Picking up Southern LX470 - Looking for Undercoating advice/experience - esp. Waxoyl, Fluid Film, Krown (1 Viewer)

[tjb]

I've seen some helpful threads here, but thought I would ask again in the hope of getting the latest thinking/experiences/advice. Perhaps this can become a definitive thread. (One can dream.)

I'm picking up a rust-free '06 LX 470 in Alabama next week. Bringing it back to the depths of the salt belt - Maine. It will be parked, outside, 300 meters from the ocean. I don't really have the workspace to get it up in the air and apply anything myself.

My instinct is to try and get Waxoyl applied as soon as possible (preferably on the way back), but would love some opinions on it, or to hear from people with experience with Waxoyl, Fluid Film or Krown. Less excited about Krown for some reason, probably due to the emphasis in the marketing on drilling new holes.

The folks at Waxoyl's US distributor thought I could survive up here until I get it in by assiduously pressure washing the undercarriage, so I don't necessarily have to do it on the way back. Also mentioned that it may not require drilling anything new.

But should I do it at all? At $800-$1,200 for a Waxoyl application at an approved service center, I could go through 85 car washes. (That's weekly for less than three snow seasons up here.) Krown seems cheap, but almost too cheap.

I'm interested in hearing (particularly from New Englanders/Salt Belters) about:

1. Effectiveness of experience with specific products
2. What undercoating does for resale value - I note that a lot of folks suspect it means rust is hidden.
3. Whether pressure washing the undercarriage is sufficient
4. What New Englanders/Salt Belters without undercoating or rustproofing have experienced by keeping the undercarriage clean. (I've seen some pretty bad bellies up here in my search.)

 

[Captndcoke]

I would vote for Krown even if it requires of drilling holes, which in my opinion is better too:

Drill the holes and spray inside the doors/tail gate, this helps in preventing further spread of the rust
Annual application, if done at one of the Krown places gets it about $135 or so but once the initial application is done, I prefer doing the sprays myself from the subsequent years (spray tins are not that expensive as the whole application)

I have done krown treatment from one of their site and plan to do eventually by myself every year.

 

[mrahc]

I'd go with Krown or NH Oil Coating if you really don't want to do it yourself... If you did though, use something like Amsoil's Metal Protector or Fluid Film since it's rust free still. I really, really wouldn't suggest just washing it. Coating it now is gonna save you money down the line and (more than likely) prevent rusting from ever starting under there, especially inside the frame rails (if you go Krown, that's why they drill). You're just going to fare better. I believe with one or two of those you have to re-coat annually or biennially. You could use POR-15 but that's more of a rust converter.

As far as resale value... I honestly don't think it matters. Nobody here seems to wanna touch a truck that's been in the salt belt with a 10 foot pole, even if it's been coated... /s. If you're really worried about someone thinking you're hiding rust down the line, document the process of getting it coated, with proof in photos.

As a MA native, I really don't think there's hope for a truck that doesn't get treated preemptively. Mine didn't and I'm dealing with the consequences (it's my fault as the purchaser, but whatever) that could have been avoided. The couple hundred you'll spend a year for peace of mind is priceless.

 

[flintknapper]

Pressure washing will never get into all the nooks and crannies where rust is most likely to form. A preemptive coating is certainly the best thing to do. "Extra Holes" should be viewed a GOOD thing, not a bad thing. It means you will be reaching areas not previously possible (inside frame rails, inside door panels, etc).

As for resale: The astute will be attracted to an undercarriage with 'less' rust...no matter what market you are in. In the South....you will never sell a rusty vehicle except to the uninformed or those to lazy to look.

 

[white_lx]

I'm leaning towards Fluid Film lately. Here is my Krown experience:

Krown rustproofing - collateral damage

The benefits of Krown rustproofing have been discussed here. Krown-ing a vehicle does have some disadvantages as well. First, it requires drilling into doors and door jambs. Secondly, the undercarriage will attract dirt and working on the vehicle becomes less fun. But the real problem arises...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[tjb]

I'm leaning towards Fluid Film lately. Here is my Krown experience:

Krown rustproofing - collateral damage

The benefits of Krown rustproofing have been discussed here. Krown-ing a vehicle does have some disadvantages as well. First, it requires drilling into doors and door jambs. Secondly, the undercarriage will attract dirt and working on the vehicle becomes less fun. But the real problem arises...

forum.ih8mud.com

Excellent link, and I remember coming across that post, but had forgotten it.

Appreciate the actual experience report and reminding me of it.

 

[Hugh Calgary]

On my 1998 LC I used Eastwood products on the under carriage. They have a whole line of products and I am sure they have one suited for a rust free truck. I used the rust convertor followed by a finish coat. It is a painted finish so doesn't collect dust or dirt. Did a oil change recently and still looks great half way through the first winter. I have never used it before so don't have long term experience. I bought it from a local speed shop. The owner sold all kinds of products but picked the Eastwood products for his own daily driver and it looked great after 3 winters.
Also used Eastwood internal frame spray on the frame.
For the doors tailgate and other internal sheet metal I used Fluid Film. I used the extended spray nozzle that came with the Eastwood frame spray. Taped it to some wire so I could direct the Fluid Film spray to the seams at the bottom. Didn't have to drill any holes was able to insert the wire and flexible nozzle through drain holes and gaps for every panel. It has leaked out the drain holes but is easy to clean off when washing the LC.

 

[4Beast]

I get the NH Oil Undercoating. From what I understand, it's similar to Krown, and is applied roughly annually. There is no need to drill any holes. there are already tons of holes all over, some with plugs in them, some without. In my opinion, it is worth the $180 or whatever annually to have a really messy and annoying job done by professionals.

 

[mmbirtcher]

Besides the frame and body- which I think I’d just follow local advice with rock- solid reputation. The electronics will be hit hard 300m from the ocean with salt spray. I don’t know what you can do about that if anything. My understanding from coastal family in SC is there isn’t anything to protect electronics when ocean front. Just another price (I’d gladly pay) to live on the Maine coast!

 

[Matthew810]

I have a 98 LC I brought up from Alabama this summer to Michigan. I took it over to Windsor Ontario and had a Krown Treatment done. I was really happy with the application. I refused to even take it out the garage in the winter until I was able to take it in. Been thru a couple storms now and the subsequent car washes. I was under it the other day and I am really happy with the application and how it's holding up so far.

 

[RND1]

Over the last 4 years, I've had 3 Krown treatments and last Fall decided to try NH Oil Undercoating. I only switched to NH Oil Undercoating because the closest Krown to me was 2 hours away on the NH/VT border so it ate up a whole day driving up, waiting for it to get undercoated, and then driving back home. Here's my observations:

1. Drilling holes: Krown drilled a couple of small holes in the door bottoms and possible lower clam shell and plugged them with a black rubber cap. I didn't have any issue with them drilling these holes if it would protect the truck from rust. NH Oil does their best to not drill holes and showed me where they use factory holes to get access to body panels. I believe they did use one hole in the quarter panel that Krown created.

2. Product: Krown is clear and is corn oil based (according to the guy applying it) with a slight smell that isn't offensive. NH Oil has created their own product and won't tell you what it's based on other than to say it's environmentally friendly. They offer clear and black. The product smells like artificial orange cleaner. NH Oil claims their product is "thicker" than Krown and hence will perform better. The owner Joe claims to have a test cabinet out back where he regularly tests his product against the competition, but he didn't show that to me.

3. Application: Both Krown and NH Oil seem to take about an hour to apply the product. Both use several different wand types to get into the frame rails and body cavities. NH Oil told me that their product would drip much less than Krown. But, I found this to be just the opposite. With Krown, I never had much dripping after the 2 hour drive home, and could park in my driveway. With NH Oil I couldn't leave the LC in the driveway for 2 weeks because it dripped so much oil. I parked on the street and can still see the oil spots 6 months later.

4. Price: Krown was $99 (this location honored your original price if you maintained annual coverage). NH Oil was $179 for clear, $199 for black. I went with Black so NH Oil was double the price.

5. Results: I never spent the time to wire brush the surface rust off before starting with Krown so the undercarriage looks the same (still surface rusty), but I believe it hasn't gotten worse. My benchmark is my friend's '04 Chevy Truck with half the mileage of my LC that he bought new and is rusting away in his driveway (he doesn't believe in oil undercoating). He's crawled under my LC and was impressed with how much better it looked than his truck (he attributes it to crap Chevy metal). So, I feel the oil is working. I only switched to NH Oil last Fall so won't be able to tell if it's working better than Krown. However, the undercarriage looks nicer as the Black tint seems to be holding up pretty well.

6. What I would do: I don't think you can go wrong with either Krown or NH Oil. I believe Krown is now closer to $140 and NH Oil is $179 for clear. There's a Krown in Lisbon, Maine and NH Oil is in Chichester, NH. I may go back to Krown as I don't want to deal with all the oil dripping on my driveway for 2 weeks, but you may not care about that. Hope this helps.

 

[whitenoise]

This wont work for everyone and I fully realize its a privilege, but I bought a winter beater.. At first snow/ice of the season the LX gets parked and doesn't come out until late-April after all the salt and salt brine has washed off the roads. This is the result after 5 winters in Michigan with a Florida truck... Seeing the cost of annual undercoating its not all that much more expensive to invest 2-3k into a beater and run it into the ground. Its totally worth the peace of mind when you're 2500 miles from home to know you can make repairs easily with hand tools (no rusted fasteners or lines).

 

[RND1]

Very nice bottom @whitenoise! BUT, the LC is so capable and fun to drive in the snow that I'm like a kid on Christmas morning before a snow storm. I make up excuses to get out and drive in the fluffy stuff even when we're not packing the family up for a ski weekend up in the mountains. Guess my LC is my winter "beater"

 

[whitenoise]

I don't know about that @RND1 but a 3 series on Hakkapeliittas is objectively more fun in the winter... Plus all the people who bought into the "AWD better in snow" argument are left clueless how an old RWD car without ESC can launch better in 2" of snow/slush...

 

[jlm43]

I went with Fluid Film when I brought mine to the rust belt. I asked the tech specifically to drop the spare before spraying and to spray into the drain holes of the rear hatch. I can’t say how it’s going to last as this is the first winter. Where in Maine are you located?

 

[Matthew810]

I was with you @whitenoise but then the wife needed to get to work during storms last week and was picking up kids after. At that point it didn't make much sense leaving the LC in the garage after having it Krowned. Gave it to her and now I'm not sure I'm gonna get it back. I have a e150 I use for hauling kids around and in the winter. Thing is a beast in the snow and fun for fish tailing. Rusty and beat up but just keeps going and going.

My f150 gets parked at first snow. It was my dad's last truck and we brought both kids home from hospital in it. It's nothing special but has huge sentimental value. Probably will have it forever.

 

[tjb]

I live on Mount Desert Island, near Somes Sound.

I’ve got a reputable local shop who can do Fluid Film upon my return from the South, so I think I’m going with that. And maybe staying out of the snow.

 

[RND1]

Plus all the people who bought into the "AWD better in snow" argument are left clueless how an old RWD car without ESC can launch better in 2" of snow/slush...

While I'm a fan of the e36 (I own one), "launching in 2" of snow/slush" is hardly an argument to being better than a Full Time AWD LC in the snow? The beauty of the LC is I don't have to "launch" it anywhere - she just goes in 2" or 2 feet.

 

[jlm43]

I live on Mount Desert Island, near Somes Sound.

I’ve got a reputable local shop who can do Fluid Film upon my return from the South, so I think I’m going with that. And maybe staying out of the snow.

So far the FF seems to be doing its job. There is no signs of rust on anything under the truck. It did ooze out of the hatch drain holes for a day or so though which I suppose is a good thing. I think dropping the spare and spraying the back end throughly will help too. Good luck with the trip back, it's definitely worth it. I had to go to Orlando to get mine.

We are on MDI quite a bit as we have a family camp in Lamoine. Absolutely beautiful part of the state, when the cruise ships aren't in town.

 

[whitenoise]

While I'm a fan of the e36 (I own one), "launching in 2" of snow/slush" is hardly an argument to being better than a Full Time AWD LC in the snow? The beauty of the LC is I don't have to "launch" it anywhere - she just goes in 2" or 2 feet.

Not much opportunity to drive in 2 feet of snow here in Detroit so it doesn't even register on my list of priorities. 2" on the other hand, yeah, all the time. There's no meaningful comparison between a small light sedan and a 7000lb SUV in terms of on road handling in slippery conditions.