rust shops will tell you that the best time to rustproof with oil base undercoat is early summer because the heat helps it creep up better. The fall is the worst time because it gets cold.
Curious as to why "early" summer is better than say, August or even September? In most of the northeast (especially for the last decade or so), it is often still in the 80's well into October.
It gives the oil that much more time to creep up that's what the rust shops say and I like to power wash the undercarriage of my cars a few days before getting it oiled@@AldermanFredCDavis
My dad used to use boiled linseed oil cut with turpentine to undercoat his cars every fall. Worked amazing and was super cheap to do. He liked it because it stayed clear, so if there were any spots of rust on the car already, you could see if it was progressing further. He used to be an aircraft mechanic which is where he learned this method.
probably true with some oils. for instance, ever since I started putting extra virgin olive oil on my bicycles, they haven't shown any rust. almost like a rust shield. bonus, lubricates the chain. i'm guessing linseed works the same.
I've had great success cleaning under my truck with a cheap Walmart lawn sprinkler. I just slide it underneath, let it soak in one area a while, then move it every so often until everything is thoroughly rinsed. Also, I have really good results with CorrosionX HD spray. Coats flat surfaces, seeps into crevices, soaks into existing rust, self-heals well. It has a LOT of wax content so it's very tough and resists wash off.
To be fair you drove quickly through the spray. The automatic one I use allows for a full minute of spraying underneath and on the lower sides. Most people do what you did in the video and just fly through it instead of taking advantage of the full time and driving extremely slow until you hit the stop sensor for the wash. Makes a huge difference
One minute? Wow, my local wash provides a very powerful spray (the car rocks during the wash/rinse cycle) but I only get about ten seconds of under carriage wash.
Trick is finding a wash that has a decent underside spray. There's new "club" washes popping up all around St Louis but not connecting my card to any clubs!, not the best reviews either, I'll buy or just make something.
@@KurtofTradesThat's ridiculous. The car wash near me actually has a sign saying "Pull in slowly, under spray lasts 60 seconds." For me, getting the underside clean is one of the main reasons for going to a car wash. I know it's not perfect but it's a lot better than not doing it.
I bought a new 2004 Toyota Sienna and took it through the car wash every second Saturday, for 18 years. Not a speck of rust on that thing, and l traded it in with 440,000 miles on it, and it was still looking good. My brother bought a Tahoe the same year, got it rustproofed by GM, took it in yearly for the touch up he paid for in his package for several years, and he didn’t believe in using the car wash. Did it in his driveway every weekend with a hose. That thing looked like new 10 years later in the interior, as he was a suit guy working in an office, but GM did squatt for his package deal for keeping the rustproof going. Frame rotted through and he had to junk it, they wouldn’t give him anything for a trade. Didn’t learn his lesson though, bought another GM. I live where there is salt and shit all winter, and l KNOW car washes work. You can find good ones out there. Cheers.
Toyota's won't rust as fast as other makers because they zinc-nickel coating. (yes, they had issues with Tacomas) I live in NW Minnesota and I see a lot of rusty vehicles on the roads. Most are Chevy's and Ford's and the Toyota's that I do see have little rust for their age. I can't compare my 2005 Corolla in all this since it was a southern car with just 3 winters on it.
Buying my car used, it is too far gone in rust to cover up with oils or anti rust protective coats, but I do try to slow down rust every now and then by going to a do it yourself wash and personally getting on my hands and knees and pressure washing the undercarriage with the sprayer.
I hate the snow belt....I hate rust. The cities here over salt the roads to keep up the budget. I saw them salting when winter was over, not a flake of snow on the ground and it was warm and sunny.
Where I live they spend 3 days spreading salt brine on the road before we get snow. Then most of the time we barely get a dusting. It’s complete insanity.
This is why I carefully hose off my undercarriage myself at home after any snow event (temperatures permitting). You get wet and you will spend about 30 minutes on your hands and knees hosing off the bottom from all angles, and flushing water into any and all frame ledges, holes and channels. It sucks, but it beats your car rusting on you.
If you have a driveway you can build your own undercarage wash , I made one myself if I have to drive though heavily salted areas, but Fluid Film is the best thing you can do, the only issue with it is it does wash off when driving on very wet roads, and a undercarage wash does slowly remove it. You have to keep treating the undercarage to make sure enough of a layer is still there, it's a PITA but cheaper than replacement of a vehicle that was eaten alive by salt and worse that stuff they pre treat bridges with. I have a 01 GMC Yukon 340000 miles on it I've kept the rust in check except for one rocker panel that has a small rust hole in it after 23 years and over 300k I think I did pretty good 😊
Inside rockers, doors, fenders, cavities I use a product out of Ontario called Rust Cure Corrosion Free 3000....get it cheapest by the case direct from the company....creeps everywhere!!!!! Definitely stopped door rust from 2017-2023 on a car I had in upstate NY
When I was a kid I had a 78 Grand Prix. We had a street party in a local small town and we found a bunch of used motor oil behind an auto shop. We poured probably 20 gallons of it in the middle of the street and we all started doing donuts in it. That car stayed rust free for years.
I use two oscillating lawn sprinklers on a Y attachment which I put under the vehicle and move around over the period of an hour. I also coated my entire underside with CRC Marine Grade Heavy Duty Corrosion inhibitor. It's translucent so you can see through it and see if anything is compromised and address it. It also doesn't collect dust like Fluid Film and it also doesn't need to be replaced every year or so like Fluid Film. 20 years driving on the beach to surf fish and that's only two vehicles and neither of them had a spot of corrosion on it. It's much harder than Fluid Film but it's not permanent - it takes work but it will come off.
My dad uses used motor oil applied with an airless paint sprayer. He has a 2006 Chevy 3600 dump truck he bought new that he uses to plow and sand/salt in the northeast winters. Now, in 2024, the truck is still going strong and with a solid frame. Can't say there is no rust, but it sure doesn't look like an 18yo truck that's been covered in salt every winter.
@@MikeOrazziOil has lower ph than Fluid Film and makes it more likely to rust, although it is tons better than noting at all, Fluidfilm is the preferred choice.
@@donSparda I use fluidfilm on my cars. However, if you have used oil, it's a lot cheaper than fluidfilm. And you might be able to adjust the pH of the oil before applying.
A sucky car wash could be worse than not washing, since the salt won't do much if there is no water. If you go through a car wash that washes the underside poorly, it likely will rust faster as then you have a still salty car that is now also mixed with water. Other than just not driving the car in the winter, oily or wax undercoatings are going to be the best options. Paint chips & cracks, washing just gets everything wet but doesn't fully clean the salt out of every seam & inside every access hole in the body/frame.. If you do something like fluid film, spray it along the seams, spray it into every access hole in the body, the drains on your doors, anywhere water might be able to get into. Any place that stays covered will pretty much gain no rust. Even cars with deeper rust, something like fluid film should almost completely stop it from spreading as long as you keep everything covered. It will soak into the rust down to the metal & still do a great job at keeping moister & oxygen out. I have an old Saturn that is 23 years old & sadly is very rotted underneath but one spot randomly still looks brand new.. It is part of the sub-frame that is right under the oil filter location, so every time the oil is changed that part of the sub frame gets covered in oil, it has no rust at all in that location. Oil does work amazingly well, products like surface shield & fluid film though are safer & less messy than used engine oil. I just started using surface shield & fluid film on my cars for this winter & that is my plan for now on unless I move to a area that doesn't salt in the winter.
I live in the rust belt. Professionals like Krown get into places that a diys will likely not. Washing the exterior more often helps remove sediment from behind moldings, etc. Liquid rust treatment penitrates to the metal. Don't wash it off during the winter.
Years ago, I lived in Pennsylvania. I saw something ingenious, the garage had brass sprinkler heads fitted flush in the concrete floor. The water source? The heater! There were also area drains. Someone had a really cool idea there.
I thought about something like that for a bit, I would worry about the lines freezing on a cold day, if you had an insulated and heated garage would be sweet though. If you had that much money to add something like that then you would probably have enough to buy a new car every 5 or so years though haha
@@KurtofTrades hehe, the sprinklers were connected to a ball valve at the water heater. Yes, the garage was also heated, really nice in the winter. The heat ducts had special protective dampers, isolating the garage from the home in the event of fire. Years later, studying fire protection systems, I recognized them.
Dont apply fluid film etc in the fall apply it in the spring. Get that nasty salt off after the winter not before. Dont let thar salt sit there all summer.
Kurt, Thanks for the interesting video. I never wash my car in winter but I do take it to Krown Rustproofing every year. Coming to the end of its 19th Ontario winter, my car remains rust free. 🤩
@@KurtofTrades I am not knocking any other brand of rustproofing but Krown is very convenient, affordable and effective. For the record, I wash my car in spring, summer and fall. After its last wash of the fall, it always gets a coat of paste wax to keep the top side looking as good as the bottom. 😉
Rust actually progresses slower when it's colder, so if you wash it right at the beginning of a warm spell, that could work out well. Not that I succeed in doing that-too many competing priorities.
I take take my car out in the first hard Spring rain I can, and run it through the puddles at the edge of the streets to clear out some of the accumulation of salt. But I've found that the only thing that really slows or prevents rust, is used oil spraying the underside and inside body cavities just before Winter, such as inside doors, rockers, etc. Holes have to be drilled to spray the oil into, Including over the rear wheel arches, and then plugged with the appropriate sized plastic plugs. I spray and brush oil on everything on the underside, suspension, everything. I've experienced professional rustproofing drying out, cracking, salt water getting under it, in spite of being re-sprayed every year, and rusting out even worse, falling out in chunks. So far, it's worked, my 1992 car is still rust free, living in the northern snow and road salt belt.
I would say that this really depends on what kind of carwash you have where you live. Here i Norway, most carwashes uses a way better system of moving jets that changes direction and lasts a lot longer than what you showed in this video. Where I wash my car in the winter, you can clearly see the water spraying from all directions when this is happening. I have had very good experience with this kind of wash, but I always go over my cars in the spring as soon as the freezing weather stops. This is because then I really know where the car has been washed. This video kind of inspired me to put a GoPro under my car and drive through the carwash. :-) But rust protection as you showed here is definetly the way to go. Good video overall!
Only way to prevent rust from starting is an annual oil spray of some kind... be it Krown, Rustcheck, Fluid Film or whatever your local shop uses. My undercarriage looks exactly like yours and I live in Ontario where they put a ton of salt on the roads. Only reason I don't have a single seized bold and everything looks brand new once I wipe off the grease (just like in your video) is because it's been sprayed since day 1
I 'get' your point. At the same time, it seems like so much to do with rust is completely random. I had a 16 year old Nissan Altima daily driver, in the northeast, that was never Fluidfilmed, but went through the car wash (with undercarriage blast) 2 or 3 times a week in the winters. I have no idea what the undercarriage looked like, but there was not a spec of rust visible on the surface. Similarly, have a relative with a northeastern U.S. daily driver, 2004 Lexus RX (and Toyota/Lexus (of that vintage) were not exactly known for using the best steel. While the vehicle was not driven in a lot of bad weather, it also was very rarely washed, and maybe waxed 4 times in 20 years. I'm sure the frame is ugly, but I was in the vehicle yesterday. 20 years old. No visible rust. Guy that owns a detail shop I go to, used to manage a car wash, and he claims that the undercarriage washes (at least at the place he used to work), are effective. However, again, I overstand your point, and I too think, "How can that undercarriage spray be effective when you're only passing over it for 2 to 5 seconds?"
Each car is crazy different in terms of how they rust too, just the shape of the parts and frame make a huge difference if they can dry out fast or not
One thing to consider about car wash facilities: some of them "recycle" wash water. They say that they "filter" the water - BUT unless they are using a reverse osmosis (RO) system which is VERY expensive, then the salt is not being removed. But is IS being concentrated. So they are spraying concentrated salt water on your car. (BTW - this topic, RO and water treatment to remove contaminants (Salt, As, PFAS, VO's) is my day job). Thanks for the info on the power wash attachment - it will save my aching back!
So fluid film is a DIY spray that you can do? That seems pretty nice. I was always very apprehensive about rust proofing because of them drilling holes into your car.
And not driving in the winter only works if you have a beater to drive in the winter. That's probably going to become my 01 Yukon because my 12 Ram Cummins I refuse to drive in the winter it stays in the garage.
I use Fluid Film and a local undercarriage wash, and my '18 Chicago/Mikwaukee driven Outback looks almost as new underneath. The brake calipers still have the factory cadmium plating intact, which usually disappears after two or three years.
Thanks for an awesome video. Just putting the facts out there. You folks up there in the snow belt areas definitely have tough conditions in the winter times. Carry On!
Spraying high pressure water underneath the vehicle could be doing more harm than good. GM wax coat the frames on their trucks, spaying high pressure water can strip the coating off the frame. You shouldn't use fluid film over any wax coated part, it will dissolve the wax coating. Fluid film is great for painted and raw metal. If you do spray water under your car, a nice long ride to dry it out underneath is a good plan. Good vid.
Horticulturalist's water wand ("Dram" is a really good one) worked under the car from various angles "Cation exchange" might apply to sodium adsorbed onto the car or bonded to dirt on the car,perhaps a solution of another cation bearing substance could be designed so as to be proportioned from a "Brass Hozon" mixer pulling from a bucket of solution ,would help to release the sodium to wash away and perhaps be replaced with another cation that is less corrosive
Here in Minnesota, it is high pressure spray you drive over for your undercarriage at the car wash. That's all most people are going to be able to do in the winter and not doing it won't just ruin their car, the salt collects on the concrete on yoyr driveway and garage destroying that too.
Soooo working on cars in the rust belt thats been coated is like working on my obs 7.3 PSD, a thick coat of oil everywhere. Good to know my truck does self undercoating
Great video 👍 to add (1) moisture causes rust, not salt itself (2) salt only accelerates rusting (3) if you live in a cold climate, it's usually drier in winter and more humid in summer, therefore more rusting tends to occur in summer (4) indeed excessive car washes can cause more rusting because they drive water where it wouldn't otherwise be and add moisture that takes time to dry (5) I wash my undercarriage once a year in Spring and undercoat like yourself, and restrict my other washing to the exterior
Way back when I was young and lived in the "rust belt" that was Cleveland, I coated the inside of the doors and undercarriage of my then new '79 Dodge pickup with special tar used for corrosion prevention in elevators. After that every Fall I'd drive it out to a field, drain it's warm oil into a deck sprayer, and lightly coat the underside of it with oil to keep the tar nice and "juicy". "Ziebart" was a big deal back then but I was too broke and cheap for that. It never rusted in the 145K miles I drove it (ya can't kill a 225 cubic inch slant 6 engine) but we can't do that sort of thing these days. A benefit of the tar is it greatly reduced road noise. To this day I run some oil down the bottom of the door seams as that is a rust hot spot, I ride dirt bikes and use chain lube there. Modern cars are much better in this regard, components can certainly rust, but the floor pan generally holds up a lot better. The 70's were a terrible era for cars and rust. I live in Colorado which uses magnesium chloride, it isn't great, but it is a lot better than salt (sodium chloride) from a corrosion perspective. Mag Chloride costs more but Colorado uses it as regular salt doesn't work well once the temp goes below 15F or so, while Mag Chloride works down to -20F. As for the car wash undercarriage blaster, the one I go to says on as long as the car is over it, I go real slow, back and forth a few times. Automatic washes are $14 now, I wanna get my money's worth 😂
An Oasis Typhoon touchless car wash actually sprays under the car once you've stopped and put it in park instead of spraying as you drive in like other touchless systems. I'm sure it's not perfect. The Oasis System is not very common in my area car wash nearby has this system.
In fact, underbody blasters do remove salt, you simply have to do it every week or two. It's all about consistency. Its all about running water to dilute it.
Like you said not all car washes are the same. We got a golden nozzle in my area fairly new less than a year old and it does a great job. We have several other competitors in the area that simply suck. A lot of places don't even have soap they don't bother.
Hello there. Very helpful tip and i more than agree with you. I've been using a product from England called Waxoyl, that comes in a 5 litter refill can. It gets sprayed to the underneath of the car, with a pump sprayer that comes with the starter kit. It was designed for the British market, since cars there live in high humidity...I've been using it for YEARS..... It has to be sprayed on when "warm" out, since it coagulates when it's cool out and of course it's a bit messy. But it works well and it "heals", as you mentioned as well. Lasts for a couple to few years. Depending on use of vehicle and environment.
In your opinion - if a car underside has been thoroughly Fluid-Filmed - the effort of rinsing salt off is more superfluous, correct? Put another way - undisturbed Fluid-Film (with salt on top) is better than rinsing a Fluid-Filmed vehicle throughout the Winter?
@@ArifGhostwriterthe problem is you can’t keep the fluid film “undistirbed” if you drive your car in winter. I own a ram 1500 for 19 yrs, pickup truck frames are all exposed, I spray it in winter whenever temp gets above zero, almost no rust
That small blast of water from the car wash is far better than nothing. It might not get everything, but getting any amount of salt off will help prevent extra rusting. Mr O at SMA always preaches fluid film too, hes in NY so lots and lots of salting in the winter, he says the liquid ones like fluid film/woolwax are your best bets. The rubberized ones are absolute junk unless applied at the factory before any amount of flash rusting can happen.
Trucks get a better effect with the sprayers because the water gets more time to disapate and get wider. Plus trucks have panels underneath that reflect spray onto other surfaces. A low slung vehicle will not benefit as much but trucks very much do. Had my 2022 Tacoma for several years. The car wash has kept the frame looking great
I greatly appreciate you including a link with Fluid Film in the description. One question, do you spray that on literally every surface under the vehicle that you can reach, or should you avoid certain areas, such as the engine and exhaust? I would assume that can cause heat trapping issues, and not to mention cause a burning smell that most certainly will be unpleasant.
Yea most spots are fine, no exhaust or brakes/tires. It will burn off the exhaust it’s just smelly if it does. I have some more videos on my channel about it
I like to keep my chyt clean every spring remove the rear bumper, wheel well liners clean inside and apply rustproof and use undercarriage sprayer often to get salt off. And krown rustproofing treatment every 2 years
Haha... I thought I was the only one who was crazy enough to remove his bumper to clean it. Same here... anywhere dirt, salt and mud can get into is where rust can start. 👍🏾
Good video. I use a solution called salt away. After washing either by hand or machine o thoroughly rinse my undercarriage with salt away, which breaks the waters surface tension, and allows it to rinse away more salt.
Just watched this video and I have to disagree with the statement that underbody wash doesn't work. I had a 2018 GTI that was driven daily in Ohio. I would go to the car wash in the winter only. It has an underbody wash and every year I take my car in for service they video the underneath and other components. The car had very little rust. Maybe our carwash is better at the underbody wash.
The salt by itself in a dry form is not so bad, but when it gets wet, thats bad. The only prevention people should use is the undercoating. Don't wash the car so much in the winter, because you are moving that salt in a wet form into the crevices and inside your doors etc. When you get wet snow, yeah then wash, but when its dry don't bother.
Forget debating if the carwash does or does not remove the salt from your undercarriage. The bigger issue is that car washes capture and recirculate the water that they use as it would be too costly to use water once and then send to the sewer. So, the salt dissolves into the water and no amount of mechanical filtration can remove dissolved salt from the used water stream. So, in effect, when you go to a car wash in the winter time, you are getting your car washed with salt water!!!
Some washes use reclaim water some do not. Some use a certain percentage and only on certain things and some use 100% reclaim due to not having sewer access. It just varies by the wash. Typically all you have to do is ask and they will tell you. To say that every car wash uses reclaim water is just not correct. It does cost more per wash on the water bill but it’s worth it to sell a better service.
I agree it is not perfect, but if you drive slower it does a better job. Also go and use the pressure washer and try and get down under the doors etc, it all helps. But of course the best solution is to do this and combine with some type of oil spray.
The underside of your car has a lot of electrical gadgets, wiring, sensors etc. down there. Not necessarily a good idea to be shooting lots of high pressure water in those areas. As for rustproofing, a lot of technicians won’t even work on the underside of your car if it’s rustproofed.
It water hurts the sensors than they wouldn't put them under cars. I have never refused a car that has been rustproofed unless its the tar or rubber stuff.
@@seeya205 There’s plastic splash guards underneath most cars and trucks for a reason. If you go shooting high pressure water in areas underneath your car to get rid of salt that the splash guards are meant to keep water out of then you’re asking for trouble. That’s all I’m sayin bro.
Just a fyi undercoating is one of the worst things that you can do to your car the main reason is that it actually plugs the drain ports on your underbody and traps water and salt also use a water soluble powder like powder sugar or flour for your test
My car was previously a Florida car and I found beach sand underneath the car in the suspension components and frame. Can sand cause issues like rusting? I got as much of it cleaned as I could. I don't drive in winter or even when it's wet so it's always dry if that helps.
Found you on Reddit, sub'd. But the funny thing is that I was going to take my car for car wash this week, and now I am watching this video to see if i should not! lol
You know you can slowly creep over the undercarriage sprayers. I will inch my car forward until the timer shuts the water off. Typical undercarriage wash time is 60-90 secs when I inch forward.
I actually don't drive my cars when they salt the roads. I uber, I get it, wanting to keep your car nice. All 3 of my older cars (1995 Buick Park Avenue, 1995 Buick Roadmaster and 2003 Mercury Sable) are off the roads in the winter and don't have a spec of rust on the frame or any components
if there's already salt on the roads, and presumably on the undercarriage, will spraying surface shield hurt by trapping in salt? or will it neutralize the salt? i don't have access to a garden hose
I'm not sure I get the point of your video. Some great info but if I'm driving a vehicle without underspray and it's caked in salt, is it a bad idea to wash it to remove as much of the rust as possible? Without a proper conclusion it's kind of a confusing message. I'd rather get some salt off than just leave it on there.
You remind me of my before i got a wife , kids, life. Under your car gets better treatment than most married men lol lol. Cool video wish i had time to go use my shop
Krown and fluid film for the win.. 1999 Corolla.. underside is covered in grease.. less rust than wife's 2017 rogue. Minimal rust on rear fenders and strut towers look new covered in oil and 0 rust. I'm rust belt on chinada
Chalk is one of the worst things you can use to demonstrate this. Calcium carbonate (which is most of what chalk is) is only slightly soluble in water. Salt is very soluble in water. The car wash would have easily removed salt from those parts. Next time make some salt water and spray it on the car, let it dry, then try again. You’ll get a completely different result.
Its called not using crappy automated car washes, they just wreck your paint anyways. Wand washes are where its at. I drove my 16 gti i bought new for 6 winters, doing undercarriage washes once a week, zero rust anywhere.
This is why do it yourself wand-spray washes exist. Don’t be lazy bend over spray the undercarriage! Automatic washes are for light surface cleaning only. I live in Canada. Fluid film type products are ok, if you keep your vehicles for a long time, but I don’t. To many variables to stopping rust. Don’t undercoat unless brand new! I can’t stress this enough.
Great video. The Ryobi attachment looks like a great tool, the only problem is I am not going to fire up the old power washer when its freezing outside. If I had a dedicated space like a detailer garage it would be awesome. I do like Fluid Film a lot, I used it on my Jeep for a while but now I have a lower car so it's harder to apply. The only saving grace is it really hasn't snowed here in Jersey so the roads have mostly been salt free. Go global warming!
