Fluid Film every year?

Had my '23 ORP fluid filmed by a shop right after I bought it in Oct '23. I garage it, don't drive it much when theres salt down (dont laugh - I want this to last me until I hit retirement age, got 18 years to go). I do go through automatic car washes with the underbody spray probably 1x a month. Do I need to have it Fluid Filmed every year?

 

The guys in this thread don't recommend it being applied yearly: https://www.4runners.com/threads/how-long-will-a-fluid-film-frame-from-new-last.30577/ Especially with your situation, you don't drive it much and rarely when salt is on the road.

You should save your money, you know, so you can get rid of those street tires. Sorry, I couldn't resist taking one last jab at you before the end of the year!

 

God damn you and your memory

 

Chris I just have mine “touched up” annually but no where near a re-spray. Mine does not see any salt or bad weather. But nonetheless out of abundance of caution I have my place just inspect and touch up any areas that may need it. The cost is negligible and I don’t mind considering I want this to last also for my retirement.

 

If your in an area that has winter weather, I’d do it yearly. I think it’s import to prepare in case it sees salt, and if you wash the underside often, I bet some has washed off. Also consider wool wax, surface shield as potential options, they are just as good.

 

Get a few spray cans of FF and you can touch it up yourself between professional applications.

One professional guy said he never washes the underbody between fluid filming.

Just spray and ignore for a year.

https://youtu.be/WZr4qoKGfXs

 

Every year. It wears off of areas that get hit by road spray. It won’t need to be as extensive of a spray job as the initial one though.

 

Have done my 19' TRD OR every fall since new. Pennsylvania uses tons of salt and I've never washed the undercarriage. While doing oil/fluid changes underneath, there is virtually NO rust anywhere. Hopefully this will be my last new truck that I'll ever buy.

 

Or Cosmoline Black 342 and it will last much much longer, less mess, better looking.

 

The video posted above gives reason not to paint.

 

It's not paint.

 

Guess I messed up.

6:15 of the video he talks about it being messy. Sorry I confused it with paint.

 

No problem.

 

I know Wool Wax does not recommend any under body high pressure washes. In your case I would personally touch up every year and do the frame internals every 2-3.

 

I think the best frame protection for those of us who deal with winter road salt/brine is to simply get the hell out of there for winter and go south. It’s better for our health to be active and see the sunshine as well as our 4Runners frames ☀️

 

I don't think fluid film recommends them either.

OP: Keep in mind that many car washes recycle water their water and only add clean water to keep their tanks topped off. That means in the winter they spray your car with a salt water solution since the settling tanks don't work for salt.

 

That is a great point about the recycled water and if containing salt. I used to hand wash only at home in decent days in winter or the quarter car washes since many did not recycle water. I am getting too old to fool with this nonsense in winter though.

But on those 32-38 degree or more days I used to pull out my hose and do it in my driveway.

 

In my experience, FF doesn't even last the winter in some areas. Some shops recommend spraying twice a year, but I'm sure that's colored by their entrepreneurial spirit lol.

 

I had the same thing done after I purchased mine. I touch up mostly frame if needed. It is my secondary vehicle, dont drive it daily and I dont live in the rust belt, but I check on the frame every few months and after every wash. Just slide your finger and see what the coating looks like. Everyone drives different so the regular inspection underneath will tell u what u gotta do.

 

Based on my experience, I think the durability of a FF application depends on how much you apply and how dirty you get it. Slather the stuff on with a paint brush. Drown it in that shit. Then drive it down a dusty gravel road, followed by a few sloppy full frame dips in watery mud holes. Use a garden hose to wash off any chunky mud and dirt from the frame, and let dry. A guaranteed durable FF crust will be the result.

The only touch ups you might occasionally need will along the forward faces of the lower control arms, rear axles, and trailing arm mounts. And any places that physically drag over the ground and mechanically removes the coating.

Seriously, it works! Full disclosure, It will look like absolute crap though.

 

It will also be an absolute mess to work on. I have a pair of clothes dedicated just for working on the trucks now. That shit ruins clothes.

 

In truth, once the fluid film saturates with dust and dirt particles, the resulting crust is a dry, malleable, coating. The only time I need to plan for extra dirtyness is whenever I’m lifting it and using jacks stands on the frame, or when working on suspension. In those situations, a little pressure using a dry paper towel, and maybe a spritz of wd40, will wipe the the FF off the frame and leave a clean grit free surface to place the stands, or to clean around any areas where mating surfaces need to be perfectly clean (like when tightening down shock mounting bolts or control arms).

 

I get a tyvek suit when I’m spraying undercoating but I’m not wearing one every time I do something to the truck.

 

No exaggeration, the patina of my fluid film crust is a beautiful thing to me. Yes, I’m a bit odd.

This is one of my favorite pictures of my 4runner. Right after a thourough undercarriage rinse:




To demonstrate what it looks like after I clean off an area, this shows the clean black frame paint after I cleaned off an area that I needed to touch up with new paint (I ground down the metal a bit on the trailing arm mount when I dragged it on a rock). The pure clean area is the factory frame paint, and above the clean area is old FF crust that had some wd-40 overspray, and above it is the unadulterated dry woolwax crust.

 

Looks nice. I have an issue with both trucks where the paint in some areas is peeling off under the fluid film and it flakes off leaving bare metal. Have to constantly touch it up. The radiator support area and around the spare tire are the worst areas.

 

That bare metal is exactly how rust starts. It’s bare because it’s protected with FF. If it weren’t then you’d see rust. The FF itself did not cause it. The paint flakes off in places where it adhered poorly (due to weld slag or sharp corners. Look at the second pics I posted of the trailing arm mount. I cleaned it up so I could paint the spot that is bare…that wasnt from damage…the paint came off at some point…maybe because the sharp edge of the hole got chipped:


when I find spots like this, I’ll clean the area up. Peel off loose paint around the spot, then prep it for paint with a bit of brake clean or acetone on paper towel. The I brush on some rustoleum over that spot. Let dry, then slather with wool wax. Eventually the loose paint will work itself off. Frankly, just a thick coat of woolwax over bare metal is good enough.

 

My 2019 4Runner and 2022 Tacoma both look the same underneath. Live through Maine winters and the frames are still perfect thanks to Wool Wax.

I will add if you are having your 4Runner treated there are a lot of hidden areas that applicators will miss that will corrode and rust. Fuel tank straps, KDSS module (if you have it), spare tire chain and mechanism, radiator support crossmember, frame rail above A/C drain, area between rear diff and rear diff lock actuator....

 

Sup fellas, I have been using Amsoil HD Metal Protector since 2019 with great results… it does not wash off (even with a pressure washer). And will last several years, road grime doesn’t build up and it’s dry to the touch.

 

Here’s another pic of the treated frame… after one winter

 

Another area that’s tough to spray is the frame behind the front wheel well splash guards. One of mine tore recently and the frame rust behind it looked terrible.