Fluid Film and Off-Roading

I am new at all this,

I have read that off-roading is bad when it comes to rust. The little rocks and such get kicked up, dent the paint on the undercarriage, and lead to rust.

Does fluid film give any protection towards this? Do I still need to get under and apply touch up paint after offroading, even with fluid film applied?

 

People have off-roaded way harder than you probably ever will and didn’t have any problems. Don’t worry about it

 

No

 

You're fine man, nothing is going to happen.

If you're anywhere in the northern US especially where they salt the roads heavily in the winter, I highly recommend coating the underside of your truck with something like Eastwood Rust Encapsulator. I get a quart of the stuff once a year or every other for like $25 and brush it on my frame, differential, everything. Completely coats the metal and protects it from everything.

 

Getting the undercarriage caked in dirt will absorb the oil and pull the material off the carriage. You will need to clean and re apply atleast once yearly to have that added protection. If you plan to do a lot of off-roading perhaps undercoating the frame and body and just using fluid film on the other components will be a better benefit

 

I planned on getting the fluid film done once yearly around the end of september before the winter season. I am in PA.

Should I let the fluid film settle in for a few weeks after applying before going off-roading for the first time?

I really don't know what I am doing and appreciate the help. I don't know the proper timeframe for applying the fluid film, then offroading, then cleaning and reapplying etc.

Also, is the eastwood rust encapsulator better than the fluid film? I was going to do fluid film because of all the positive threads on this forum.

 

Wow. There’s a lot of shitty information in this thread already.

A few things you should know @fgeorge097 ,

Tacomas are prone to rust issues. Depending on your model year, vehicle history and/or geographic location/climate, those issues could be accelerated.
Fluid film is a lanolin based lubricant. The benefit to off roaders is that it’s thick so it doesn’t run or evaporate like wd-40. People use it on their undercarriage in the northeast or places with prolonged rain, snow or road salt. By lubing your undercarriage, you keep water away and the oil coating on your frame components helps prevent rust. That being said, it’s not a permanent solution. You will have to reapply fluid film periodically. Most guys do it once a year and that seems sufficient in most cases.

The downside to all this is that with the frame components covered in the greasy mess, it does attract dirt and road dust if you live in a dry climate. Eventually that gunk gets caked on especially in hard to reach areas. The good news is that because of the greasy nature of fluid film, it does wash off rather easily prior to reapplication. A garden hose is usually enough to knock most of it off.

Going back to your touch-up paint question, you can’t apply paint over fluid film because it’s basically a grease. You’d have to remove it completely from the areas that you’d want to paint or the paint won’t adhere properly or at all. Also, if bare metal is coated with fluid film it will be somewhat protected from rust.

The point to all this is really dependent on where you live or what kind of conditions your truck sees.

Do you “need” it? Maybe, maybe not. But it’ll be up to you to maintain the coating.

Can you get by without it? Yes, but it’ll be up to you to maintain rust appropriately.



Good luck.

 

Fluid film resists moisture and puts a protective layer over the metal, but the rust encapsulator is going to give you a lot more protection from corrosion. I would brush some rust encapsulator on, and then you can apply fluid film a couple times a year for extra protection.

 

Thanks a lot for the advice. I live in the Northeast and have a 2018 OR. Just bought it. Haven't put any fluid film on yet or gone off-roading. I would like to start going off-roading, and also want to get the fluid film applied in the fall prior to the winter season, then a FF touch-up around March. I found a fluid film installer to do it for me, since I have no idea what I am doing.

I don't know what the best timeline is with regards to getting the FF applied, going off-roading, and then cleaning the undercarriage after offroading.

So, two questions, basically:

1) Should I get the fluid film applied now, then give it a few weeks to settle in, and then go off-roading?

2) After off-roading, do I take the garden hose to the undercarriage to wash out all the dirt? Or, would that hosing also remove all the FF, and I will start to rust?

 

1: there is no real “settle” time for FF since it’s not a seeping lubricant. You can spray right before heading out if you wanted.

2: since it’s an oil, washing with a garden hose won’t get it all off, but may remove some of the big “chunks”. If you’re using a high pressure hose to remove mud or other debris, I’d recommend reapplying in areas that need it. Touch up is easy with an aerosol can of you need to. You may want to ask your installer for his recommendations too. He might have a little more insight especially since he’s in your area.

Also, ask a couple locals here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/pennsylvania.10467/

 

Curious to know what your ff installer charged you.

I apply 1-2x per year, 2014 with 117k miles, no rust.

FF meet here in new England (self plug) coming up in Sept

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...et-vote-for-dates.561555/page-3#post-18504356

 

Conclusion....if you start to see rust don't be lazy! Get under there and fix it!

 

They are charging $215 for the applciation.

 

Oh no. Way too much.

 

I used the website http://www.fluidfilmundercoaters.com/

They were by far the cheapest within a 100 mile radius. Most places charged over 400. I am in philadelphia area. Any other suggestions? I liked the Fluid Film Meet idea that somebody posted above, but its a 4+ hour drive each way...maybe.

 

That is way too much. We have a guy that does us for40$, it's a Tacoma thing!

 

Someone has to get the proper sprayer and figure out how many vehicles...then get the amount and presto, whoever is doing it can pay it forward and still make out.

 

Ask @surfandturf what he does...we have a meet in September to get ours done. He's charging 40$ a Tacoma, more for bigger trucks.
Sorry @surfandturf but I figured your knowledge would be useful here.

 

Holy shit that's a lot. 1 time per year I think is ok, 2x is better. I touch up forward facing steel with rustoleum rust converter and rustoleum bed liner spray (like a arms, etc.)
Thanks @TOMB for this combo it works great.

 

So I am also new to the fluid film ...I thought you just bought a few spray cans and applied yourself ??????