Lakes Region - Where is a shop that does car oil undercoating?

[songkrai]

Anyplace in the Lakes Region that does car/truck oil undercoating?

Want to prevent my car and truck from turning into a rust heap.

[winnipiseogee]

Latchkey Auto in Meredith. I've had them do 2 of my cars and they did a great job.

[BroadHopper]

Back in the days, my dad and my uncles use to coat all their construction vehicles with used crankcase oils before salt hit the roads. When DES outlawed using crankcase oils, they stop using it. In fact at the same time the town stop using crankcase oil on our dirt road. They used crankcase oil to keep the dust down.

So now you are saying they are allowing the use of oil on vehicles today?

Whatever happen to those rubber undercoating?

[Merrymeeting]

My brother, a car mechanic who's been in the car industry since working for BMW in the early years (after his BS), swears by using automatic transmission fluid as a rust prevennor. No comment on environmental impact...

[winnipiseogee]

I think now a days they use some sort of binding polymer. It lasts for a decade unlike the oil of old which had to be reapplied every year.

[MAXUM]

The old undercoatings such as Zebart was crap, in fact the stuff used to crack over time trapping water and salt against areas you want to protect thus making things rust worse. Probably why it's not used anymore.

Oil undercoating works awesome, but not exactly eco friendly to some. Today there are several alternatives to using regular oil, probably the most popular is a product called fluid film.

I oil my own vehicles and have found that straight weight gear oil works the best. It doesn't drip terribly bad, doesn't attack plastic or rubber and once applied stands up well over the course of a year but I do re-apply it every year. It makes a huge difference.

[TiltonBB]

Although oil undercoating may be less expensive 3M makes an excellent rubberized undercoating that is flexible and doesn't crack. One of the advantages is the additional sound deadening that you get. You can buy the 3M product in spray cans at auto supply stores and if you have a way to get your vehicle on a lift you could apply it yourself.

[dippasan]

I too treat the underside of my old Ford truck about twice/yr.
I use a large, cheap tarp (throw it out when done), drive the truck on it and use an old Wagner power painter to spray the oil. Takes me about 20 minutes and Works great.

[MOXIE]

I do a lot of oil undercoating. Fluid Film works ok, but is not cheap. I mix auto trans fluid with chainsaw bar oil. This mix lasts longer than anything else I have tried. If anyone says they can do the entire underside in half an hour they are not hitting all the frame, body, lines, ect. A good job takes time and is messy. I usually charge $150.oo and try to line up a couple to do together.
MOXIE

[HomeWood]

I've heard about ATF thinned with acetone works well. Thin it so a regular household spray bottle can spray it.

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by MOXIE

I do a lot of oil undercoating. Fluid Film works ok, but is not cheap. I mix auto trans fluid with chainsaw bar oil. This mix lasts longer than anything else I have tried. If anyone says they can do the entire underside in half an hour they are not hitting all the frame, body, lines, ect. A good job takes time and is messy. I usually charge $150.oo and try to line up a couple to do together.
MOXIE

I've tried both and I still think straight up gear oil wins out as the best. I do need to heat it up pretty good before applying it otherwise it won't spray. Driving down a nice dusty road after helps it stay stuck.

[BroadHopper]

Anyone knows of a commercial car wash that will also wash the bottom of your car? The nearest one that I know of is ManchVegas. It would be nice to have one in the Lakes Region to wash the salt off after an ice storm.

[LIforrelaxin]

I read these threads and often scratch my head. I have never oiled the under side of a vehicle. Never had an issue either.........

car#1 oldsmobile 1984 Delta 88 owned by my familiy for 10 years driven 200K miles and didn't have any issues....

car #2 1992 Buick Skylark, driven for 7 years, to 150K miles and didn't have any issues

car #3 1999 Buick Century driven for 5 years about 130K miles and didn't have any issues

car #4 2004 Chevy Silverado, driven for 7 years about 160K miles didn't have any issues

car #5 2006 Chevy Trailblazer, bought used had now for 3 years total of 120K miles and showing no issues.

Now am I just lucky? Or does routine washing through out the winter, and a heavy duty washing in the spring really help....

Most metals are treated these days during the construction of an automobile, the old techniques of oiling them doesn't seem to be needed. Not only do I see my track record, but also that of my father, brother, and other relatives and friends who gave up on the oiling of cars long ago....

Now I am not telling anyone to stop doing what makes them comfortable... just offering up an observation and opinion for others to chew on.... I drive my cars all winter long and put a considerable amount of miles on every year... I don't worry about treatment, I just run through the car wash at least twice a month through the winter, and do a hand cleaning in the spring.

[Happy Gourmand]

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

I read these threads and often scratch my head. I have never oiled the under side of a vehicle. Never had an issue either.........

car#1 oldsmobile 1984 Delta 88 owned by my familiy for 10 years driven 200K miles and didn't have any issues....

car #2 1992 Buick Skylark, driven for 7 years, to 150K miles and didn't have any issues

car #3 1999 Buick Century driven for 5 years about 130K miles and didn't have any issues

car #4 2004 Chevy Silverado, driven for 7 years about 160K miles didn't have any issues

car #5 2006 Chevy Trailblazer, bought used had now for 3 years total of 120K miles and showing no issues.

Now am I just lucky? Or does routine washing through out the winter, and a heavy duty washing in the spring really help....

Most metals are treated these days during the construction of an automobile, the old techniques of oiling them doesn't seem to be needed. Not only do I see my track record, but also that of my father, brother, and other relatives and friends who gave up on the oiling of cars long ago....

Now I am not telling anyone to stop doing what makes them comfortable... just offering up an observation and opinion for others to chew on.... I drive my cars all winter long and put a considerable amount of miles on every year... I don't worry about treatment, I just run through the car wash at least twice a month through the winter, and do a hand cleaning in the spring.

I'm with you on this. Haven't had a rust issue with any car I've owned in the past few decades. I use a car wash with an undercarriage rinse in the winter, and in the spring, use a hose to thoroughly rinse the undercarriage.
Some car models were prone to rust and there is just about nothing you could do for those. I've never owned one of the rust prone vehicles.

[jrc]

Finally something I can do with that used motor oil. Seriously, I can't just pour the oil in the lake but I can spray it on my car and let the rain and snow wash it in the lake.

Now if I can just find a way to dump my trash out the car window a little at a time and save all those trips to the dump.

You guys are so much fun, I though you were serious.

[MOXIE]

I repair a lot of rusted frames, brake lines, ect. Since the New England states have been using calcium chloride with salt, the rust issues have gotten worse.
Not everyone can afford to drive cars and trucks that are newer than 10yrs. Some cars have rust resistant brake lines but not all.
To; jcr about oil in the lake, How many 2stroke outboards are on the lake?? For every 50 gallons of gas they burn, they dump 1 gallon of oil directly in the lake. I don,t like it any more than you do.
MOXIE

[LIforrelaxin]

Originally Posted by MOXIE

I repair a lot of rusted frames, brake lines, ect. Since the New England states have been using calcium chloride with salt, the rust issues have gotten worse.
Not everyone can afford to drive cars and trucks that are newer than 10yrs. Some cars have rust resistant brake lines but not all.
To; jcr about oil in the lake, How many 2stroke outboards are on the lake?? For every 50 gallons of gas they burn, they dump 1 gallon of oil directly in the lake. I don,t like it any more than you do.
MOXIE

I understand that many people can't afford new cars... I haven't always had new cars.... most of the cars I mention I bought used. Except of course my 2004 Silverado....

Things like brake lines and exhaust which fail due to corrosion, are part of normal maintenance on an older vehicle yes oiling those may get another year or two, but I think that most often you will find this practice doesn't buy you much more time. All cars I mentioned above had original brake lines and they where still in good condition.

The frame of the car is what you are most concerned with preserving... once again this is where regular undercarriage washes through out the winter pay off. Oiling may slow the rust some, but it isn't going to prevent it....

Last where did you get your figure of 50 gallons of gas equals 1 gallon of oil into the lake for a two stroke engine.... This is false.... I see your basing the idea on the ratio for most 2 stroke engines of 50:1..... The truth is the oil is mixed with the gas and burned. If someone is seeing large quantities of oil coming out of there two stroke exhaust something is wrong. I will admit two strokes aren't the most environmentally friendly engines. But they are not polluting machines either.

Bottom line here don't use a scare tactic, not based in FACT, to justify the practice of oiling the undercarriage of a car. Done right and away from the lake I don't have an issue with people oiling the underside of the car.... because yes a crap load of oil from roadways finds it ways into the water regardless. I just don't think it is necessary or as effective as people want to believe.

[thinkxingu]

Not to mention that even at 30%, probably the absolutely worst example, it would still only be 1/3 gallon for 50 instead of 1, which is a sizeable difference.

[upthesaukee]

Didn't want to go through 40 posts, but Ace Transmission on Rte 11 in Farmington, near the intersection with Spring St, has a sign on the side of the road advertising oil undercoating.

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[weirsdiner2017]

Latchkey auto repair Meredith

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[fatlazyless]

For something like $150 to $250 depending on the size of your car or pickup truck, Buskey's Auto Repair, 89 Main St, Ashland NH will undercoat it using www.woolwaxusa.com

This stuff supposedly will stick to it and last a long long long time ........ so go to BUSKEY'S to get it WOOL-WAXED with Wool Wax lanolin undercoat ...... the good stuff! .... a wool grease coating on raw sheep wool which will make your car say ......"NOT TOO BAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaD ..... that Wool Wax!"

[XCR-700]

Funny to see an old thread like this resurrected and all the various postings.

Some interesting things to consider.

Having worked in the automotive industry in my youth for many years, I have seen many of the recommendations used with varying degrees of success.

In the end the one that is probably most accurate today (not so in the past) is that you probably dont need to do anything to a modern car except to go through a car wash that does undercarriage washing on a regular basis.

One thing to absolutely avoid is used motor oil. During the process if lubricating your motor, its oil becomes contaminated with acids, acids that will actually compete with the oil to rust your car. It will literally depend on whether the inhibitors added to the oil are still effective or not. Hard used oil will not be a good choice.

Some of the other solutions are novel, but not really good choices. Some have solvents in them making detrimental to your goal. Some are too "thin" and will just run off quickly, and in truth all oils will simply run off over time and need to be reapplied regularly.

Old school rubberized or tar-like products do exactly as someone said, they trap water and cause rust. Not really a good choice overall.

Fluid Film and other similar products work reasonably well if you can really get it applied in the nooks and crannies, but you will still have to re-apply them at some point.

Most interesting is that the majority of what is discussed is not chemically engineered as a rust inhibitor or metal protectant.

Rust inhibitors have varying success over time, and metal protectants are limited by the condition of the metal at the time of application and the viscosity and "waxiness" of the material.

At one job in a machine shop we used a thin waxy oil coating to protect recently machined bare metal. It offered a good shelf life of maybe a year.

And anyone who has seen military or marine metal items stored knows the value of cosmoline. Thats is probably the very best spray-on option you will find and the biggest nightmare to get off you will encounter. Maybe second to cosmoline is LPS #3, its really good stuff. Both are pricey. Fluid film and others are good and less of a pain to remove should you need to.

So many good products out there like Waxoline and others, but in the end I am not 100% convinced you are almost better to just wash it as often in the winter as weather will allow and just get the salt off and let dry before the next freeze. If thats not going to be an option then shop around for one of the better products, but not used motor oil.

[BroadHopper]

Regular washing of a vehicle is just about all one can do. Today's cars are must less rust-prone than cars decades ago.

I talk to reliable auto body techs and they say the same, regular washes. They all share the same wisdom, wash your car during the winter months when temperatures are above freezing. The water will have a chance to dry off.

As for the car washes with a bottom wash, you must drive the car in slowly for the bottom wash to do its job. Many folks just drive right in while the bottom wash is still spraying in the back of the car.

If you want a bottom treatment, call German Motorsport in Gilford. They have a technician that specializes in undercoating.

[fatlazyless]

Mike, the boss at New World Auto, 176 Main St, Plymouth installed a trailer hitch on my new-used 2014 Subaru just yesterday and I asked him to take a good look at the rust situation while he had it up on the lift. He said that this Subaru was factory rust proofed/coated by Subaru and it was in totally rust-free excellent shape. At the same time, he says taking it to Buskey's in Ashland for their $200 Wool Wax undercoat would be good, long term, because Wool Wax is a product that lasts and extra rust proofing is a good ting ...... oops ...... make that thing. .....

Seems like every other car in the lakes region is a Subaru ...... any Subaru owners have any experience they wish to share on getting it under-coated?

Subaru translated from Japanese really means "super high priced dealer parts & labor" so's you better protect it from that rust! ...

[songkrai]

Originally Posted by XCR-700

In the end the one that is probably most accurate today (not so in the past) is that you probably dont need to do anything to a modern car except to go through a car wash that does undercarriage washing on a regular basis.

Not sure what planet some folks live on.

New vehicles start to rust the moment they leave the factory floor. Even the aluminum Ford trucks have a steel frame and steel components.

Know of two fellas who had to junk their pickup trucks - one Ford, one GMC, because of frame rust. Of course other rust on body. If those two trucks had been oil undercoated on a regular basis they would still be on the road.

The concept that new cars/trucks has secret special metal and secret special paint is absurd.

In addition to common rock salt used today there is the highly corrosive liquid brine added to the roadways.

Yes, if one washed their vehicle after every time it snows might help a little. But reality is that most don't do this.

Apparently, the pictures above of rust don't sink in to some.

[WinnisquamZ]

Trucks Trends in Tilton


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[fatlazyless]

Originally Posted by WinnisquamZ

Trucks Trends in Tilton

Do they use Line-X super tough truck bed liner for the undercoating?

[WinnisquamZ]

Let’s not get silly. Had both the bed liner and oil coat completed by them in June. Very happy with the results


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[fatlazyless]

How much it cost for Truck Trends - Tilton to undercoat a 2014 Crosstrek, and do they know what the heck they are doing?

Isn't it best to get this done when the outdoor temperature and humidity is good for drying the undercoat similar to drying a paint job?

[WinnisquamZ]

How would I know what it would cost to get your POS done. Yes, having it done in the summer did result in many drip makes in my driveway. But, I was made aware of it by them


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[fatlazyless]

...... www.trucktrendsnh.com/undercoating ..... best to go there and find out price and take a look at what they do do!

Out of 289 Google reviews they show just five cherry-picked reviews with five stars which most likely are written and posted by a ringer ..... like by the Line-X franchise owner.

So, how much you pay to get the truck undercoated and how long does it last? Is it a brand new truck?

[songkrai]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

......

So, how much you pay to get the truck undercoated and how long does it last? Is it a brand new truck?

Oil undercoating or Fluid Film or any other name the installer wishes to use.
All are done annually. Whether a new vehicle or an old vehicle.
Can be done any time of year.

Costs vary from installer to installer. But somewhere near $200 - 250.00.

The place in Vermont does oil undercoating for around $150.00. But can vary with cost of materials.