks ago with the intent of another spray but was surprised to see all the areas were still very wet. This year I sent my vehicles into Krown for the paraffin/oil underspray for the first time ever. This video is spot on!
FYI krown is not great. Its by far the most popular thing I'm my area here but to my surprise watching this giys other video comparing all the different products, krown performed very poorly
@@GoldCashOnly i personally bought a gal of blaster surface shield. Trying to find a shop to spray it for me here but it's difficult. All the shops want to spray their own product out of barrels. So I bought my own guy and attachments. I found a few smaller places thst said they would do it for me but hoping a bigger shop will do it in the next few weeks since its less busy now... that being said, I still do believe krown to be far better than nothing at all of course. Just not one of the best from what I've seen.
I'm in the UK this is a very professional and well thought out video. Great if you have a car made before around 2005 but if you have newer I wouldn't bother as my experience says an electronic or other issue that is too expensive to repair will kill the car long before the rust does. But for those of us who now use older vehicles thanks very much this is great information.
@@jdesmo1 not accurate... All cars with their overly designed electronics...drive by wire and sensors to fail... Early 2000s is the peak of Japanese automotive design... Variable valve timing is the second reason for failures
@@jdesmo1 yep up here in the rust belt, their tube frames rot out long before they die mechanically. Because those tube frame have no drain holes. They rot from the inside out, due to the moisture ( condensation ) that builds up inside them over time, especially in the cold climates.
Couldn't agree more about the GM wax coating. I put Fluid Film on my '15 for the first time this year, and I found that the coating refreshed it and made it even better than new. Over time it may become more and more diluted and eventually sling off, but for now it's great.
I'm debating about putting Fluid Film on my dad's '18, but I am hesitant to (at least on the frame). Mechanic we take our vehicles to get inspected to put Fluid Film on his brand new '21 Silverado, and the wax coating is literally peeling away. Not sure if the wax they put on the '19+ is different from the '14-'18's, but the wax was literally peeling away before the truck even encountered any salt here in western PA.
I love this video. Great explanations etc. I undercoat my 2015 WRX yearly in the fall living in New York State. In the first year of ownership I had it professionally undercoated. Afterwards I was using a homemade undercoat solution. I have a little bit of rusting in some spots hard to get at but nothing major. This year I will step it up again using Fluid Film with compressor and sprayer. I just have a bit of prep work to do but since I've kept up with undercoating and checking on it yearly as a maintenance item it is pretty damn solid. Family members and friends think I waste time doing this but I say if you plan to keep your vehicle more than 10 years without it rusting apart then take care of your undercarriage and prevent rusting as much as possible.
I've got a 2006 Accord that's spent every winter in either WI or MN, and both states love their salt - I'm planning on undercoating this spring. Thank you for making this video, the information is invaluable.
Here in the Maritimes in Canada winter is a constant cycle of rain, snow, rain, freezing rain, every other day, with roads constantly salted. And due to road salt even when it is snowing the roads are wet and splashing salty puddles and water up. I wonder in that case is it still best to never rinse the undercarriage?
Great job and thank you for all the work you put into this video. My only suggestion is that things that can easily be removed should be as the rust will still be on the other side, for example the metal frame you first started to wire brush.
Awesome! Loving this series! I'm about an hour north of you right in the heart of the snow belt. A customer of mine just asked if I could coat the underbody of his Chevy truck. So, this was timed perfectly! Now, get yourself some nice lights and a decent wireless mic to improve the audio/visual appeal of your videos, bruddah! Take care.
In light of this video and of all the comments bellow, I am sure that sprayable cavity waxes are the way to go. I also used in the past a thick layer of lithium based vassline and the chassis lasted as new for over 20 years.
I coated my brand new 22 4Runner with cosmoline. It is now the end of January in an extremely harsh Canadian winter. The 4 runner has bare, non coated front shock bolts. I usually see these rusted out on vehicles on the lot. Not a spec of rust is to be found on them.
Amazing video - this is truly the best video on car rustproofing I have seen after almost 10 years of doing research on this topic and having my car rustproofed with oil. Just the truth and no marketing for BS products. I will start rustproofing my cars myself now. Thanks!
@@radoslavzlatinov3255Yes, it works better than all other options, but it still has to be re-applied once a year, or every 2 years. Nothing lasts forever.
I have a 2010 Suburban. I live in northern New Jersey so right in the rust belt. I’m not sure what this truck was coated with but I was completely shocked when I saw no rust whatsoever on the frame 😂 230k miles
I live on dirt and gravel roads in Ohio. In my experience fluid film is the best hands down but you have to retreat every single year regardless of what product you use.
We seem to be of the same school of thought on this. I bought a 2013 pickup a couple years ago. Took the box off this fall and used the needle scaler on the whole back of the frame, etc. It was bad scaly rust. Basically got it down to bare metal, but looked at it and thought that there's no way anything is going to reliably bond to that, and there are so many places I couldn't possible prep, so I decided that the best bet was to apply woolwax to bare metal. So far, it's holding up phenomenally; Even in the wheel wells, after at least several hundred miles @ 80-85MPH on Michigan Highways. Exactly my thoughts about applying anything else on the metal. It would end up peeling and leaving bare metal exposed, taking the woolwax with it, as well as it holding water underneath. Woolwax [ or any lanolin based solution ] solves both those problems.
Wow, one of the best videos I've seen. Thorough, yet to the point and not rambling. I've gone from POR-15 clear (rust started coming back in a year) to routine underbody pressure washes. Now, maybe I'll switch to lanolin. I guess it's the same concept as products like Boeshield T-9 or CRC Marine Corrosion Inhibitor, but lanolin is more economical than a spray can with a fancy blend of solvents, oils, and waxes.
This is such a great comprehensive video. I like the engineering explained style intro explaining the high level overview of your approach tackling rust. Great work!
Thank you very very much for this much-needed video addressing how to undercoat an older slightly rusted car. It is a really good video and answers my past questions.. Thank you very much. Bob C
Great content as always. Thanks for the time you put into your videos. Something I've been doing is adding wheel well liners and mudflaps to help cut down on spray that ultimately washes off the coatings. Seems to help.
Lol that’s what I have is gravel and it tuff to run a creeper on it. But what I use is the boxes from washer’s and dryer’s. To makes it a lot easier to slide around under your car.
I once found a tough blue plastic sidewall from an above ground pool at a garage sale, 50 years ago. I cut it into 6 foot strips, gave some to friends, and gave away my creeper(I usually never get rid of ANYTHING). Great on floors, dirt or gravel for getting around under cars and parked pontoon boats. It was so cheap it was almost free. When I saw it at the sale I knew immediately what I wanted to do with it; that kind of sudden inspiration seldom comes to me til too late afterward. This one was a success.
Wow man thanks, this is probably the most thorough video explanation I've ever come across of how the rust works on the vehicle surfaces. I'm an engineer and some of the things you put into words are things that I inherently knew by my experience working with rust which is why I wasn't a fan of trapping the rust with another product like POR15 or undercoating. I have somewhat older vehicles so even in the visible areas that start rusting, since I don't care to have the pretty surface i'd rather have bare metal treated with some rust converter like Skunk Rust or Rust Kutter that I can keep spraying and see what is happening. I hate the idea of seeing a pretty surface only to know that it's a time bomb because it's rotting out underneath. -- So based on your explanation, your frequency recommendation is essentially once a year treatment, is that accurate? -- Thanks again!
Generally speaking once a year will work. It depends on the environment that the vehicle lives in. If you're using the vehicle to plow snow and spread salt sooner applications may be required.
I live in Northern California and we don’t use salt. We get horrific snow in our region especially this year where tahoe and Truckee have gotten 496 inches which is 41 feet of snow this winter. I have several old trucks with absolutely zero rust. We use sand instead of salt.
I spray all my vehicles with surface shield as well but here’s what I do to eliminate the mess: I put the vehicle up on the lift, put down a sheet of plastic on the floor and then tent the entire vehicle with plastic. Kind of a pain to cut and tape around the lift arms but it prevents any and all drifting of the product being sprayed. Although its lanolin based, I wear a quality respirator because I’m inside a confined space. Takes about an hour to tape plastic to the outside of the body and then loosely tape any joints in the plastic. I spray the underside, double check my work and then remove plastic. All done, zero mess anywhere. I even reuse the plastic sheeting for the next vehicle.
Superb! I’ve used Fluid Film for years, since 2008, and clean motor oil before that. FF / Surface Prep is very effective, & easy to apply. Once the initial application (getting all the nooks & crannies), yearly re-aplication is quick & easy. I only hit the high splash areas after the initial.
Great video! Thanks so much for the info 🙏🏼 Just one question - before applying FluidFilm or a lanolin coating, like you did in your video, I plan to scrape off any rust flakes until I have only tight surface rust. I know you can then apply FluidFilm directly onto the surface rust and it will prevent it from growing. But would it be better to first use a rust converter like Corroseal to neutralize the existing rust and THEN apply FluidFilm? I hate the thought of applying any coating over existing rust. Thanks!
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I bought the adapters to get the surface shield to work with the 360° wand. 🤟
Surprised you didn't include the options of a sandblaster, air chisel/hammer, and needle scaler. Those work wonders!
So I’ve had decent luck stopping the oxidization of rusty metal with a rust converter product.. currently I’ve got an old truck frame I want to protect from rust worsening. By the sounds of it you’d recommend fluid film it once I get it cleaned up and don’t body with the rust converter first? Have you any experience with a product like that?
@@MTD12HPTURBO ruclips.net/video/tu1n1POMg98/видео.html
So i bought a 93 nissan d21 someone had cleaned and painted the frame with what looks like tractor paint. Its extremely thick and rubbery. They seemed to do an ok job of removing the loose stuff but not perfect but more so got paint on lot of stupid areas. All in all its a 93 pickup with 75k miles that i got cheap and use for winter or dump runs. Should i try and strip and clean it better or think wont matter much?
Tip for the DIY guys doing this laying on your back in the driveway: Park your car on a big sheet of plastic. Raise your car up on 4 good jack stands. Tape a plastic skirt around the sides. Weight down the bottom edge of the plastic skirt. Put a fan at one end to draw air through the tunnel you created. Wear a hoodie, old clothes, and some sort of face cover.
Lol. Sounds like a good idea. Says the guy with a very rust coloured driveway. And all I did was wire brush four winter tires(rims).
Safety goggles and respirator mask help out very much so. You don't want to breath the rust dust.
Thanks for this not everyone has the luxury of a lift
@@lobdsk rent
@@KareemOwens. I’m sure they would enjoy fluid film all over their lift
Boston, MA area - Thanks to Fluidfilm & Woolswax my 2010 Crown Vic is rust free. I spray the undercarriage in the heat of August giving it time to ooze into all the crevices.
💪🧠
Where did you get yours done?
Crown BICCs are junk
If you are using ramps, I've found it easier to ramp up the sides of the vehicles rather than front and back. It helps with better access and more space one side at a time vs front and back.
Got to try that.
i cant believe i didnt think of this. so simple. yet so smart. thanks!
So? I have owed many trucks and I definitely live in a Salt belt. All of my trucks have been GM and my experience is that after the 3rd winter you will see the start of all the future problems with the factory pealing at the frame areas. What I also see because I always wash and scrap first is at the very least 2 gallon pales of dirt most of which is in the cavity of the frame and suspension areas. That said what good does it do to spray over the top of salt invested sandy dirt?
Gonna try that ! Hate doing this do it every year - Ramps on one side may help
genius. Going to do this tonight.
What about touching up the exposed metal with rust converter and primer and then put the lanolin on????
Yep. I use Fertan tannic acid.
Best rust killer I've ever known.
Of the MANY rust proofing videos I've watched, yours is the best IMO OP.
Michigan native here and they salt the roads like mad. I noticed after undercoating (done before winter started) my XJ that salt does not stick at all to the bottom of it, its amazing lmao.
will be doing this every year from now on. and if anyone is curious it took me about 3 full cans of the Surface shield aerosol to coat everything on the bottom.
thanks for another great video!
I am in Ontario and I agree with this comment. Once coated road salt does not stick.
H4x0r, stay ahead of the rust on the XJ. They rot out so easily. Try to get inside the unibody "frame rails" near the rear wheels, as mine rusted from the inside. It's not an XJ if it doesn't have rusted out rockers. 😂 I miss my XJ and its dinosaur engine. I can still immediately recognize the sound of one coming.
So I've been noticing surface rust on my 1-year old tacoma in Dallas. I have seen other tacomas and toyota vehicles a few years older here with NO rust at all. So I'm pretty annoyed by that and have been attending youtube university recently and your info is definitely the most helpful. The single best bit of info that I just learned here, which really surprises me, is that you can apply these something like fluid film over surface rust and that will totally stop the rust. I thought rust was basically a terminal cancer that you had to root out one way or another. So, based on the fact that my rust is very, very thin surface rust, I plan to just apply fluid film over it and call it a day. Huge win. THANK YOU
Yeah I'm looking at doing the same twice a year and hope it doesn't get worse
I learned to do this as an apprentice over in Germany at an Opel dealer. We used to power wash the under side of a car let it dry then put it the paint booth for a few hours @ 130 if I remember correctly. Your video was a great refresher. Good job and great content, thanks!
This is brilliant... I've spend years thinking about this topic and while most of what you instructed is known to me but so much of it is not in my mind. You have pulled it all together and provided examples of success and failure that I've never seen anyone else do. This is THE Best resource on the web.
Gonna be working on my rusty old van, thank you so much for making this video easy to understand for those of us who are new to working on cars. So much of the information out there is geared towards people who already know what theyre doing, what the tools are and all of that.
Thanks for the information, these lanolin and cosmoline products have made a huge difference in the long term quality of my vehicles vs trying to sand and paint everything, and there is a massive time savings. Thanks for spreading the word to help other mechanics.
Like sheep's wool?
@@Teeveepicksures sheep's wool wax
@@StrongFreeLovin I know, sorry. It was a dumb line from a movie.
Great video. I do my vehicles every fall when I swap to snow tires. One thing I like to do is I put plastic garbage bags around the rotors/calipers before I spray so whatever product I'm using doesn't contaminate the brake pads.
It’ll burn off
Burns right off I’ve never had any issues.
Yea if the salt don’t contaminate them that sure want
good thinking, prevents immediate slippery brakes
I put it on my calipers, bleed nuts, everything except the pads and rotors. I then take it easy in traffic with the brakes leaving twice as much room and not towing stuff for the next 50 miles. I then do a little burn off braking a couple times to get them nice and hot. I haven't had any issues with slick brakes.
Been using lanolin based products on my cars here in lovely Cuyahoga County, OH for many years. What a godsend. Toyota truck looks like new after 8 winters while my many neighbors and their untreated trucks rot away. And they think I am nuts. 😂
my friend fell into severe medical debt and is looking at selling her newer car for a reliable 2000 Mazda Protege ES. since rust is a _huge_ issue with that model, we've been looking at videos for coating the undercarriage and yours by far was the *best* . thank you for the detailed instructions and hopefully if everything goes well for her, she'll still have a reliable car that will last her a few years until she gets back on her feet!
How did it go?
I had several questions about coating the underbody when I started this video. I no longer have questions. 😁👍If an ignorant guy like me can get familiar with the process after a video, then you did a good job explaining.
Thanks!
@@RepairGeek An important step seems to be skipped over at aprx 19 min 26 sec: ie: After wirebrushing the loose rust scale off, it seems to me that before applying a Fluidfilm treatment, that an important product category that you have previously reviewed (a phosphoric acid based rust- arresting treatment spray & neutralizing rinse & dry) would be a very prudent thing to do before applying a film protectant. Can you comment on your thoughts re: this step? - I for one, really believe in the power of an acid treatment to better help stop any surface action before filming....
I've been working underneath my 05 f150. A lot of places are full of mud and sand. The front fenders are the worst for collecting crap behind the wheels. I highly recommend hitting the underside of trucks with a pressure washer.
As I have stated before. I truly appreciate your continued commitment to stopping rust on our vehicles. I had new rockers and cab corners put on my '03 Silverado last year. They put in a few holes so I can get inside with a wand. I ran the truck up on jack stands and used a hand held wire brush. Eight cans of Wool Wax later and the whole underside was done. Also was able to get the spare tire down for the third time in the life of the truck. Side benefit, Wool Wax lubricated the lowering/lifting mechanism for the spare tire. Believe me it did not want to come down. THANKS AGAIN!!!
I recently had the rockers and cab corners on my 06 GMC Sierra too.. these trucks are great and just go..esp comparing them to the note on a new pickup lol.
Lanolin is a miracle product!
I live in the rust belt, bought a 2007 D-max 2500 Silverado brand new in 07 and immediately undercoat it with Fluid Film. I've been undercoating it every year since using Fluid Film and there is no rust what so ever on my truck. Recently I was offered more than I paid for my truck in 07.
I had to cut my spare tire support off. Spare living in my truck bed now
@@shelbywilson114 my spare tire support is rusted to the release mechanism. Debating whether to even try and get it down. I have roadside assistance, so as long as I stay in civilization I'll be fine.
I have an undercoat formula which saved my toyota tacoma's frame from being replaced.... Received a recall from toyota to replace my frame... WHEN INSPECTED, the report was my frame was in perfect shape and did not need replaced
have a 03 t4r . bought in Georgia . 8 years in Wisconsin now. liquid salt is the new thing here and it is much worse. i wondered why there is often a frame sitting at the Toyota dealer. I may rent a bay @ $35/ hr to redo mine this fall.
I spent a lot of years working at Sherwin-Williams, one of the biggest things that we tell all of our customers during paint preparation is make sure everything is clean dull and dry. As far as Coatings go this gentleman has a good perspective on how to prep and keep your vehicles lasting longer. If you are going to use a cheaper route like say Grill paint or barbecue paint I would find a place where you can get the humidity down to absolute zero and even then I'd be willing to use a heat source to make sure that you have no moisture at all trapped inside as he said earlier if you put a coating on top of something that is containing moisture it will eventually pop the paint as the sun is the greatest natural puller. That's why you see so many houses on the west side that have their paint popping is because they did not get it completely dry they put a coating on top of it and then the sun hit it and it pulled out all the moisture. Would I can take away from this video is he was true and honest and no matter what you use make sure that your surface preparation an adequate dry time are impeccable to have any chance to survive❤
Good information presented in a no BS manner - thanks. The electro-chemical basis of rust is actually quite interesting, though I can understand why you didn't go into electron exchanges. Years ago I read a book on rust published in England. The author included photos of zinc sheets that were used to line the inner spaces of automobile fenders that acted as sacrificial anodes. They were meant to be periodically replaced, much like the zinc anodes attached to the hulls of ships.
I found that using a blunt air chisel with the air pressure really low works well to vibrate the rust scale off. Just need to be careful. Been spraying my cars for three years now. Seems to be keeping the rust at bay. The good thing is it forces you to look over your cars from every angle to know exactly where you are at before going into winter. Great video. Keep up the good work.
Air needle scaler is the best tool for getting bad flaky rust off
The more time you spend hands on the more you know about your vehicle. Sometimes more then the mechanic you might need to bring it to. If that's your option.
yup, knocked a scoop shovel of rust off my rails with air hammer... loud... but effective
I used to work at a undercoating garage some 30 years ago. First we would use the pressure washer to remove the rust, salt and sand from dirt road. Then we would coat the rust whit rust converter then again with the pressure washer to neutralize the converter. Next was thin film lanoline for 1 year warranty or heavy rubberized rubber for 10 year warranty whit top coating of lanoline every 2 years. The worst part of the job was spending the day in full protective gear whit respirator.
Yep, after thoroughly degreasing the are you want to treat, you need to apply a phosphoric acid rust converter to the rusted areas (keeping the areas "wet" with rust converter for at least 30mins (in warm weather - longer when cool/cold).
After that wash with water and allow to dry then spray with an epoxy primer paint that preferably has a zinc phosphate additive.
Then spray on a coating of stone chip preventative.
I find this video searching for fluid film on YT. I now follow this channel due to the expertise and thorough knowledge shown in this video. Thanks for your help.
Thanks for the video. You made this topic of undercoating crystal clear compared to many other videos and forums I’ve been reading on. I’m going to fluid film my 2009 4Runner and aside from some minor surface rust the frame is in fantastic shape so I want to keep it strong for many years to come. I wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing by using fluid film and not some other rubberized coating or product.
this might be the best video I've seen describing this stuff. Thanks for putting it out there. I have a very crappy British car that's falling apart from rust and now I have a plan to save it.
For those of us with older cars without stainless steel exhaust parts , clean them with wire wheel on drill or grinder wipe clean with thinner or similar solvent then run vehicle for fifteen minutes to dry parts off. Once dry , spray on a good coating of galvanizing primer which should contain 90% or more zinc. Apply again in the spring or just touch up, this will allow you to keep your exhaust pipes from rusting out in three years. While you are replacing pipes spray the inside and outside before mounting on vehicle. Note clean the oil coating off the new pipes before coating with zinc primer.
Be careful zinc is super toxic, that's why welders get sick from welding galvanized. I would not recommend a zinc coating on any exhaust components, as they get super hot and melt the zinc
Very thorough. I have been personally undercoating my vehicles for years, and always trying something different. The old school of used motor oil and driving down a dusty road afterwards still works very well. Since dusty roads are hard to find today, I’ve experimented with spraying the oil coated metal with fine saw dust with a hand held sandblaster. Sounds funny but so far I’m liking it. This keeps it from dripping and makes it stay on longer. Internal surfaces need to be sprayed with something that creeps. But prior to that you need to blow out all the rust chucks that may be in there as they could shield the metal from the oil. I’ve also tried FF and recently surface shield. The bottom line is no matter what you use you must look at it once or twice a year. What you might have missed the first time you’ll catch the second time around. It’s a commitment. But also gives you a opportunity to take a look at everything. I agree though do not use anything that gets hard or does not creep in cavities or areas where two pieces of metal come together. Thanks for all the work you put into these videos, greatly appreciate it.
Right on! I've only been at this a few years, but just did 2 with bulk spray on fluid film, key is to get INSIDE those frame rails and other cavities just like you said.
used hydraulic oil doesnt corrode your rubber/plastic parts
Under the sludge the dust forms it continues rusting. I've destroyed cars!with this method of used motor oil then dust. It looks fine outside but under it it dissolves.
Guys can you please don't spray old used motor oil on the underside of your trucks ?
That's really messed up for the groundwater.
Just use wax and or fluid film which is way better for the groundwater.
@@ImplantedMemories I agree, we need more fracking done to get that nasty oil out of the ground before it gets into the water
Did my car a year or so back when I first bought it - took off all plastic splash shields in the wheel wells and under the engine bay, also and removed brake pads and rotors. This gave me superior access to hub faces/knuckles and all sides of the front and rear crossmembers. Added some extra work, but was well worth it to get unfettered access to everything!
So what did you coat it with? 1st time viewer here
@ The product I used is called “corrosion free”. Didn’t specifically mention it as I didn’t think it’s really important; anything is better than nothing - corrosion free, fluid film, Rust Check, etc etc
This is badass, thank you!!! Gonna do this on my Pontiac while she's still good before she gets any problems. Her rockers are a different story, though. She lived near the salt lakes before I got her but everything else is great on her.
Well done dude! I have been in doubt, questioning myself about all the reasons why should I use a Lano product and how...I have researched quite a lot on youtube but your explanatory video was the best I could get hold of. Clear and straight forward! Thanks a lot and well done!
Seems like the manufacturer of the vehicle would have everything coated nice to prevent rust like this!
Could use a compact air needle scaler to get into those rusted areas. Works well at getting the rust off and prepping areas hard to get to.
Great video! Lanolin is 100% the way to go. In contrast to this video, I do not spray external surfaces, but instead brush it on. Takes longer yes, but I use FAR less product and it's only where I want it and it's brushed throroughly into the surface which gives a better smoother result that looks much nicer, like a painted surface would. I cringed at all the spray on the brake rotors. Spraying makes an absolute mess, not only underneath of the vehicle, but everywhere else in your garage. If you're spraying with jack stands, you'll be 100% waterproof afterwards. I bought a 1 gallon can and 2 trucks and 2 cars later, the can still looks full.
I spray internal areas with a spray can because I don't want to invest in the gun even though I have a complete compressor and gun setup for paint. Although a cheap gun might pay for itself because there's hardly any product in the spray cans for the price.
Also, I always do my exhausts, manifolds, and even turbo exhaust housings. It's my favorite application areas. Yes, it will smoke some the first heat up, but by brushing the layer is very thin and spread even unlike spraying so burnoff is minimal and the result is clean and smooth. It doesn't burn completely off, but transforms the previously rusted metal into a smooth dark brown color which looks great and a transformation from before. It also tends to last much longer than non exhaust areas. I'm 4 years on initial application on my 4Runner's rusted exhaust and it looks the same despite regular pressure washing the underside thoroughly because I like my cars clean.
Any nuances to brushing it or is it pretty straight forward?
@@ProfessorDickify Pretty straightforward. Unlike painting where you need to evenly apply the paint, this is more like you're rubbing lotion into dry rough skin using a brush. You brush it in until it's even. I'd use the same stiff brush with lanolin product on it to even clean off flaking rust. Week later that rust would fall off and I'd reapply the lanolin to a now smoother surface. I never had to wire brush beforehand, just pressure wash. I use Ospho acid with a wire toothbrush on my brake rotors. Unlike lanolin, it's harmful to work with needing a respirator.
I heard cosmoline is better
Do u try to paint for extremely high temperature for exhaust ?
Sounds like your exhaust, manifold, etc is like how you season a cast iron pan
Think I’ve landed at the best video, thanks for being straightforward and providing so much information!!! You’re very helpful
Best analysis of how coating work on metal to fight rust. I really enjoyed this . Thank you
Didn't have to watch the entire video and I couldn't have been more happier. Been thinking about how to deal with the minimal rust under my truck and BOOM, this video. Please keep this up!
I use the black fluid film on my Fusion. It’s such a pain in the ass removing all of the plastic covers under the car. The good part of having the plastic covers is that the car wash undercarriage spray doesn’t blast off all of the fluid film.
Just recently discovered your channel while searching rust prevention/mitigation strategies. Thank you for these type of videos. I've got a 24 yr old, 270k mile car for my daily that, despite my best efforts, is starting to show some underbody age/surface rust. Gonna be trying to head that garbage off at the pass with some Surface Shield. Thanks again!
What kind of car?
same what car?
@@RotoRCol 1998 Camaro Z28. Been my daily driver since 2005. Only complaint about doing it is that it makes working on anything under the car now pretty nasty. I've never gotten so dirty changing a fuel filter. But I guess there's a trade off to just about everything!
That's an awesome daily
I’m in Ohio and gosh I wish I could have everyone I know just follow this video. Even if it’s just one application. Boss bought new trucks last year for our delivery service. Absolutely against any sort of undercoating. So I’ll just sit back and watch it happen to the new trucks. 🙄. This is one of the best videos out there !!!!
Why are you against it?
@@flowergarden1426 HE is not, his boss is
Great video as usual man. I know you posted this awhile ago, but just wanted to say thanks. I bought out ALL the Surface Shield in Calgary, AB today from all the stores I found online that had stock. Took me a few hours but pressure washed under my F150, then neutralized all surface rust frame spots and welds with Krud Kutter (best rust converter I’ve ever found, as has project farm!) re-pressure washed entire undercarriage and just finished coating it all in Surface Shield. Took me all day but she’s gonna be awesome during our salt enduring winter up here! 💪
brilliant review. btw can get fluid film in gallons, enough to do a f150, for about $40
One of the (if not THE) best videos on the subject. Very thorough and excellently presented. Awesome stuff :)
I don't see him clean the metal properly. Isn't a brown color indicate that rust is still on the surface? Unless its a multiple phase task and subsequent attempts will clean the metal properly. Also must the material get on the tires?
@@matlock8314 You just need to get the loose rust off, the flakey bits.
Great video! The only thing we do differently is , I heat my fluid film until it's very thin . It really wicks into everything. Fantastic stuff for a central PA winter .
How do you heat the product?
I do the same thing..you can just put it in front of a heater for a bit. Works great when you pour the Fluid Film in the spray can you are going to use and heat it up just a bit. It sprays way easier.
I'd also like to know how mike heats the fluid film
@@Gadget0343 I just take the bottles for the spray gun and drop them in a bucket of hot water. Give them 15 minutes and they are nice and thinned out.
@@GTkyle I sit my 5 gallon buckets in front of my waste oil furnace for a bit before I spray and I do mix it also.
Totally agree with you on the GM Wax. Coated my 2015 Silverado with woolwax this past year. I'm in NE Ohio also, the factory wax was pretty much non-existent on the back half of the truck frame.
Gm is still dipping their higher end trucks in that wax.u can scrape it off with your fingernail.they say it penetrates inside of frame.who cares if it doesn't last
Refreshing to see a (positive word use) kid that has patience. SO MANY simply don't last more than 20 - 30 seconds before they're done with 'X'. Shame you're so far from N. ILLinois I'd stop in with my car.
THANKS FOR A GREAT VIDEO.
This was incredibly informative. I'm having a battle with rust on a 1992 Toyota Pickup and after watching your video, I have hope. Thank you for sharing.
Check-out Project Farm. He did testing on multiple products to see which protects the best.
oil underspray is the only answer to stop it.
1992? Maybe look into Toyota recall, buy back and see if that truck is on the list. They did buy back certain models back then due to frame rot. Could possibly give you big bucks for a rust bucket. $$$$$
I did this last year with Fluid Film costed me over $100, after one winter of driving wet salted roads the fluid film is gone and the rust reappeared, I’m going to just use old used engine oil from now on, it’s a lot cheaper and will do the same thing.
Exactly!! I've read through all the comments on these FF vids - and yours captures the issue - for people driving in serious winter salt - the FF is just not going to last. That's why I prefer Cosmoline and Epoxy paint and phosphoric acid.
Project Farm does a video comparing different protectants and motor oil did not do well. He compared about 6 products under controlled tests.
@@blauer2551 after doing the used oil all over the frame and body twice, I live in the countryside so I do a lot of gravel roads and it added a layer dust its working great, there’s a something in the dust that just makes it water proof and so far it’s working I don’t wash it off, only in the wheel wells.
@@blauer2551and
If you care about the environment, then I would not use motor oil that comes off so easily and is horrible for the environment. Think about it.
Great video ... I've been spraying motor oil my cars for 40 years and it works great ... none of my cars ever rust and the rust that's already there never gets worse with regular spraying ... the cavities in the outer body benefit greatly from the oiling and lasts along time because they r enclosed and water does not wash it off.. I spray everything underneath including the rubber stuff ... it rejuvenates old rubber parts including cv boots ball joints ...it also rejuvenates plastic bumpers and moldings...rejuvenates leather interiors and dashes.. I liked and subscribed and look forward to your next videi
What type of sprayer are you using?
@@retiredjedi6178 try a fertiliser sprayer. The one with the top manual air pump.
.breaking the law
@@PaddleDogC5 lol
Doesn’t the oil drip all over a garage floor?
What I loved about this video is logical consistency - this -> therefore that. Real tried and tested methods.
An old school Italian mechanic I once knew (in London UK) used his own spray-on rustproofing material: a mix of diesel and (old?) engine oil. He had used it on his 30 year old British car, in perfect condition.
Absolutely brilliant content. I've just purchased a 2009 x type Jaguar. It passed its MOT (I'm over the pond in Scotland) but had an advisory on the sills. Apparently, excessive rust on the sills is a common problem with this vehicle.
Anyway, I was wondering - once I've had the body shop carry out the necessary repair and welding to the pinch weld and any serious corrosion - how I would protect the underside, and that's when I landed on your excellent tutorial.
Whilst I'm not comfortable carrying out any mechanical repairs, I'm more than happy to tackle the time-consuming wire brush and application of protection tasks.
Just didn't know where to begin, and now I have a much better understanding of the procedure.
Thank you for sharing!
i wonder, being English or Scottish, how the American English must sound to you. As an American, it seems like it must be a little bit of a strain to speak and keep an English or Scottish accent; but of course this is false if all you have heard during developmental years is the Queen's and King's English or Scottish accent. I just wish I could hear it from your perspective. We do not get to choose the languages or accents we speak or have, anymore than we can choose our skin, eyes or hair color. English from the UK is pleasing to the American ear in my opinion (with several different accents in the UK)
Faked English accents by American actors seem to be obvious to UK dwellers. On the other hand, faked American accent by English actors is generally quite convincing, with few noticeable slip ups.
Daniel Craig's southern USA slow drawl English in Knives Out is quite convincing.
I am a Brit , Welsh by birth , but most of my life I have not lived in Wales . My welsh accent , slight accent though it is.returns once I arrive in Wales , even without speaking to anyone .... strange but true ! There many , many , Brit accents and some times I do not understand every word I hear ! When I am in the company of Americans I find myself grinning a lot as there as so many words that have very different meanings ; I just find it amusing I am not looking down on anyone's use of language . I took my family to Disney years ago and after a couple of hours it started to rain . Near by there was a lovely older lady , who was working , looking after kids doing drawing 'lessons' . I wanted a cigarette , so I left the kids with her and explained that I would be in sight and that I was off for a fag . Well that shocked the lady , horror in her face shock ! So that started a conversation that was highly enjoyable for all of us and we all learnt some lessons ! Lol . Diversity in our language is a blessing in my opinion . ATB and HYN @@troy3456789
Ok first of all, I also do bodywork professionally. I've listen to what you have said and I have the following to had up but nothing major and I can say that you are right.
Second.. I speak french so excuse my mistakes...
I live way up north in Québec with salty roads... So rust is about 90% of my work...
For undercoating... I thrust POR-15, I have looked at your peeling... This is due to a bad application, it does not fail.. that paint is strong has hell!
Reason for peeling (please everybody, read the technical data sheet of every paint you will apply and that even though you think you know how to paint! Every time I try something new, I read it first and I even refresh my self with what I use regularly) Bad preparation, not appropriate sanding grit, bad clean up prior painting, metal not dry enough prior painting. ATTENTION For POR-15 IT IS CRUCIAL TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS BECAUSE IT WILL FAIL AND THEY DO WARN YOU. YOU APPLY 2 THIN COATS, THE SECOND COAT MUST BE APPLIED TO THE FIRST COAT WHEN THAT FIRST COAT IS TACKY BUT DOES NOT STAIN YOUR GLOVE WHEN YOU TOUCH. TOO EARLY, THE WHOLE PAINT WILL FAIL, TOO LATE, THE 2ND COAT WONT STICK TO THE FIRST ONE.
Remember everybody, NO PAINT WILL EVER STICK TO A SURFACE THAT WAS GLOSSY! IT HAS TO BE PREP WICH IS CLEAN-DEGREASED/SANDED/CLEAN-DEGREASED AGAIN!
POR-15 is very very sensitive to oil... it will fail if any
You should never paint straight out of the por-15 can... alway poor some in another pot and never EVER put the remaining back in the can... you will destroy your good paint! Its not worth it!
What goes out never go back into the can!
Some may say "why should I clean first if I am gonna sand?" Easy, because by sanding over a greased panel, you will introduce oil/grease deep into it and your job is than worth shizer!
Now I clean with a laser... 100% effective and cheaper on the long run!
Now, over the por-15 once dry and inside the frame... I shoot them with annual anti-rust oil! Every years... The secret to avoid loosing your car? To avoid redoing your under carriage... Do this the sooner and then on... every single year! When a car is brand new the better... you want your panel and frame members to be cleaned and no rust.. dont give it a chance to start.. once rust appears.. the cancer has started! And remember, it never sleeps... PPG recommend the etch primer to be painted within 15mins after final sanding! There is always humidity in the air!
Anti-rust proofing oil should be applied when temperature warm so it will introduce itself every where.. too cold it won't. I recommend doing it now in september... not too early prior winter because you want it at its best... it will dry out overtime... but stay there... then you had up... the oil disperse the water! seals the metal... but it works over time...
Thrust me... I rebuild 10 years old cars.... When I do my shopping at the graveyards.. first thing I look is for those stickers on the door... I see the difference! I open those cars for body parts... thrust me it works!
When anti-rust oil and/or paint are applied over rusted surface... the rust will always keep moisture... This is why you take it off.. before painting... You want to know how much steel there is left? Easy, look at the bubble.. the bulge of the paint... mesure it.. imagine it goes under as much as over.. and divide that by 2... that what you have lost! Rust is twice as big as steel! it doubles in size!
As years goes on.. car steel is getting thinner and thinner! ( 22 gauge +/-) That don't leave room...
Another important thing before painting... I know its another step.. a bit more money... but it helps..
Metal are being treated with phosphates and order crap...
Every time you take paint off a piece of metal, wether chemically or mechanically you should treat the metal with a metal prep solution...
Poor-15 has one!
It gives the metal the strenght and energy to fight rust... once its gone the rust kicks in! When rust appears.. its because it does not has anymore vitamines... it also help into the etching of the paint!
Now I was thinking about trying something... bring it from the naval engineering... welding zinc anode to the body of my car!
This is how you fight rust on the hull!
ruclips.net/video/TABWPHutk-A/видео.htmlsi=R3SwPtdAbujuM635
I agree with what your saying about cosmoline but I think it's superior to lanolin products on the fronts of control arms and the outsides of frames where it doesn't wash off but also where there arent cavities for it to become trapped. I think a combination of cosmoline on high wear areas and fluid film/ surface shield inside cavities and harder to reach areas is the "best" in my opinion but it depends on vehicle type, condition, and your personal situation.
I agree. On exposed high water contact areas it's hard to beat. I try to use 1 one size fits all approach because it's easier to justify buying 1 product over 2 and it makes the spray process easier because you're not switching products depending on where you're spraying.
I'm new to your channel. At first glance I was put off by the length of the video, as most long videos could easily be edited down to half the time. But, after watching I realized you are very articulate, methodical, know your subject, and want to make everything perfectly clear. That's worth my time. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I wish you were in central florida. I'd just take my vehicle to you to get it done right.
I am so happy to have seen this video before tackling my 2000 Tundra (The RUST King!!). I've been holding on to Por15 while I gathered remaining parts and supplies. I IMMEDIATELY went to Master Coat site and they are sold out die to the high demand from YOUR VIDEO!! That's awesome and a bummer at the same time. Keep up the good work and thank you!!
This guy knows his stuff! You should listen to him! 👍 Great video.
For years I've handled rust in the following way: Scrape off the loose stuff. Wash and let dry. Apply a rust convertor. Then I apply por 15 followed by rustoleum paint. Every couple years I go back and reapply por 15 and rustoleum. I usually only add the rustoleum on surfaces exposed to sunlight. It's worked fairly well on my older vehicles. I've never seen por 15 come off in big chips like you suggested. Mostly I see the rustoleum flake off. I'm not stopping the rusting process completely but I've slowed it way down.
You're dead right about the frame interiors. Sadly, many who restore old vehicles don't seem to take that into consideration.
I bought some spray cans of Fluid Film recently and will try it out when the weather warms up. NOT going to try to remove years and layers on the other stuff I used. Will just spray on top of it and hope for the best.
Por-15 eventually "pops" and let's moisture & air under it. Just spraying Fluid Film over it will just allow the rust process to be hidden from sight. I had a shop do a rust repair, and they covered it with por-15 after welding in a patch piece. It was the only area that rusted after 1 winter. I had sprayed the car with a lanolin oil like I normally do. All the other areas have remained rust free. So I'm no all that impressed with por-15. It suffers all the same issues the rubberized undercoating have when driven on salted roads.
@@williamallen7836 Yep, Por -15 will not stay on no matter how much prep you do before applying. No 'hard coating' will remain impervious with all the vibration that it has to endure.
I'm Lazy, I just spray about 3 cans of fluid film underneath each year before winter. I don't brush, wash whatsoever. Just out on ramp and spray. So far I have no rust issues for the past 20 years. 😂
What is your climate? How bad are your winters/springs?
@kuil Roads are usually flodded with salt. This is why you see a lot of rust buckets for sale here.
I changed my mind. I went to home depot. Yep, bought three cans. It worked pb blaster. Great job using this channel
I sprayed my 2024 corolla cross, I stripped it all down the day i bought it and sprayed almost a whole gallon of fluid film in and under and inside every place possible. Im a bodyman and live in nova scotia, a terrible place for rust and corrosion. Also, I use a needle scaler on heavy corrosion like truck frames.
In quebec here, same issue with corrosion... not from ocean air, but the cities drop salt all over the place on the roads during winter... 2009 toyota corrola here, just started to get some surface rust on the roof and one side door... I've had the thing professionally rust proofed every year since I bought it, but skipped the last 2 years... will be going again this year... clearing the bottom of the car of surface rust is a great idea before getting the under chassis proofed
what if i have (sealed in the moisture with paint 3:30 ) what can i do do i need to sand the paint off?
An interesting thing happens in my farm shop when I spray these products. There is a lanolin vapor that also coats my machinery and tractors. Sort of a second hand smoke benefit if I can say.
That is exactly why I don't spray black products. I have the same phenomenon.
@@RepairGeek Might it be a worthwhile solution to run a large, high-quality air purifier when spraying? It would suck in and trap lots of that atomized stuff, don't you think?
@@gregorymarsh9504 open a door. I've tried using the fan on my shop heater to push this vapor outside. It just ended up coating the inside of the heater and the heat exchanger. The first time I started up the heater for the season it filled my shop with smoke.
@@RepairGeek I can see how that would happen, but to reiterate, I said a filtered air purifier.
@@gregorymarsh9504 you can try anything. If this purifier is moving a large amount of air you'd have to clean it after every vehicle. Opening a door is free and requires no maintenance or electricity.
I spent most of my life in Ontario Canada, the best way to keep a vehicle from rusting is to have it clean and dry (paint is superior to undercoat), the only advantage to oil is that it seeps and you can just spray it everywhere, I had a ford ranger with a fender that had a huge patch of missing paint, in 8 years it hardly had surface rust while the box rockers and frame rusted away even with undercoating, it's very important to wash the mud sand and salt from the underside of a vehicle, which is something nobody ever does, especially people who get their vehicles undercoated since they don't want to wash it away
A great vid! I have used Fluid Film but currently prefer NHOilUndercoating. The only issues I've had is it attacked the valve stems on a set of snow tires, after about 4yrs, they softened up and needed replacement. No biggie. I don't bother with the wire brushing, etc. I just blow the loose crud off with an air gun. My theory is the rust actually hold more of the product in place over time. Think about the inside and top of frames in trucks. You can't really knock the rust off those areas, or the backside of gas tank straps, etc. I use more product than you do, relying on the product to "creep" into/onto areas it wasn't directly sprayed. Lastly I had the type of gun you are using but traded up to a Lemmer gun. Once you use one you'll never go back. Pressure pot type so it moves a lot more product with minimal over spray, regulator on the gun, quick disconnect for the tips and needle adjustment for fine tuning. It's excellent.
I spray once in spring and fall. I use garbage bags to cover my breaks and drive belts and pulleys, so overspray doesn't mess them up. You have to remember to take them all out or they can sucked into the engine! I prefer to use a suppled air system to breath, as it's more comfortable yet more awkward than a cartridge respirator. I have had rust check red the inhibitor, melt, swell, crack and destroy rubber over time. On rubber and aluminum, I use a silicone spay that is advertised to be safe on rubber. I use the rust check green, a fluid film like spray on large parts like the drive shaft and some other parts and I use rust check red on the rest of it. The best time to spray is when changing your tires in the spring and fall, so you can access the wheel wells with spay at the same time! Here where I live, I get a lot of road sand that likes to build up on parts around the wheels and when it gets to thick for the inhibitor to penetrate, it all has to come off and start from scratch because I found that underneath the oil soaked sand, that things can be still rusting away in some areas. Oh yeah, I like your hoist!
Before last winter I used Fluid Film on my 22 year old snowblower for the first time as I had never lubed or protected anything other than the zerks. It also offered some lubrication to the rotation points (i.e. chute and unversal linkage that controls it). I just pulled the snowblower from the shed 2 weeks ago with the intent of another spray but was surprised to see all the areas were still very wet. This year I sent my vehicles into Krown for the paraffin/oil underspray for the first time ever. This video is spot on!
FYI krown is not great. Its by far the most popular thing I'm my area here but to my surprise watching this giys other video comparing all the different products, krown performed very poorly
@@DG-hq6rc Thanks for the tip, any advice who I should take the vehicle to next time?
@@GoldCashOnly i personally bought a gal of blaster surface shield. Trying to find a shop to spray it for me here but it's difficult. All the shops want to spray their own product out of barrels. So I bought my own guy and attachments. I found a few smaller places thst said they would do it for me but hoping a bigger shop will do it in the next few weeks since its less busy now... that being said, I still do believe krown to be far better than nothing at all of course. Just not one of the best from what I've seen.
I'm in the UK this is a very professional and well thought out video. Great if you have a car made before around 2005 but if you have newer I wouldn't bother as my experience says an electronic or other issue that is too expensive to repair will kill the car long before the rust does. But for those of us who now use older vehicles thanks very much this is great information.
Unless it's Toyota/Lexus 4Runner, GX, LX, Land Cruiser, Tacoma, Tundra, etc. These can last forever, but the frames rust.
@@jdesmo1 yes agree I only have toyota or old school subaru these days
@@jdesmo1 not accurate... All cars with their overly designed electronics...drive by wire and sensors to fail...
Early 2000s is the peak of Japanese automotive design...
Variable valve timing is the second reason for failures
@@jdesmo1 yep up here in the rust belt, their tube frames rot out long before they die mechanically. Because those tube frame have no drain holes. They rot from the inside out, due to the moisture ( condensation ) that builds up inside them over time, especially in the cold climates.
Couldn't agree more about the GM wax coating. I put Fluid Film on my '15 for the first time this year, and I found that the coating refreshed it and made it even better than new. Over time it may become more and more diluted and eventually sling off, but for now it's great.
I'm debating about putting Fluid Film on my dad's '18, but I am hesitant to (at least on the frame). Mechanic we take our vehicles to get inspected to put Fluid Film on his brand new '21 Silverado, and the wax coating is literally peeling away. Not sure if the wax they put on the '19+ is different from the '14-'18's, but the wax was literally peeling away before the truck even encountered any salt here in western PA.
Good. Let that trash peel away, then coat it with fluid film or surface sheild so it is actually protected.
I love this video. Great explanations etc. I undercoat my 2015 WRX yearly in the fall living in New York State. In the first year of ownership I had it professionally undercoated. Afterwards I was using a homemade undercoat solution. I have a little bit of rusting in some spots hard to get at but nothing major.
This year I will step it up again using Fluid Film with compressor and sprayer. I just have a bit of prep work to do but since I've kept up with undercoating and checking on it yearly as a maintenance item it is pretty damn solid. Family members and friends think I waste time doing this but I say if you plan to keep your vehicle more than 10 years without it rusting apart then take care of your undercarriage and prevent rusting as much as possible.
I've got a 2006 Accord that's spent every winter in either WI or MN, and both states love their salt - I'm planning on undercoating this spring.
Thank you for making this video, the information is invaluable.
Here in the Maritimes in Canada winter is a constant cycle of rain, snow, rain, freezing rain, every other day, with roads constantly salted. And due to road salt even when it is snowing the roads are wet and splashing salty puddles and water up. I wonder in that case is it still best to never rinse the undercarriage?
Great job and thank you for all the work you put into this video.
My only suggestion is that things that can easily be removed should be as the rust will still be on the other side, for example the metal frame you first started to wire brush.
perfect video long , hopefully I pass out from my drinking before the end , not to worry I always check history the next day and watch again.
How was the hangover? :P
He forgot to check his history…
that's what they do in Israel pass out from the drinking and never check their history the next day or the day after that.
Awesome! Loving this series! I'm about an hour north of you right in the heart of the snow belt. A customer of mine just asked if I could coat the underbody of his Chevy truck. So, this was timed perfectly! Now, get yourself some nice lights and a decent wireless mic to improve the audio/visual appeal of your videos, bruddah! Take care.
In light of this video and of all the comments bellow, I am sure that sprayable cavity waxes are the way to go.
I also used in the past a thick layer of lithium based vassline and the chassis lasted as new for over 20 years.
pb blaster is the best or old motor oil and fuel oil mixed then drive down a dusty dirt rd a couple times worked for years
I coated my brand new 22 4Runner with cosmoline. It is now the end of January in an extremely harsh Canadian winter. The 4 runner has bare, non coated front shock bolts. I usually see these rusted out on vehicles on the lot.
Not a spec of rust is to be found on them.
clear and concise exhaustive coverage of what i was looking for! Thanks and subscribed.
Amazing video - this is truly the best video on car rustproofing I have seen after almost 10 years of doing research on this topic and having my car rustproofed with oil. Just the truth and no marketing for BS products. I will start rustproofing my cars myself now. Thanks!
AGREE 👍
So what about rustproofing with oil - did it worked for you?
@@radoslavzlatinov3255Yes, it works better than all other options, but it still has to be re-applied once a year, or every 2 years. Nothing lasts forever.
Excellent video!! Very well explained. You’ve given me the direction to go form my truck. Very much appreciated!!!!!
I have a 2010
Suburban. I live in northern New Jersey so right in the rust belt. I’m not sure what this truck was coated with but I was completely shocked when I saw no rust whatsoever on the frame 😂 230k miles
I live on dirt and gravel roads in Ohio. In my experience fluid film is the best hands down but you have to retreat every single year regardless of what product you use.
We seem to be of the same school of thought on this. I bought a 2013 pickup a couple years ago. Took the box off this fall and used the needle scaler on the whole back of the frame, etc. It was bad scaly rust. Basically got it down to bare metal, but looked at it and thought that there's no way anything is going to reliably bond to that, and there are so many places I couldn't possible prep, so I decided that the best bet was to apply woolwax to bare metal. So far, it's holding up phenomenally; Even in the wheel wells, after at least several hundred miles @ 80-85MPH on Michigan Highways.
Exactly my thoughts about applying anything else on the metal. It would end up peeling and leaving bare metal exposed, taking the woolwax with it, as well as it holding water underneath. Woolwax [ or any lanolin based solution ] solves both those problems.
I’m in Michigan and it sounds like I need to do something similar . Can this be done without having to put the car in the air ?
Wow, one of the best videos I've seen. Thorough, yet to the point and not rambling. I've gone from POR-15 clear (rust started coming back in a year) to routine underbody pressure washes. Now, maybe I'll switch to lanolin. I guess it's the same concept as products like Boeshield T-9 or CRC Marine Corrosion Inhibitor, but lanolin is more economical than a spray can with a fancy blend of solvents, oils, and waxes.
How would it do if I sprayed ospho over the rust and then put the fluid film over that would that work
This is such a great comprehensive video. I like the engineering explained style intro explaining the high level overview of your approach tackling rust. Great work!
Nice Man! Your undercoating videos are the best and more honest I’ve seen on RUclips! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience!
Pneumatic needle scaler works really fast and gets into limited access areas for bad rust or scale
This works great. Good ability to remove rust in tight places.
Thank you very very much for this much-needed video addressing how to undercoat an older slightly rusted car. It is a really good video and answers my past questions.. Thank you very much. Bob C
I used to undercoat cars for a living. This video is spot on. Very useful information.
If you have rust all ready can you use pro 15 first than use the pb blaster undercoating.
Great content as always. Thanks for the time you put into your videos. Something I've been doing is adding wheel well liners and mudflaps to help cut down on spray that ultimately washes off the coatings. Seems to help.
That's actually an idea. Would it be a good idea to take off the oem splash guards in the wheel wells to be more thorough?
@@johnnyray7790 yeah it does make it easier to get to places on certain vehicles. Some aren't worth the extra time. All depends on application.
Kudos! Fascinating and useful video. I sure wish I had a lift (rather than a gravel driveway). 😀
Lol that’s what I have is gravel and it tuff to run a creeper on it. But what I use is the boxes from washer’s and dryer’s. To makes it a lot easier to slide around under your car.
I once found a tough blue plastic sidewall from an above ground pool at a garage sale, 50 years ago. I cut it into 6 foot strips, gave some to friends, and gave away my creeper(I usually never get rid of ANYTHING). Great on floors, dirt or gravel for getting around under cars and parked pontoon boats. It was so cheap it was almost free. When I saw it at the sale I knew immediately what I wanted to do with it; that kind of sudden inspiration seldom comes to me til too late afterward. This one was a success.
Wow man thanks, this is probably the most thorough video explanation I've ever come across of how the rust works on the vehicle surfaces. I'm an engineer and some of the things you put into words are things that I inherently knew by my experience working with rust which is why I wasn't a fan of trapping the rust with another product like POR15 or undercoating. I have somewhat older vehicles so even in the visible areas that start rusting, since I don't care to have the pretty surface i'd rather have bare metal treated with some rust converter like Skunk Rust or Rust Kutter that I can keep spraying and see what is happening. I hate the idea of seeing a pretty surface only to know that it's a time bomb because it's rotting out underneath. -- So based on your explanation, your frequency recommendation is essentially once a year treatment, is that accurate? -- Thanks again!
Generally speaking once a year will work. It depends on the environment that the vehicle lives in. If you're using the vehicle to plow snow and spread salt sooner applications may be required.
@@RepairGeekis this undercoating much better than fluid film?
I live in Northern California and we don’t use salt. We get horrific snow in our region especially this year where tahoe and Truckee have gotten 496 inches which is 41 feet of snow this winter. I have several old trucks with absolutely zero rust. We use sand instead of salt.
How does the undercoating hold up to the undercarriage wash at the car wash?
I spray all my vehicles with surface shield as well but here’s what I do to eliminate the mess: I put the vehicle up on the lift, put down a sheet of plastic on the floor and then tent the entire vehicle with plastic. Kind of a pain to cut and tape around the lift arms but it prevents any and all drifting of the product being sprayed. Although its lanolin based, I wear a quality respirator because I’m inside a confined space. Takes about an hour to tape plastic to the outside of the body and then loosely tape any joints in the plastic. I spray the underside, double check my work and then remove plastic. All done, zero mess anywhere. I even reuse the plastic sheeting for the next vehicle.
Superb! I’ve used Fluid Film for years, since 2008, and clean motor oil before that. FF / Surface Prep is very effective, & easy to apply. Once the initial application (getting all the nooks & crannies), yearly re-aplication is quick & easy. I only hit the high splash areas after the initial.
great video and info...
Great video! Thanks so much for the info 🙏🏼 Just one question - before applying FluidFilm or a lanolin coating, like you did in your video, I plan to scrape off any rust flakes until I have only tight surface rust. I know you can then apply FluidFilm directly onto the surface rust and it will prevent it from growing. But would it be better to first use a rust converter like Corroseal to neutralize the existing rust and THEN apply FluidFilm? I hate the thought of applying any coating over existing rust. Thanks!
Wish you had a reply here... thinking the same thing. I will spray a rust converter (blue can from Napa, dries clear). Then spray Lanolin.
2016 Silverado 2500, 185k miles, have been spraying since new and still looks new through the New England winters… best preventive maintenance ever!
Is it possible to apply a rust converter spray first to the metal, then coat with the lanolin product ???