Hey everyone, have any of my New England neighbors used these people? NH Oil Undercoating | "The Good Stuff!" I am open to other options if someone thinks they have a better one, but definitely want to make sure that i treat my truck before each winter, since it's starting out in great shape. I can't do it myself, so it's going to a shop no matter what. For comparison purposes, it's $169 for the clear and $189 for the black. Thanks in advance.
Anyone with experience using NH Oil Undercoating
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I'm going to be using fluid film in the next few weeks. I got a test can and it applied like the link you showed. Lots of people have used fluid film in the past.
Since you're in the NE I'm going to assume that even though it's in 'great condition' it has some level of underbody surface rust. If so, I'd recommend using POR15 first (http://www.por15.com/POR-15_Rust_Preventive_Coating), then the POR15 top coat product after that (POR-15® Top Coat) - theoretically though that NH Oil product or Fluid Film would be fine as a top coat as well, but I'd recommend the normal POR15 rust preventive coating first regardless. Just my two cents.
Another reason I like the POR topcoat is because it is available in spray can form, much easier to apply (and probably quicker for whomever you hire, theoretically cutting down on labor costs)
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Well, technically it's only been in NE for a few days. It's an Arkansas truck with a basically spotless undercarriage. Do you think that the stuff at this place IS fluidfilm (it sounds like it, but doesn't say exactly). I appreciate the replies, so far, btw, thanks.
Yeah, maybe. I used to live in Mass but never cared about rust (back then), but from reading other Mud members' comments I think the key will be to proactively wash the undercarriage on a regular basis during the winter. From what I remember other guys' saying, I think if you take the time to powerwash the underbody regularly during the winter you should be good to go, so regardless of which product you use as a preventive layer, the importance will be in habitual washing. Hopefully Northeast and rust belt friends will chime in here...
From other undercoating threads, many of our rusty friends prefer some type of oil coating. Even the POR 15 coating is susceptible to rust. I would treat any minor rust that the Cruiser has, if any. Then I would coat; the favorite on mud appears to be fluid film at the moment. You can buy individual aerosol cans, or have it applied at a shop. No experience or opinion on what was linked above.
Though this topic has been covered many times, search and I'm sure you can collect more data/opinions.
Though this topic has been covered many times, search and I'm sure you can collect more data/opinions.
I've used Fluid Film for 5-10 years and it's great stuff. Easy to apply, cheap and does the trick. Every fall I power wash, brush off any mild rust with a brush, spritz it with ospho to cauterize it, then apply a LOT of fluid film. I grew up around sheep, so I kinda like the smell in those first few days. YMMV. 
"Imported" a rust-prone southern Miata to michigan and daily drove it for 4 years in the winter. It stayed clean as a whistle. Didn't even power wash the underside during the winter, just touched up the fluid film where it got rinsed away around the tires. Did a great job keeping already-rusty old BMWs from getting worse, too. Just make sure you clean out all the drains and stuff before you apply it internally so you don't create clogs or anything.
I wouldn't put anything over significant rust, POR-15 included. It's great if you do it just right, but it also puts a hard, sealed layer of stuff you can't see through on the rust. I'd much rather be able to keep a very close eye on things. The LX470 I finally got rid of a couple weeks ago was hiding a ton of rust behind what looked like poorly applied POR and that's not the first time I've seen something like that.
"Imported" a rust-prone southern Miata to michigan and daily drove it for 4 years in the winter. It stayed clean as a whistle. Didn't even power wash the underside during the winter, just touched up the fluid film where it got rinsed away around the tires. Did a great job keeping already-rusty old BMWs from getting worse, too. Just make sure you clean out all the drains and stuff before you apply it internally so you don't create clogs or anything.
I wouldn't put anything over significant rust, POR-15 included. It's great if you do it just right, but it also puts a hard, sealed layer of stuff you can't see through on the rust. I'd much rather be able to keep a very close eye on things. The LX470 I finally got rid of a couple weeks ago was hiding a ton of rust behind what looked like poorly applied POR and that's not the first time I've seen something like that.
I am going all out with Fluid Film this year. Ordered the kit with the spray gun and wands in hopes to get really good coverage. I want to keep my Cali GX rust free and my pre-rusty Michigan truck from getting any worse.
My truck came to NH from Arkansas. I had NH oil Undercoating applied last fall. I asked if they used fluid film and they explained that they had in the past but looked for something superior and found/developed a new oil coating. They do a good job of applying it, it clings well. I used the black tinted formula. It doesn't smell as bad as the fluid film in my opinion. So far so good and it has held up well. One winter and there is still a thick coat. I will say that it is messy especially if you do any work under the truck afterwords. Just wear clothes you don't mind ruining. I dropped my spare before I went down so they could get to area above it easily. When finished I was taken out and shown the application under the vehicle.
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Wow, @skshepherd, I really appreciate that review, that's what I was looking for. I think I'll try to get in there on the 22nd. I think I may do the clear, maybe not quite as messy and I'm not trying to cover anything.
Just fyi, per the nh oil website, they are merely an oil undercoating business that applies fluid film...
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Thanks for that. Even though it's not some crazy new product, I know fluid film has a generally good rep and people like it, so that will work for me, I guess. I can post my experience in a couple weeks, in the event anyone is interested.
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Quick update on this. I had the undercoating applied on Saturday. Firstly, the family who owns it are all great people and quite knowledgeable, which makes me especially glad to support a local small business. Secondly, as SKShepherd mentioned, they no longer use the Fluidfilm product, as they found that it was too thin and would only really last about 3-4 months. They developed their own proprietary mixture that is much thicker and sticks to the metal better several years ago (but apparently didn't change their webpage). the new stuff also smells a lot better (It smells a lot like the Black Magic Tire Wet stuff, for those who are familiar with that). They also have a wax type undercoating that they apply to new vehicles that haven't seen any winters yet. They allowed me to watch the whole process, and the guy applying it really hit all the areas that I could imagine doing, plus some that i wouldn't think of. They pull the plugs in the frame to squirt it inside the frame rails, as well as shooting some inside the aftermarket bumpers, in the hood, doors, latches, etc. Apparently the stuff is supposed to last a year, and they claim that it offers better protection if you get it year in and year out, as some remains from previous applications. I can update in a year how it held up, but given that Mass uses some unbelievable corrosive products that are way worse than salt, I feel better having some protection.
Mind telling us how much it cost?
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I think it was $160. It's $20 or $30 more for the graphite infused black undercoating, I think.
It's about 8 bucks a can. I don't drill the hole thing, just spray it about twice a year since it sees a lot of beach usage. I can do the undercarriage with one can
Sporin
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Old thread but i thought I'd add my 2 bits since I just looked into this and had mine done.
I was looking to have my somewhat rusty 2005 4Runner protected this winter. A local place(TBW Automotive, Lebanon NH) was advertising a Fluid Film spray. So I dug into it a bit.
The product shops apply professionally is different than the aerosol cans you can buy and do yourself. I've done FF myself in the past and it's gone about a month into winter. This year I did the pro application at TBW and it's a MUCH different substance. Significantly thicker and stickier. Looks like it will last all winter but I'll be sure to follow up if it doesn't. It's not drippy or runny like just spraying on old motor oil. In the can, it's like thin peanut butter.
I have a buddy who is a plane mechanic in the Navy, they use it on all their stuff. When I asked him about it he said...
"The stuff in the spray can is called "AS" and it's short for "aerosol" versus "NAS" which is "non-aerosol" and works better. The "WRO" is the thickest and it's good for keeping underwater cables corrosion free. We use it all over our aircraft. As a matter of fact we'll dip a sponge in it and wipe down the entire aircraft exterior with it. It will keep a $40 Million helicopter corrosion free even on the deck of a small ship close to the water. It's really good stuff and it's also not nearly as toxic as other materials. We go through about a gallon a month for 12 aircraft while just doing regular maintenance. A five gallon pail will coat a helicopter for a month and a half if it's flying every day. "
pics: Fluid Film Undercoating. 2005 Toyota 4Runner, 182k Miles.
Hope that info helps!
I was looking to have my somewhat rusty 2005 4Runner protected this winter. A local place(TBW Automotive, Lebanon NH) was advertising a Fluid Film spray. So I dug into it a bit.
The product shops apply professionally is different than the aerosol cans you can buy and do yourself. I've done FF myself in the past and it's gone about a month into winter. This year I did the pro application at TBW and it's a MUCH different substance. Significantly thicker and stickier. Looks like it will last all winter but I'll be sure to follow up if it doesn't. It's not drippy or runny like just spraying on old motor oil. In the can, it's like thin peanut butter.
I have a buddy who is a plane mechanic in the Navy, they use it on all their stuff. When I asked him about it he said...
"The stuff in the spray can is called "AS" and it's short for "aerosol" versus "NAS" which is "non-aerosol" and works better. The "WRO" is the thickest and it's good for keeping underwater cables corrosion free. We use it all over our aircraft. As a matter of fact we'll dip a sponge in it and wipe down the entire aircraft exterior with it. It will keep a $40 Million helicopter corrosion free even on the deck of a small ship close to the water. It's really good stuff and it's also not nearly as toxic as other materials. We go through about a gallon a month for 12 aircraft while just doing regular maintenance. A five gallon pail will coat a helicopter for a month and a half if it's flying every day. "
pics: Fluid Film Undercoating. 2005 Toyota 4Runner, 182k Miles.
Hope that info helps!
I had a local shop in Albany that applied that NH Undercoating stuff but didn't get a chance to ask questions about application or price before they relocated. I decided to get mine Krowned after needlescaling and painting my girl's bottom.
I am not sure that I am about to say, but I have seen in Russia that they undercoat cars with bee wax . that say it is not melting and creates good film barrier.