Woolwax vs. Fluid Film: Which Protects Your Truck Better?

Woolwax and Fluid Film are two commonly used undercoating materials. While Woolwax is thick and highly resistant to washing off, Fluid Film is lighter but easy to spray. Although they offer the same outer layer protection, there are areas where they differ entirely from one another.

In this Woolwax vs. Fluid Film comparison, I will give you a rundown on both undercoating materials.

Stay with me till the end to learn more about Woolwax and Fluid film undercoating.

Woolwax vs. Fluid Film: Key Differences

Let’s come to the differences between the two undercoating materials. Below are certain traits that set them apart on various grounds:

	Woolwax	Fluid Film
Thickness	Thicker	Less Thick
Smell	Not smelly	Smelly
Applying Method	A bit difficult to apply	Easy application
Rust Prevention Capacity	Higher rust prevention capacity	Less rust prevention capacity
Wash-Off Resistant	Higher water resistance capacity	Less water resistance capacity
Cost	More expensive	Cheaper
Best suited for	Industrial user, professional undercoaters	Every car owner

Thickness

Firstly, Woolwax and Fluid Film have varying densities.

Fluid Film undercoat has a lighter thickness, enabling it to penetrate the application area quickly. The Fluid Film application is also easily manageable with the help of an undercoating gun.

On the contrary, Woolwax has a higher density level. It is thick and needs a few minutes extra to spread throughout the surface. But eventually, it will cover every undercarriage part smoothly. Besides, Woolwax, with its thicker consistency, is a bit more difficult to apply using the undercoating gun. Woolwax has solved this difficulty by providing their own specialized guns.

“…Woolwax is just a thicker product than Fluid Film (so should stay on better/longer). I use Woolwax myself.”

“Yeah, fluid film becomes thin and oily when its hot out…it drips. Its just another reason i never became a total fan of the stuff.”

– Customers shared their thoughts on a Woolwax vs. Fluid Film thread on tacomaworld.com.

Who wins: Woolwax

Smell

Secondly, the smell is often the primary reason truck drivers prefer to avoid Fluid Film. It is made up of natural Lanolin. Instead of drying down, the solution stays wet and leaves a non-drying film over the metal surface. So drivers have to bear the stingy smell that takes a few days later to disappear.

Woolwax undercoating contains the same lanolin elements, but the solution has been neutralized through a unique process. So, with Woolwax, there will be no foul smell coming from the undercarriage parts. There is just a nice smell scent like hand lotion and that’s the reason why many people go for this product.

“The application of the two was about the same to me with the one difference that WW (Woolwax) has a nice scent to it, like hand lotion. FF (Fluid Film) not so much. I know I’ll continue to use either without issue, but given the choice, I’d go WW just ’cause it smells nice.”

– A customer shared his thoughts on a Fluid Flim vs. Woolwax thread on bobistheoilguy.com.

Who wins: Woolwax

Application

The Fluid Film has a lighter consistency making it more manageable. Applying Fluid Film to the metal base of your vehicle is effortless.

Woolwax is harder to apply but theoretically longer lasting. I use Fluid Film in cans. Woolwax is thicker though and you probably would get better results with an air gun.

– A customer shared his preferrence for Woolwax on bobistheoilguy.com.

At the same time, to successfully cover the truck’s metal base with Woolwax, one requires extra hours and needs to put in great efforts. However, the aftermath of the two products is different. More specifically, I’d give Woolwax an upper hand for the smooth finishing that it delivers.

Who wins: Fluid Film

Rust Prevention Capacity

All in all, Woolwax undercoating vs. Fluid Film: Which has greater rust prevention capacity?

To be honest, the Fluid Film does protect the metal parts beneath the vehicle and prevents corrosion of the metals underneath. However, Woolwax has a higher rust prevention capacity, especially in a higher corrosive environment.

“I had a shop spray my truck with Woolwax and after 6 months of going through high pressure washes (which have underbody sprayers) weekly I took it back so they could see how well it held up.

The only spot it wore off was on the front of the rear differential, the rest of the underside looked just like the day they sprayed it.”

“I use Fluid film on just about every vehicle I own. I swear by that stuff. The fact that I have no rust under my cruiser shows that this stuff works. “

– Customer reviews on the Woolwax vs. Fluid Film debates I found on tacomaworld.com and forum.ih8mud.com.

Who wins: Woolwax

Wash-off Resistance

Woolwax has a higher wash-off resistance capacity than Fluid Film. This is because Woolwax creates a thicker protective layer compared to Fluid Film undercoating. Moreover, this undercoating product can last for about a year compared to Fluid Film, which is good enough for 36 months only. This makes Woolwax slightly more durable compared to its opponent.

 “I hate doing the job over every year after fluid film wash’s off.”

“Wool wax seems to spray on a lot thicker…That being said fluid film seemed to have come off a lot faster/easier.”

– Most customers agreed that Fluid Film wash off more easily than Woolwax on tacomaworld.com.

Who wins: Woolwax

Cost

Last but not least, when you have a Fluid Film vs. Woolwax comparison, the cost is an important aspect to discuss. Generally, Fluid Film is cheaper when compared to Woolwax undercoating.

Who wins: Fluid Film

Read more: WeatherTech vs. Husky: Head-to-head comparison and Review

Woolwax vs. Fluid Film: Things in Common

First and foremost, Fluid Film and Woolwax undercoating serve the same purposes. Specifically, they protect all the exposed and unprotected metal surfaces underneath your vehicle. Additionally, the two products create a film barrier that prevents moisture and road salt from destroying the metal base.

There are more similarities between the two undercoating materials, including:

Composition

The main ingredient within the Woolwax and Fluid Film undercoat is Woolwax. This material is prepared from Lanolin obtained from the wool of the sheep. The use of Lanolin within the two undercoating solutions makes them significant corrosion inhibitors and excellent lubricants.

Environmental Friendly

Woolwax and Fluid Film undercoating are both environmentally friendly solutions. The products have less than 1% VOC content. Therefore, they are safe to use and contain no hazardous material within their formula.

Great Penetrating Fluids

Fluid Film and Woolwax both have great penetrating capacity. That is to say, they can easily migrate to all the inaccessible areas beneath your vehicle. This allows them to protect every undercarriage nut and bolt.

Offer Quality Protection

Finally, Woolwax and Fluid Film all offer high-end protection to the metal base of your car. In other words, they form a non-drying and protective coating layer to effectively preserve the parts under your vehicle.

Read more: Rhino Liner vs. Line-X: Which Bed Liner is Better?

Woolwax vs. Fluid Film: Detailed Reviews

Woolwax

Up to this point, you might have developed some ideas as to what is Woolwax undercoating. Let’s sum it up in a few sentences.

Woolwax is a lanolin-based corrosion inhibitor that creates a thick layer of protection on the undercarriage parts. The material is applied to the area beneath the car and prevents the metal parts from getting rusted. Woolwax is considered a highly developed material because it provides long-term corrosion protection.

Additionally, this product is extremely resistant to wash-off, making it the best undercoating material for areas with extreme winters. To clarify, it can protect the vulnerable metal base from salt, liquid calcium, chloride, brine, and other ice-controlling agents.

Fluid Film

On the other hand, Fluid Film is a strong undercoating material made up of natural Lanolin squeezed out from the sheep’s wool. This undercoating is an excellent lubricant with powerful corrosion-resistant properties. It not only creates a non-drying layer of protection over the metals beneath your truck but also works as a lubricant for all the moving parts. What’s more, it can easily lubricate the bottom brackets, gears, seats, nuts and bolts, lever, and brake cables.

Furthermore, Fluid Film is available in black color with a darker tint. It’s ideal for covering areas already covered in rust.

Woolwax vs. Fluid Film: Some Final Words

Fluid Film and Woolwax both can effectively protect the undercarriage area from getting corroded. Woolwax might have a higher ground in terms of durability and wash-off resistance, but Fluid Film is ideally effective when it comes to providing rust protection to the metal base.

Either way, if you are using either of the two products, I believe you are doing 100 times better than people not doing anything to keep moisture or oxygen away from the metal base.