Fluid Film corrosion inhibitor prep and application
 

I live in New England and my 2009 HHR is rusting. My daughter was recently given a 2004 car (different make/model) that had been undercoated with Fluid Film annually and I was impressed with it's condition.

Soooo.... I bought a kit with a gallon of Fluid Film and a spray gun and started treating all of our vehicles this year. It's pretty simple but I thought I would share my experiences with the HHR.

My biggest issue was dirt and mud buildup in the undercarriage. I live on a dirt road and the paved roads are sanded when icy, so naturally it gets flung up and gets into places then holds moisture and expedites corrosion. I was able to get most of it out of the frame by blowing compressed air into the factory holes in the frame. I bent a piece of brake line into a small hook and attached it to my air gun so I could get up inside the frame. I was then able to blow most of it out.

There were three spots that were excessively packed.

1. The body mount behind the front wheels, under the rockers. It's a stamped piece that makes a nice shelf for junk to collect. This was the same on my other vechicles.

2. The running board mounting brackets were packed with gravel.

3. The rear bumper was the worst. The steel channel that makes up the structural rear bumper was PACKED with wet gravel and mud. I used my hands, a putty knife, and compressed air to remove 1/3 of a 5 gallon bucket of wet dirt from it! It was terrible.

Next I sprayed the Fluid Film under the car taking much time to get everywhere except places that get hot. It goes on like a gel and stays there without dripping. It remains 'wet' and soaks into existing rust to displace moisture and keep moisture out.

I then added the want fixture to the spray gun. It's a 2 or 3 foot long flexible hose which I used to get inside the frame rails, subframe, and into any hard to reach spots (like that dang rear bumper).

On each vehicle I did there was always some overspray that got on the exhaust but it burned off within 10 minutes or so. One gallon ($50) was enough to treat 2.5 cars being generous and careful to reach all the hidden spots. It would probably do 3 cars if you are conservative.

The car my daughter got was sprayed by a mechanic and there was significant rust in the nooks and crannies where someone 'trying to get a job done and out the door' wouldn't be expected to reach. For this reason I suggest applying it yourself.

That is all.

P.S. I sprayed it at about 50 PSI, which worked well.

Sounds similar to the oil spray that oldblue was just talking about.

Maybe, I don't know what oil-spray is and to be honest I don't know what Fluid-Film contains. Their website says "FLUID FILM products are solvent free and consist of an all natural lanolin base." All I really know is I've heard good things about it and I was impressed with the condition of a car that had received annual treatments. I suppose however that anything that displaces moisture will provide a positive outcome be it oil, wax, etc.

I do think that attention to detail is important during application though. Next year I will take more time and remove the running boards to see what's really underneath. I've had too many cars that look good until the plastic/fiberglass rocker covers are removed to reveal swiss cheese. I think my HHR is at a point where the corrosion can be brought under control with some close attention - before it gets out of hand.

I fixed the corrosion first then had the car sprayed with Krown, these guys spray it inside the panels,doors, lift gate, and underneath.

Sounds like a great job!

Fluid Film- Good Stuff. I get the spray cans for about $10 bucks. I usually use a can or two on each of my winter rides. I'll look into the gallon cans. Thanks for the info... john

I've been using fluid film on all my cars for the last7-8 years. The stuff works. But it whashes off pretty fast. Have to respray every several weeks, during winter time.

I've used Fluid Film out of an aerosol can for years to treat a lot of stuff under the hood, hatch and doors, to protect various nuts/bolts/hinges and even battery posts. Overall I think it works well to protect stuff like the hinge plates on the hatch and doors to keep moisture from wicking into the gaps etc..

I try and treat the above areas as soon as I can on a new vehicle, and then reapply as needed maybe once a year or so. It seems to hold up quite well in those areas.

I've never tried it as an undercoat - for that I usually use Genuine GM Fluid 12378398 Rubberized Aerosol Undercoating which I found goes on great with minimal overspray, and dripping during the application (compared to some of the other aerosol undercoating I've tried). Two cans seems to go a long way, and I like to re-spray it every couple of years in the wheel wells especially, as they are high wear areas.