Oil Undercoat?

[brownhousechris]

Apologies if this has already been discussed, I didn't get any search results.

Who has thoughts on undercoating a Lightning? Oil undercoating is very common here in NH, but I just called one place and they were unsure if they even should do the procedure. I want to protect the truck, but I don't want to mess anything up. I know many of the panels etc. are aluminum, but the frame is still steel I believe. Has anyone had it done, or is it a big no-no?

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[RickLightning]

There are many components in the vehicle that an undercoating shop won't know anything about. I wouldn't do it, but then again I've not undercoated a vehicle in many decades.

 

[brownhousechris]

Yeah, I called the local LineX place and the guy said he had one up on the lift once and got concerned that he might mess something up.

 

[ctuan13]

I would never use actual oil for undercoating. Any petroleum product will damage and degrade rubber bushings, seals and boots.

I apply Fluid Film myself to any vehicle I drive during the winter and coated the underside of my Lightning before last winter without issue. In the process of coating it again now (primarily just touching up any spots where the Fluid Film was washed away)

Even if you're not dead set on a full underbody spraying of a breathable coating like Fluid Film, I would 100% spray some along the ground connections right behind the passenger side front wheel well. They are notorious for rusting out on late model F150s in as little as a year with the right salt exposure and they can cause all kinds of electrical and performance issues, can't imagine how bad a Lightning would freak out if it lost those ground connections.

 

[Heliian]

My dealer says to not spray it.

Their solution is to keep it clean and not let salt build up.

 

[brownhousechris]

I would never use actual oil for undercoating. Any petroleum product will damage and degrade rubber bushings, seals and boots.

I apply Fluid Film myself to any vehicle I drive during the winter and coated the underside of my Lightning before last winter without issue. In the process of coating it again now (primarily just touching up any spots where the Fluid Film was washed away)

Even if you're not dead set on a full underbody spraying of a breathable coating like Fluid Film, I would 100% spray some along the ground connections right behind the passenger side front wheel well. They are notorious for rusting out on late model F150s in as little as a year with the right salt exposure and they can cause all kinds of electrical and performance issues, can't imagine how bad a Lightning would freak out if it lost those ground connections.

I believe the oil undercoat is some sort of lanolin based non petroleum, but that is a good point, I can ask about that.

 

[ctuan13]

I believe the oil undercoat is some sort of lanolin based non petroleum, but that is a good point, I can ask about that.

Yeah if it's something like Fluid Film, it's lanolin based, but some people back in the day would spray used engine oil.

 

[SilverKlister]

FWIW,

I had my lightning undercoated with Woolwax, which is a lanolin product. I also had my Bolt EV oil undercoated (NH Oil Undercoating). So far, no issues with either. Both were done at local shops in Conway and Tamworth, NH.

As far as coverage goes, and what to coat, both places where I had my work done pretty much covered everything under the vehicles. Normally you'd only expect them to cover the steel parts, but... the guy with the gun makes the decisions while your vehicle is up on the lift. Both places didn't use the extension wands to get inside the frame rails and crossmembers. Disappointing, for sure. My last F-150 frame rotted out on the bottom of the box section because of salt getting inside the rails and presumably water pooling there.

So, I also purchased a Woolwax gun and a bulk container of Woolwax to get inside the frame rails, crossmembers, etc. I also did the underside of my utility trailer.

I can't see why either a lanolin based, or mineral oil-based solution would be an issue with anything under the vehicles. You can, of course, check with the manufacturer of the products.

Final thought - we use an awful lot of salt here in NH. It's plain insane... I've seen vehicles go 7 years and have to be scrapped. I see it as a value proposition. I did all the work on my previous truck and the rust is really difficult to deal with as time goes on. If you only plan to have your vehicles for a couple of years and get new ones, then there's no reason to spend any money on undercoating. If, on the other hand, you plan on keeping your vehicles for something like a decade, that's a different matter.

Feel free to ask any questions if you think of anything I can answer.

 

[Slipknotas]

I did mine. Lanolin base. Live in Michigan. They did the frame, rear hitch, and removed the battery protection panels underneath and coated both sides. I did tell them to stay away from the battery, cables, and electric motors.

 

[Bwanapete]

My Lightning was a manequin. The dealer had it Ziebarted before I even saw it. My 2013 F150 cost me lots of money because of rust. Rust is why I bought the Lightning.

 

[WhipSticks]

The last car I owned that rusted out was a 1974 Toyota Corolla. Every car since then has been fine at 10 yrs of ownership. During that time, I have lived in various Canadian provinces, Massachusetts and Maine. I had no idea that road salt and frames/bodies are still incompatible. Is there something specific about the F-150 body that makes it vulnerable?

 

[ctuan13]

The last car I owned that rusted out was a 1974 Toyota Corolla. Every car since then has been fine at 10 yrs of ownership. During that time, I have lived in various Canadian provinces, Massachusetts and Maine. I had no idea that road salt and frames/bodies are still incompatible. Is there something specific about the F-150 body that makes it vulnerable?

Well the F150 body, both cab and bed are made from aluminum, so corrosion is less of a factor. But the frame is still steel and the biggest issue I've seen is the body ground connections just behind the passenger side front footwell. While better than the horrible steel braided connections of past generations, they can still easily rust out after as little as a year. A single good application of Fluid Film in the area will ensure there aren't any issues in the future.

 

[Henry Ford]

I'm fortunate to have nice car washes conveniently located near where I live. My anti-rust solution is to wash my truck a lot. The 2010 F150 I sold early this year had zero rust. However it had a water logged tonneau cover, so washing isn't without issues.

My Lightning's tonneau cover is starting to get water logged. There's also water in the lenses of the frunk lights. I guess the real solution is to live in the desert.

 

[s_c]

Not to thread hijack but I've been worried about rust and wondering, is water washing really that effective? My understanding is sometimes it could make it worse, for example, any non-corrosive material like dirt and grease get removed and it gives road salt direct access to the metal frame, and the water spray can kick the salt into more places.

Is there an effective approach to washing that mitigates those issues or is generally washing off with water just better than leaving stuff on it?

 

[SilverKlister]

I've been washing my Bolt EV for the past five years. It works but takes a ton of time. What takes all the time is getting the bottom thoroughly rinsed. Takes a lot of water and time. The underside of my Bolt is almost factory. very small spots of rust on the usual places - welds, etc. I went ahead and had it oil undercoated this year because washing it was taking so much time.

My vehicles are stored outdoors in the winter. I've often wondered what happens when you bring the vehicle into a warm (above freezing) garage. The way I figure it, we're talking about a chemical reaction, and those reactions seem to always increase in speed with increasing temperature.

I think the best option is to use some sort of rust preventative treatment. Aluminum isn't immune to corrosion either. I don't know if it applies to our truck bodies, but I had a friend who flew seaplanes in the Bahamas. She said you could literally hear the planes corroding. They use some sort of preventative treatment inside the aluminum cavities. That's a much warmer environment, so I would expect the corrosion to happen at a much faster rate.

My gas f-150 frame rails rotted from the inside out. The normal box cross-section became an upside down "U." I welded plates on both frame rails. I'd like to not do that again. Hence this topic...

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