Undercoating?

erikswedberg

Tremor Fiend
Joined
Jun 20, 2020
Messages
216
Reaction Points
519
Location
Houston, TX
Current Ride
F250 Tremor
I live in Houston, so clearly not the rust belt, but I have the feeling that I'd like to try to keep the undercarriage of my Tremor nice as long as I can, while still driving on the beach or driving on dirt & mud.

A local Line-X place offered to put on 3M rubberized undercoating, but a quick youtube search shows that that may be a terrible idea.

Fluid Film has some advocates, but I have the feeling that it is not a great idea for dirt & mud, because it'll wash off if you wash the underside of your truck.

So now my idea is: Amsoil MP with at-home undercarriage pressure washing (Amsoil seems to be able to stand up to pressure washing), and occasional undercarriage Salt Away. Maybe fluid film with the hose attachment in the frame holes.


Is this a terrible idea?

Attached is the picture of my last truck which I bought used and was 4 years old at the time (2016 F250). I figure I gotta be able to do better than that.

IMG_1338.jpg
 
the SD is made of Aluminium which doesn't rust but it can have corrosion but the frame is steel so it can rust, same as axles but i have a 1999 and 2000 jeep xj with rust so bad i see the road when going down the road under my feet and the axles haven't had any bad rust they have 434k miles on my 2000 and 200k on the 1999
as long as you clean under the truck you should be good my 2012 doesn;t have rust but when there is salt i wash it at least once a week
 
I live in an area with high amount of road salt and more corrosive calcium chloride to melt salt in the winter. A car will rust out in 3-5 years so bad you just throw them out or get the push pull drag $2,000.00 trade in.

I have everything undercoated, My Raptor, Rubicon and yes the Tremor. So far it holds up very well. I am not mudding them. so that could be the difference
 
I did the amsoil hdmp on my truck when it was new and 2.5 years later it still looks brand new and I live in a rust belt. This also dries to a wax like finish and doesn’t wash off as easily as fluid film.
 
I live in an area with high amount of road salt and more corrosive calcium chloride to melt salt in the winter. A car will rust out in 3-5 years so bad you just throw them out or get the push pull drag $2,000.00 trade in.

I have everything undercoated, My Raptor, Rubicon and yes the Tremor. So far it holds up very well. I am not mudding them. so that could be the difference

what did you undercoat with?
 
I did the amsoil hdmp on my truck when it was new and 2.5 years later it still looks brand new and I live in a rust belt. This also dries to a wax like finish and doesn’t wash off as easily as fluid film.

did you do the amsoil yourself or have someone else do it? seems like it would be better done when the truck was up on a lift.

are there any downsides to amsoil hdmp? the fact that it seems like it might be somewhat permanent since it’s so hard to wash off could become an issue if you ever had to work on anything down there.
 
My 2014 steel F150 looked brand new underneath when I traded it in January. All I did was spray it off underneath once in a while. Of course I am in NC so no slushy salty sandy 7 months of the year.....
 
 
I like Cor Ban products or LPS 3....
 
Following with interest, also curious what product PapaRaptor used
 
I had the dealership send it off before I took delivery. Was done at LineX. It comes with an 8 year warranty ( which probably means NOTHING) but I can tell you I had my last 1 ton truck and my fleet of F150s from my construction business are coated. We get long life out of them and enjoy premium resale. I have not had any issues with the way it was applied. Unlike the old days in the 70s-80s when they drilled holes to apply, they don't make any penetrations. Its cleaned and prepped then applied and set for x amount of time to cure before it goes back to the dealership for delivery.

I am not concerned about the Aluminum body of these trucks. The aluminum holds up much better than steel on our roads. I like the frame and other components looking good and after 5 years my old 1 ton still looked like it was never driven in the salt.

If I lived in another area that does not use so much heavy salt treatments and calcium chloride on the roads, I would not get it.
 
Big problem here in PA - the DOT uses brine to prep the roads prior to a snow event and it can be extremely corrosive - especially late in the season when the mix is really potent - spray your undercarriage often or anything not made of aluminum will rust quickly - the brine thing is relatively new can be devastating to steel.
 
did you do the amsoil yourself or have someone else do it? seems like it would be better done when the truck was up on a lift.

are there any downsides to amsoil hdmp? the fact that it seems like it might be somewhat permanent since it’s so hard to wash off could become an issue if you ever had to work on anything down there.
I sprayed it myself took about half hour and used about 3 cans. I don’t see any downside or any problems to using it other then it being a bit tacky otherwise still looks new.
 
I like Cor Ban products or LPS 3....

Cor Ban and LPS 3 look great too.

This video shows LPS 3 being resistant to spray cleaning, which I think is a good thing:

Would you say Cor Ban could withstand some light spray cleaning and still be effective?
 
Following as well. Interested to hear what has worked the best for those that have used these products in the past. Thanks for posting the videos - very informative!
 
Big problem here in PA - the DOT uses brine to prep the roads prior to a snow event and it can be extremely corrosive - especially late in the season when the mix is really potent - spray your undercarriage often or anything not made of aluminum will rust quickly - the brine thing is relatively new can be devastating to steel.
Brine is terrible, That stuff is probably worse than salt and calcium chloride :mad::mad::mad: think the manufactures supply it for free to the county snowplowers, so we have to get new cars and trucks every couple of years.
 
Big problem here in PA - the DOT uses brine to prep the roads prior to a snow event and it can be extremely corrosive - especially late in the season when the mix is really potent - spray your undercarriage often or anything not made of aluminum will rust quickly - the brine thing is relatively new can be devastating to steel.
I’m from PA as well. Have you found a product that you’ve had success with in the past?
 
Anyone interested in seeing my trucks undercarriage after 2.5 years in N.J using amsoil mp can message me their number.
 
Cor Ban and LPS 3 look great too.

This video shows LPS 3 being resistant to spray cleaning, which I think is a good thing:

Would you say Cor Ban could withstand some light spray cleaning and still be effective?

yes - both products are extensively used in aviation and create a barrier that may not be pretty to look at but is very effective in protecting metal from fairly harsh environments and the chemical interactions that system(s) leakage and spray de- & anti-icing agents entail.
 
Back
Top