Maintenance routine AFTER Fluid Film on underside?

[Kabanstva]

After spraying the undercarriage with Fluid Film or a similar product that stays wet, how should one go about future maintenance throughout the winter season?

Do you just drive through the winter season and keep all the road salt on the vehicle trusting that the FF will do its job and protect from rust and corrosion caused by salt? I live in the Chicago area so there's alot of road salt here.

I've used Fluid Film before and do believe in the product 100% but I know if you pressure wash the coated areas, it washes the product off.

My plan is to spray everything in the next couple of weeks before winter, NOT do any undercarriage washing until they stop salting the roads (probably late March of next year). Once roads are clear, pressure wash everything and re-coat with a fresh application of Fluid Film.

Does this sound like a good plan? I really do not want to mess with undercarriage washing and re-applying the FF several times throughout the winter season because it gets nasty out and it's a bit of a pain to apply without an easy access to a 2-post lift and indoor shop area.

P.S Is it okay to get overspray on the exhaust with Fluid Film or do you need to mask everything off? I've used Boeshield T9 a few times and got it over the exhausts with no problems at all, wonder if Fluid Film is any different.

 

[oilpsi2high]

You’re supposed to do the fluid Film in the springtime. It won’t hurt anything to do it now, but even FF themselves recommends a springtime application.

 

[Kabanstva]

I don't understand why it matters when it's applied? As far as I know there is no curing time for this product. I've sprayed lots of parts on my car just before the winter and never had an issue with it. FF is still on there after over a year. Got a new car now and want to do the underside as well.

 

[oilpsi2high]

So do it now then and don’t worry about it.

 

[Kabanstva]

The question was not WHEN to do it. Did you read the thread at all?

 

[oilpsi2high]

Rinse the salt off when it’s above freezing.

 

[fenixguy]

I just applied Fluid Film to the CR-V and the Frontier this fall. I'm a first time user so I am also interested in what others have done. I'm thinking I should avoid underbody flushes at the car wash. I put it on pretty thick but I can already tell where road spray has taken it off the truck's frame in places. It's still pretty warm so that's to be expected. I'll probably do a touch up late this month or next and it should be fine through winter. I'm not looking for a miracle, just some preventative maintenance--I hate rust!!! When it warms up in the spring, I'll do a thorough cleaning of the undercarriage.

That being said, I'm going to avoid driving in the salt in the truck unless I truly can't make it in anything else, which is rare here but we're due for a hard winter... That's what the Civics are for.

 

[emmett442]

The springtime app is best because it allows time for dust, dirt, road grime, etc to stick into the Fluid film and turn it into a thick durable paste.

I've applied fluid film on my vehicles 4 years in a row, and it now seems that the coating is semi-permanent. You can take it off with some elbow grease, but it won't simply wash off anymore.

I'll probably stop annual applications at this point.

 

[expat]

I tested FF and other products on bare acid washed metal tags some years ago. I hung the tags under my truck and left them there all winter long.

In spring I examined the tags after washing them in warm water.

The FF tag was unblemished and still beaded water after washing, but I am not sure if it's protective ability was reduced by the washing. I suspect so.

 

[Kabanstva]

Originally Posted By: emmett442
The springtime app is best because it allows time for dust, dirt, road grime, etc to stick into the Fluid film and turn it into a thick durable paste.

I've applied fluid film on my vehicles 4 years in a row, and it now seems that the coating is semi-permanent. You can take it off with some elbow grease, but it won't simply wash off anymore.

I'll probably stop annual applications at this point.


That's strange because I've had it on our Sienna for well over a year and on the parts away from high wash areas (engine bay), the coating is still as soft and wet as the day it was applied. Are you sure you're using Fluid Film and not something else? Even their website says it has indefinite life and NEVER dries because there are no solvents in the product.

 

[Kabanstva]

Originally Posted By: expat
I tested FF and other products on bare acid washed metal tags some years ago. I hung the tags under my truck and left them there all winter long.

In spring I examined the tags after washing them in warm water.

The FF tag was unblemished and still beaded water after washing, but I am not sure if it's protective ability was reduced by the washing. I suspect so.


Do you get alot of salt on the roads up by you?

I don't think Fluid Film rinses off with regular pressure you'd get from a garden hose, but any kind of pressure washer over 1000psi will strip it pretty easily. Should not be a problem, just avoid winter washes.

 

[expat]

Salt, and I live on the coast.

 

[emmett442]

Originally Posted By: Kabanstva
Originally Posted By: emmett442
The springtime app is best because it allows time for dust, dirt, road grime, etc to stick into the Fluid film and turn it into a thick durable paste.

I've applied fluid film on my vehicles 4 years in a row, and it now seems that the coating is semi-permanent. You can take it off with some elbow grease, but it won't simply wash off anymore.

I'll probably stop annual applications at this point.


That's strange because I've had it on our Sienna for well over a year and on the parts away from high wash areas (engine bay), the coating is still as soft and wet as the day it was applied. Are you sure you're using Fluid Film and not something else? Even their website says it has indefinite life and NEVER dries because there are no solvents in the product.


Pretty sure- I see the 5 gal pail of it sitting in my garage every day.

I'm not claiming that it dries. I'm saying that the dirt and grime it collects changes it's consistency. The coatings on my cars are still "wet", but they are extra thick and sticky - almost like a grease.

A year isn't enough to build it up. You'll see what I mean if you keep at it for a few years.



^^^See this picture here. If you look closely, you can see the heavy layer of "crud" on the upper control arm and steering knuckle - and the steering knuckle is bright aluminum under that coating!

 

[Kabanstva]

Originally Posted By: emmett442
Originally Posted By: Kabanstva
Originally Posted By: emmett442
The springtime app is best because it allows time for dust, dirt, road grime, etc to stick into the Fluid film and turn it into a thick durable paste.

I've applied fluid film on my vehicles 4 years in a row, and it now seems that the coating is semi-permanent. You can take it off with some elbow grease, but it won't simply wash off anymore.

I'll probably stop annual applications at this point.


That's strange because I've had it on our Sienna for well over a year and on the parts away from high wash areas (engine bay), the coating is still as soft and wet as the day it was applied. Are you sure you're using Fluid Film and not something else? Even their website says it has indefinite life and NEVER dries because there are no solvents in the product.


Pretty sure- I see the 5 gal pail of it sitting in my garage every day.

I'm not claiming that it dries. I'm saying that the dirt and grime it collects changes it's consistency. The coatings on my cars are still "wet", but they are extra thick and sticky - almost like a grease.

A year isn't enough to build it up. You'll see what I mean if you keep at it for a few years.



^^^See this picture here. If you look closely, you can see the heavy layer of "crud" on the upper control arm and steering knuckle - and the steering knuckle is bright aluminum under that coating!




Yeah I see what you mean.

I wonder what the benefit of that is over just applying once a year, pressure washing all the crud off in the spring and re-coating to avoid that kind of accumulation of crud underneath. That looks really messy and would not be fun working around all that grease. I guess it's alot better than rust. Anything is better than rust.

 

[emmett442]

Sure, it'll wash off if you want it to, but I don't think that is of benefit.

As you mention, a new application on a clean car washes away easily. The accumulation of sticky crud gives you a durable coating.

A pain to work with? Na. Sure, you get a little dirty, but everything is easier. For example - I changed the rear springs on that car last year. It was 5 years old with 70k, daily driven in Milwaukee winters. After cracking the control arm and shock fasteners loose, I was able to spin them off by with my fingers... amazing! Not having to pull out the torch, angle grinder, hammer, etc is WELL worth getting a little messy.

If the goal is to prevent rust, leave the crud. It helps. If you are worried about getting a little dirt on your hands, let someone else repair it!

 

[Kabanstva]

Sounds good, I checked our Sienna in some of the areas I sprayed on the power sliding side door jamb area and indeed it has collected some crud over the last year or so and about 20k miles of driving. It doesn't really bother me, because I know the area is protected underneath the crud.

I'll plan to do as you said and just re-coat it on a yearly basis or even every spring and fall.

I was mainly worried that maybe the road salt would get trapped within the Fluid Film, hence why I was considering pressure washing everything off in the spring and applying a fresh coat.