Hyundai Sonatas have issues with the subframes rusting. There’s currently a recall on the rear subframe in some states. My state isn’t included because vehicles here don’t rust too badly. On the Sonata recall, if the subframes are in good shape they remove four shipping plugs and spray the exterior and interiors with a waxy rust-prevention spray.
I have inspected my car and my front and rear subframes are in good shape. I decided to try doing some rust prevention using Fluid Film to keep it that way. I currently don’t have a large air compressor and I didn’t want to buy an airless paint sprayer just to try this, so the option I chose was to use spray cans of Fluid Film.
I read some comments online saying that it takes anywhere from two to four cans to coat one car. I picked up a six-pack of cans on ebay and an additional nozzle that allows you to get inside frame rails and other nooks and crannies. I spent a total of around $65 for the cans and nozzle.
I first went to the DIY car wash and throughly sprayed all the undercarriage, then let the car dry in the garage. Later, I jacked up the car and took off the wheels. I covered the brakes with garbage bags to prevent contaminating them.
The nozzle works pretty well at getting inside the subframes, but it seems a little overpriced at $17. It also makes sort of a mess because it leaks between the spray button and can.
Final impressions
This is a pretty messy job and more overspray and drips ended up on the floor than I expected. It will need a soapy scrubbing once it gets warmer. If I had to do it over again I would have bought a cheap tarp or something to put on the floor under the car.
In the future it seems like it could be worth it to pay to have this job done by a pro, if it was a reasonable price. But, since rust isn’t a big issue in my area I don’t know of any shops that do this kind of thing, although I didn’t spend too much time looking for them.
I used barely over two cans on the Sonata. I really thoroughly coated the subframes.The body is rust free, so I didn’t coat the entire underbody of the car, maybe about 50 percent of it including certain areas that seemed more susceptible to rusting like the pinch welds.
If I decide to do this on a regular basis or I buy another air compress, buying a sprayer (airless or air powered) might be worth it. But for now, the spray cans will be good enough for the first try.
I have inspected my car and my front and rear subframes are in good shape. I decided to try doing some rust prevention using Fluid Film to keep it that way. I currently don’t have a large air compressor and I didn’t want to buy an airless paint sprayer just to try this, so the option I chose was to use spray cans of Fluid Film.
I read some comments online saying that it takes anywhere from two to four cans to coat one car. I picked up a six-pack of cans on ebay and an additional nozzle that allows you to get inside frame rails and other nooks and crannies. I spent a total of around $65 for the cans and nozzle.
I first went to the DIY car wash and throughly sprayed all the undercarriage, then let the car dry in the garage. Later, I jacked up the car and took off the wheels. I covered the brakes with garbage bags to prevent contaminating them.
The nozzle works pretty well at getting inside the subframes, but it seems a little overpriced at $17. It also makes sort of a mess because it leaks between the spray button and can.
Final impressions
This is a pretty messy job and more overspray and drips ended up on the floor than I expected. It will need a soapy scrubbing once it gets warmer. If I had to do it over again I would have bought a cheap tarp or something to put on the floor under the car.
In the future it seems like it could be worth it to pay to have this job done by a pro, if it was a reasonable price. But, since rust isn’t a big issue in my area I don’t know of any shops that do this kind of thing, although I didn’t spend too much time looking for them.
I used barely over two cans on the Sonata. I really thoroughly coated the subframes.The body is rust free, so I didn’t coat the entire underbody of the car, maybe about 50 percent of it including certain areas that seemed more susceptible to rusting like the pinch welds.
If I decide to do this on a regular basis or I buy another air compress, buying a sprayer (airless or air powered) might be worth it. But for now, the spray cans will be good enough for the first try.
