Fluid Film

[Tillerman07]

Hello all, new 392 owner and have a question about undercoatings. Have heard traditional undercoating can trap moisture. Other folks have recommended a service call fluid film. Wanted to see what you all thought of this product.

 

[SCARd4Life]

I use woolwax- similar to fluid film but a bit heavier/thicker. I buy 5 gals and do the TRX and 392 in the fall. Works great.

 

[Tillerman07]

I use woolwax- similar to fluid film but a bit heavier/thicker. I buy 5 gals and do the TRX and 392 in the fall. Works great.

Again, new to these products. Is it applied and then re applied annually? Seems more “rubbery” than traditional undercoatings.

 

[SCARd4Life]

Again, new to these products. Is it applied and then re applied annually? Seems more “rubbery” than traditional undercoatings.

Comes off with a power washer. If you remove it, it obviously needs to be reapplied. It comes off fairly easily, which I prefer. Can run it all winter and remove it when it's no longer needed. It is also applied in hard to reach areas, like the inside of body panels. Probably no need to reapply, maybe just hit those areas every few years. I think most people do a heavy application the first year and touch up every fall to catch the areas where it has been removed. Also, avoid the exhaust- it will give off a powerful smoke effect and smell. And keep it off the brakes and rotors- it's slippery stuff.

 

[Tillerman07]

Comes off with a power washer. If you remove it, it obviously needs to be reapplied. It comes off fairly easily, which I prefer. Can run it all winter and remove it when it's no longer needed. It is also applied in hard to reach areas, like the inside of body panels. Probably no need to reapply, maybe just hit those areas every few years. I think most people do a heavy application the first year and touch up every fall to catch the areas where it has been removed. Also, avoid the exhaust- it will give off a powerful smoke effect and smell. And keep it off the brakes and rotors- it's slippery stuff.

Do you feel an automatic car wash would remove it?

 

[SCARd4Life]

Do you feel an automatic car wash would remove it?

Very possible. If you don't want it removed, opt for no or limited undercarriage wash. It's going to depend on how strong the blast is, but I'd say there is a good chance for an average undercarriage blast. Also, the spray could move the Woolwax onto undesirable areas, like the exhaust or rotors, so you need to be aware of that.

 

[Mouse]

If there is anything you want to do under your Jeep like suspension, skids or even a winch do it before you get undercoated. Undercoat makes it absolutely miserable to work on the underside of your vehicle.
I second the Woolwax, fluid film is not worth the money or effort for the amount of time it lasts. Fluid film is great for sort term protection because it washes off easier but it won’t last for more than a month or two of harsh winter.

I get my truck touched up every year with Woolwax, the guy who does it always tells me, “if you see smoke coming out the back you are probably on fire, what ever you do dont stop just go faster it will blow itself out eventually.” I can’t tell if he is serious, but I think he is.

 

[AbominableSnowman]

This should help with your research, I do think he’s (repair geek) now employed with Blaster; however, he has done a ton of research/testing with different products. He was a big proponent of fluid film, woolwax, and lanolin products in general. Check his videos out, pretty good.

With that said, I tried fluid film and Surface Shield out. Fluid film stinks! The smell is freaking terrible; not parking in the garage with that stank. Take it for a spin and you’ll understand, lol. Surface shield goes on much better and is lighter so hopefully creeps a little better. The can sucks and Blaster fixed it but guess I got and old stock can.

Here’s some videos from my research:

 

[Perk392]

This should help with your research, I do think he’s (repair geek) now employed with Blaster; however, he has done a ton of research/testing with different products. He was a big proponent of fluid film, woolwax, and lanolin products in general. Check his videos out, pretty good.

With that said, I tried fluid film and Surface Shield out. Fluid film stinks! The smell is freaking terrible; not parking in the garage with that stank. Take it for a spin and you’ll understand, lol. Surface shield goes on much better and is lighter so hopefully creeps a little better. The can sucks and Blaster fixed it but guess I got and old stock can.

Here’s some videos from my research:

Good stuff! I have some amsoil mp hd I’m going to try this year. Used fluid film the past three in Chicago but it comes off so quickly. The amsoil is like cosmoline and drys like a wax and won’t come off with a pressure washer. I’ve heard good things about the surface shield but haven’t met anyone that’s tried it yet.

 

[Tillerman07]

Good stuff! I have some amsoil mp hd I’m going to try this year. Used fluid film the past three in Chicago but it comes off so quickly. The amsoil is like cosmoline and drys like a wax and won’t come off with a pressure washer. I’ve heard good things about the surface shield but haven’t met anyone that’s tried it yet.

I like the product, seems no one in Ohio uses it much. It makes me nervous that it washes off easily esp if you use a car wash etc. Thoughts?

 

[ek01]

This should help with your research, I do think he’s (repair geek) now employed with Blaster; however, he has done a ton of research/testing with different products. He was a big proponent of fluid film, woolwax, and lanolin products in general. Check his videos out, pretty good.

With that said, I tried fluid film and Surface Shield out. Fluid film stinks! The smell is freaking terrible; not parking in the garage with that stank. Take it for a spin and you’ll understand, lol. Surface shield goes on much better and is lighter so hopefully creeps a little better. The can sucks and Blaster fixed it but guess I got and old stock can.

Here’s some videos from my research:

I saw that video as well and went with Blaster. There are two issues with it - if you want it applied professionally, they do not have a list of local shops like FLuidFilm does, so you either need to waste hours on calling around or apply it yourself. Also, if you want to apply it yourself, you will need to invest into a compressor, a spray gun, etc. because Blaster does not sell spray can extensions that allow you to reach into cavities like FluidFilm does.

Surface Shield DOES NOT come off with an undercarriage wash and DOES NOT come off with a household electric power washer (i.e. 2,000 PSI of less). I personally tested it. If you overspray and apply a lot, the washer may take off the residue, BUT the product itself gets embedded in the metal and is virtually impossible to remove completely. Obviously if you do an undercarriage wash weekly throughout the year, you will probably need to re-apply it 1-2 times a year.

The point about doing any undercarriage work first before applying undercoating is definitely valid. When I was installing my rock sliders, I coated all the connection points and all the hardware with Surface Shield and it was a BEOTCH to get anything to stay in place. The product makes everything SUPER slippery. At the same time, you definitely want to spray your underside with the product BEFORE you install anything like skid plates, rock sliders, etc. because otherwise a good portion of the underside will remain unprotected.

 

[Turboencabulator]

I like the product, seems no one in Ohio uses it much. It makes me nervous that it washes off easily esp if you use a car wash etc. Thoughts?

Hey fellow Ohioan! I have been using Blaster SurfaceShield for 2 years and am very happy with the results. Actually Blaster is also an Ohio company here in the rust belt. I did a post on this but while I was waiting for my Jeep (also made in Ohio) to be built I ran a test comparing Blaster SurfaceShield vs FluidFilm by coating an untreated piece of steel cut in the shape of a license plate which I attached to the front of my car. I also tested 2 types of frame paint and left the middle untreated as a control. While I was at it I tested an aerospace inhibiter called Boeshield T9 in some pinch seams I made with the extra material I had left over from making the steel test coupon. I drove it around for 2 winters and found that the Blaster SurfaceShield held up very well with the steel looking "like new" under a protective crust. (You have to wipe it off with your finger, it won't just wash off.)

I also found that the Boeshield T-9 did a great job inside where it is not exposed to the elements in protecting the inside of pinch seams and doors. So that's what I am using on my Jeep. I spray it myself in the early fall (full respirator) straight out of the can using a cheep ($10) plastic tube attachment to get inside the frame. It takes me about 1 hr. First coat took me about 2.5 hours. I can buy the Blaster SurfaceShield at HomeDepot or HarborFreight. I get the Boeshield T9 on Amazon but I only use that for internal parts like inside doors, tailgate, inside the hood, etc.
Good luck from a fellow Rust Belt Warrior... Who dey... OH - IO.