Detailing shop spraying Fluid film

Hey guys,

Question for you after a lot of call in my area I found a place that is now spraying fluid film on Frames of vehicles. This not listed however as a place on the FF website (there are none in the area).

This place specializes in doing detailing, Xpel, tinting, cerramic coatings etal. I had them clean up some old yellow lenses once and they held up.

Anyway, my question is for a new 4R would you let a place like this spray FF on your frame etal? Do you have to worry about rubber boots (near the sway bar links) or staying away from certain parts? This guys said they can or don't have to drill holes in doors (not crazy about that).

I guess I am just wondering would you trust a place like this, can you screw up spraying fluid film? Unfortunately I cannot crawl under there myself nor would I really know what the heck I am doing anyway.

 

I'm only at winter 1 of doing it myself, but I crawled under last weekend and was pleased with the results. I'm hardly an expert on it, but I think I did a good enough job. Those guys will probably be okay.

I didn't bother drilling holes in doors and all that stuff. I wasn't crazy about doing that either. Might there be problems down the road? Maybe. I focused on the frame, the rocker panels, and the stuff in the back like the spare tire drop mechanism and hitch. The frame's the big one. That'll probably cost the most to fix if it rots, if it's fixable at all.

The only bit of possible weirdness that I did was that I removed some of the plugs in the rocker panels and sprayed inside like shown in this video. I must have went to town because I still smell it on warm days half a year later, but it goes away once I start driving. It recommends spraying into the hood, but with how hot the engine bay gets, I think that would be a bad idea for the pleasantness of your nose.

IIRC, the only area to avoid was the exhaust as mentioned in the video. And I totally would do this on a new truck. Has it seen a winter yet? I did it last fall before its first winter. It didn't see any salt in the tail end of winter 2019/2020 when I got it in the middle of February right before the pandemic. I plan on reapplying every fall to keep the rust away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0lJDuCWFlA

 

I use the cans...$60 bucks a year and 1.5 hours;3 years in all good
Must use extension wand for internal frame coverage
Thats diy. If locally I could have it sprayed for a few hundo a bit thicker I would entertain

 

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about it, it's not rocket science. I wouldn't let them drill any holes, but other than that they can't hurt anything. This stuff is lanolin based, so it doesn't attack rubber bits, so it won't harm bushings, rubber brake lines, etc. It's not even flammable, so the only place to really avoid are the brakes.

I had mine done at an offroad fab shop that specialized in Jeeps. It was 100 bucks, well worth it to not have to crawl around on the ground getting the stuff on me to save 40 bucks. Plus they use a spray gun and a compressor, and do it on a lift. They did a much more thorough job than I could have.

 

I was manufacture's rep for corrosion protection product. I had trained technician at many toyota dealers. If you are spraying solvent based product, make sure not to spray rubber or plastic. in time, solvent may damage those parts. I have mine sprayed with non-solvent based cavity wax inside the frame. spare tire chain, etc.

 

Regarding the smell, there is another similar lanolin product called Wool Wax that is supposed to have little or no smell. It is also thicker.

a place a few hours from me applies it to the underside and cavities for 400 bucks. Some say it will last more than a year or needs only minimal touch ups. Expensive, but zim seriously considering it

 

400 is way too much, woolwax is what I use, waaay better than fluid film as far as durability goes. Fluid film washes away really easily, woolwax stays on even after I take a hose/power washer to it

 

Thanks for the heads up

 

i hear you on the price. Wish the guy had some competition. Or that I had a lift. This guy also has a salt rinse that he uses the day before spraying

 

You do not need a lift, ramps will do.

 

I was actually being lazy when I did my Fluid Film last year, and I didn't even raise my 4Runner. I just slid around under it with all 4 wheels on the ground I did raise it to check on it last weekend, though. I'm never sliding around like that ever again.