Oil undercoating

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JND
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Oil undercoating

Post by JND »

Has anybody any experience with “oil undercoating” the undercarriage of their car?

This product/approach:

https://nhoilundercoating.com/
Joe

1988 M6 - US #1370 (10/87)
1986 635CSi

1986 528e

2013 Mercedes-Benz E 350 sport
1991 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL
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JND
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Re: Oil undercoating

Post by JND »

I took the plunge and got it done over the weekend.


Image

Image

Image


These are the only pictures I have so far; taken by my friend when it was complete.

Perhaps I will monitor it and provide updated pictures by time/mileage passed, bearing in mind that this car doesn’t see wet/salt-contaminated roads. It should hold up a lot longer than the 1-year mark guaranteed by the manufacturer of the product as a result…

…except for yesterday. Due to timing of the appointment, cure time, and the logistics of getting home, I had to drive through all of yesterday’s north-east rain.

However in retrospect, I’m actually happy about that: Had it not been in the rain yesterday, it likely wouldn’t have been afterwards. Therefore, the product may not have been forced to creep into the further areas as it is intended to do. It flushed out along with dirt at the side bumper covers on the front, from the window and door handle areas, as well as around the rear side corner bumper/moldings etc—any place where you see the streams of dirt remain after driving in wet conditions. This should help the notorious areas such as the front fenders, especially the lower portions that meet/become the rocker panels.

All cleaned off now, and feeling good about the investment.

A note that you may not want to apply this if you plan to have to work underneath in the foreseeable future.

It also is advertised to lubricate things like the axle boots and other runners/moving parts.
Joe

1988 M6 - US #1370 (10/87)
1986 635CSi

1986 528e

2013 Mercedes-Benz E 350 sport
1991 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL
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olympia57
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Re: Oil undercoating

Post by olympia57 »

I applaud you're efforts to prolong and protect the car but most of the areas covered are not prone to structural rust .
The e24 rusts in very specific areas for very specific reasons and is well documented .
The coating "seems" to be a material similar to a product known as Waxoyl ( wax /oil mixture ) which has it's place in preventing rust and corrosion but not when sprayed liberally over the underside as it is prone to being easily abraded by road detritus thus destroying it's primary purpose .
Good luck and let us know how it performs over time .
Don
Last edited by olympia57 on Wed Jun 16, 2021 8:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
1981 635 series 1
GRNSHRK
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Re: Oil undercoating

Post by GRNSHRK »

Hard to tell from the pix, but it appears that a LOT more was coated than I would have expected, such as the typical undercoating process from years gone by :roll:

Don't think I would take the plunge, living in sunny CA (can you say drought :( ) but I don't think I would want all of the suspension bits and whatnot coated as well :-k
:mrgreen:
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hornhospital
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Re: Oil undercoating

Post by hornhospital »

That reminds me of what we used to do years ago to get a cheap/free undercoat job. If the highway department was paving a road, we'd wait until they sprayed the liquid (asphalt?), then run through it to toss as much up on the underside of the car as possible. It was risky. They'd turn you in if they could get a tag number, so for some reason our tags would mysteriously disappear during this little maneuver. 8-[ Ah, the foolish things we did when young. :D
Ken Kanne
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
Pod
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Re: Oil undercoating

Post by Pod »

hornhospital wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 1:56 am That reminds me of what we used to do years ago to get a cheap/free undercoat job. If the highway department was paving a road, we'd wait until they sprayed the liquid (asphalt?), then run through it to toss as much up on the underside of the car as possible. It was risky. They'd turn you in if they could get a tag number, so for some reason our tags would mysteriously disappear during this little maneuver. 8-[ Ah, the foolish things we did when young. :D
What a great story :-)
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JND
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Re: Oil undercoating

Post by JND »

olympia57 wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 9:09 pm I applaud you're efforts to prolong and protect the car but most of the areas covered are not prone to structural rust .
The e24 rusts in very specific areas for very specific reasons and is well documented .
The coating "seems" to be a material similar to a product known as Waxoyl ( wax /oil mixture ) which has it's place in preventing rust and corrosion but not when sprayed liberally over the underside as it is prone to being easily abraded by road detritus thus destroying it's primary purpose .
Good luck and let us know how it performs over time .
Don
This product is not a wax/oil it’s the best in my knowledge. If you review the link listed above, this is product #2 in their lineup, with product #1 fitting the description of what I believe your thinking of. It’s designed to wash off and require regular application when it’s actually exposed to the elements.

It is wet to the touch in its “cured” form. So much so that an undercarriage wash would significantly deteriorate it. Note the following picture, taken after about 300 miles and 5 days of clear, 80 F weather with no humidity. The poor pictures may not tell that so clearly. They were taken at its thickest: Still on the lift after the application.

I reached under today and came back with this (my hands were already dirty):

Image

You can opt for either a clear or black-ish product by the way. I did a mix depending on the area.

This would be more or less completely gone on a daily driver after no longer than a year, but what I’m really happy about is that it has and will continue to creep into the areas that are rust prone. I had someone do it with those areas in mind.

For example, the product was applied:

- from the inside of the trunk into the lower rear wheel wells;
- into the front fender ledges where rocks (or rock salt) would collect;
- into the rocker panels
- lower front fenders;
- all inner fender lips;
- below the battery box;

and in many of the other notable areas. Some areas were applied more finely than others.

I’ve begun dismantling the grills, headlights, and bumpers to wipe serious excess, and have been pleased to see it make its way the meeting surfaces between bumpers, trim pieces, and fender edges that will give up with the slightest flaw in their paint.

I’ve also repurposed saturated areas to touch other places that I would like to hit.

I can’t see myself not using this type of product in any future daily driver, car that must be parked outside or on soil/grass, driven in the winter, or otherwise rust-prone.

It becomes difficult on newer cars that are all covered up with felt undercarriage and wheel well pieces, though I will give credit to the manufacturers who have probably understood that those wheel well liners eliminate one of the predominant rust-prone areas of yesterday. My daily E-class doesn't have any metal in the wheel wells; just those molded felt pieces with the engine on the flip side in the front etc. You can poke the area where the paint code sticker would be in the e24 and it will dimple as you hold it. They are designed as replaceable, wear and tear elements. They’re probably saving on production costs as well.

It can always wash it off with the undercarriage attachment to my pressure washer, while yielding the benefits of the crept remnants. It wipes off by hand more or less should my sentiment change.
Joe

1988 M6 - US #1370 (10/87)
1986 635CSi

1986 528e

2013 Mercedes-Benz E 350 sport
1991 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL
Pod
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Re: Oil undercoating

Post by Pod »

How much did it cost?
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olympia57
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Re: Oil undercoating

Post by olympia57 »

JND wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 4:41 am
olympia57 wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 9:09 pm I applaud you're efforts to prolong and protect the car but most of the areas covered are not prone to structural rust .
The e24 rusts in very specific areas for very specific reasons and is well documented .
The coating "seems" to be a material similar to a product known as Waxoyl ( wax /oil mixture ) which has it's place in preventing rust and corrosion but not when sprayed liberally over the underside as it is prone to being easily abraded by road detritus thus destroying it's primary purpose .
Good luck and let us know how it performs over time .
Don
This product is not a wax/oil it’s the best in my knowledge. If you review the link listed above, this is product #2 in their lineup, with product #1 fitting the description of what I believe your thinking of. It’s designed to wash off and require regular application when it’s actually exposed to the elements.

It is wet to the touch in its “cured” form. So much so that an undercarriage wash would significantly deteriorate it. Note the following picture, taken after about 300 miles and 5 days of clear, 80 F weather with no humidity. The poor pictures may not tell that so clearly. They were taken at its thickest: Still on the lift after the application.

I reached under today and came back with this (my hands were already dirty):

Image

You can opt for either a clear or black-ish product by the way. I did a mix depending on the area.

This would be more or less completely gone on a daily driver after no longer than a year, but what I’m really happy about is that it has and will continue to creep into the areas that are rust prone. I had someone do it with those areas in mind.

For example, the product was applied:

- from the inside of the trunk into the lower rear wheel wells;
- into the front fender ledges where rocks (or rock salt) would collect;
- into the rocker panels
- lower front fenders;
- all inner fender lips;
- below the battery box;

and in many of the other notable areas. Some areas were applied more finely than others.

I’ve begun dismantling the grills, headlights, and bumpers to wipe serious excess, and have been pleased to see it make its way the meeting surfaces between bumpers, trim pieces, and fender edges that will give up with the slightest flaw in their paint.

I’ve also repurposed saturated areas to touch other places that I would like to hit.

I can’t see myself not using this type of product in any future daily driver, car that must be parked outside or on soil/grass, driven in the winter, or otherwise rust-prone.

It becomes difficult on newer cars that are all covered up with felt undercarriage and wheel well pieces, though I will give credit to the manufacturers who have probably understood that those wheel well liners eliminate one of the predominant rust-prone areas of yesterday. My daily E-class doesn't have any metal in the wheel wells; just those molded felt pieces with the engine on the flip side in the front etc. You can poke the area where the paint code sticker would be in the e24 and it will dimple as you hold it. They are designed as replaceable, wear and tear elements. They’re probably saving on production costs as well.

It can always wash it off with the undercarriage attachment to my pressure washer, while yielding the benefits of the crept remnants. It wipes off by hand more or less should my sentiment change.
Thanks for that explanation Joe .
It seems they have been thorough in their application but I have to say that I could not abide getting covered in that oily goo each time I either worked on or cleaned the underside of the car .
However if it works for you then it's no bad thing for the car .
Let us know how it performs .
Don
1981 635 series 1
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JND
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Re: Oil undercoating

Post by JND »

Pod wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 7:04 am How much did it cost?
I paid $230 for this.

olympia57 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 8:09 am
Thanks for that explanation Joe .
It seems they have been thorough in their application but I have to say that I could not abide getting covered in that oily goo each time I either worked on or cleaned the underside of the car .
However if it works for you then it's no bad thing for the car .
Let us know how it performs .
Don
My pleasure. My end-goal is NOT to reapply it again (or not for a while at least), to let the excess wear in and wear off, and to feel as good as possible knowing I’ve done all I can to protect it.

Unfortunately I’m scarred from multiple cars passed. I’d like to think I’m figuratively dipping all of Achilles into the River, including the heel this time.

I’ll have to update for sure now. Lol.

It self-heals, unlike chips that road debris would cause, because it would quickly run into and re-encapsulate a compromised area due to the nature of the oil.

I’ll definitely have to wipe off if work becomes necessary underneath in the near future. I think I’m in the clear now though. I bet the clear product would nicely present an already very clean undercarriage. It would certainly keep it that way.
Joe

1988 M6 - US #1370 (10/87)
1986 635CSi

1986 528e

2013 Mercedes-Benz E 350 sport
1991 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL
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