Lets talk about Woolwax (Lanolin)

Woolwax® is a lanolin (wool-wax) based, solvent free corrosion preventive designed for use on any known metal. Woolwax® has a thixotropic viscosity that allows for a thick and drip free coating. Woolwax® leaves a soft, grease-like self-healing film that can be applied by brush or spray applicator gun. Woolwax® will not dry out and will penetrate metals to the base, providing corrosion protection in highly corrosive atmospheres like those found in industrial or environmental settings. Woolwax® has proven to be an exceptional vehicle undercoating product.

Applied every other year or so to the vehicle undercarriage, frame, doors, etc., Woolwax® will provide excellent rust protection for any vehicle. Because Woolwax™ is solvent free, there is no evaporation process. Woolwax™ coating in protected areas such as doors, frame rails, rocker panels, etc. will provide protection indefinitely (years). The exposed area of the vehicle undercarriage is normally touched up every couple of years or depending on the use, and where the vehicle is used (snow & salt states). Some people like to touch-up the undercarriage every year even though it is probably not necessary. Woolwax™ is extremely resistant to wash off and will provide protection longer than any other maintenance type corrosion inhibitor. Woolwax™ is not a rust remover or converter, however Woolwax® can be applied over existing surface rust. Woolwax® will form a heavy film and prevent moisture and oxygen from reaching the existing rust. Thereby stopping it on contact. Heavy bubbling or flaking rust should be wire brushed before applying Woolwax®.

Woolwax™ is a maintenance application. A Woolwax™ treatment will easily provide protection through even the harshest of winter conditions. Woolwax™ is extremely resistant to wash-off. Woolwax™ contains no solvents, so there is no evaporation process. In the protected enclosed areas (doors, frame rails, etc.) a single treatment will provide protection for an indefinite period of time (years). The exposed area of the undercarriage should be re-treated every other year, or as needed depending on the use, and geographic region (snowbelt area, etc.). In most cases a Woolwax™ treatment will last 2-3 years. Some people do prefer to do a touch-up of the undercarriage every winter. There is no need to remove or power wash the existing Woolwax™. Simply give it a rinse with a garden hose to clean it up a bit, and apply a fresh coat right over the existing Woolwax™. Many of our Undercoaters suggest treating vehicles in the warmer weather so that the Woolwax™ creeps and migrates into all the inaccessible areas.

Woolwax™ does not dry. After a few months the coating will become "grease-like" and have a dry outer surface. When applied Woolwax™ will create a wet film-like barrier that moisture and oxygen cannot penetrate. Without moisture and oxygen there can be no oxidation. because Woolwax™ is non-drying, it is always active and migrating into the inaccessible areas of the doors, seams and folds of the sheet metal, and all the other difficult to reach areas. Woolwax™ is very thick and will not wash off easily. A Woolwax™ application will easily protect your vehicle through 2-3 snow/ice/salt seasons. In the enclosed areas, (doors, frame rails, rockers, etc.) the Woolwax™ will provide protection indefinitely (years). It is only the exposed areas of the undercarriage that should be checked a possibly touched up every 2- 3 years depending on the use and region of the country (snowbelt, commercial use, personal use, etc.)

See video of Woolwax as it ages here.

Woolwax™ can be applied over any existing surface rust. Woolwax™ will stop the rust from progressing on contact by creating a film barrier that will prevent moisture and oxygen from getting to the base metal. Woolwax® is not a rust converter or remover. Any heavy bubbling or flaking rust should be brushed off before applying Woolwax™. It is never too late to treat your vehicle with Woolwax™. It may be rusted, but you can do a great deal to stop the rust from progressing with a good treatment of Woolwax™ every couple of years, with touch-up in between if needed.

No. Woolwax™ is not just "covering it up". Woolwax™ is a corrosion inhibiting protective coating that will seal out any moisture and oxygen from from getting to the base metal, or existing rust. Three things must be present for rusting to occur: iron, oxygen, and water. Rust forms when these three elements combine and create an electrochemical reaction. iron + water + oxygen → hydrated iron oxide. It is the hydrated part that makes rust brown instead of red. If any one of these components is missing, the rust cannot progress. Rust can’t form without water. Rust can only form in the presence of oxygen.

Woolwax™ will stop the existing rust from progressing on contact by creating a film barrier that will prevent moisture and oxygen from getting to the base metal. This protective coating will provide protection for at least (2) years before requiring a touch-up.

Salt accelerates the rusting process by corroding the metal. This is a factual science. Anyone that tries to say that rust will still progress under a good protective coating is simply mistaken. Perhaps they have tried to cover rust with paint that was not designed as an anti-corrosion coating.

Would it be better to remove all the rust? Of course. However, the upfront cost of required to needle scale, wire brush and laser clean the undercarriage is not in everyone’s budget.

Preventing rust is a never-ending battle because there are so many ways that metal can become exposed to oxygen and moisture. The key is to make sure the metal is completely covered so that oxygen and moisture can’t reach it.

Woolwax™ is extremely resistant to wash-off because it is so thick. In the enclosed protected areas Woolwax™ will last for years. The exposed areas of the undercarriage needs to be reapplied every couple of years depending on use and region where the vehicle is (snow belt states, etc.)

Woolwax™ forms a lanolin film barrier on the base metal that moisture and oxygen cannot penetrate. Without these (2) components, corrosion cannot occur. Because Woolwax® does not dry, it is self-healing. If something scrapes it or road debris hits it, the Woolwax™ will "gel over" and repair itself.

Because Woolwax® is non-drying, Woolwax® will attract an initial coating of sand/dirt. Anything that may adhere can easily be rinsed off with a low pressure garden hose. Because Woolwax® contains no solvents, it will not become tacky or sticky and create a dirt buildup. Many of our professional Undercoaters advise their customers to drive down a dirt road after Woolwax® application. They say that the outer coating of sand gives the coating an extra layer of protection, and stops salt from sticking to it.. Years ago when they used to undercoat with motor oil most people were always advised to drive on a dirt road as soon as possible. There must be something to this strategy, as it is still recommended by many professionals today.

Woolwax® is very thick and does not wash off easily. Anything dirt or salt that may adhere can easily be rinsed off with a low pressure garden hose.

Video link rinsing sand.

Most people accept it as a tradeoff for a nearly rust free vehicle with added years and less repairs to the vehicle. After a month or so the coating will become less moist and become more like a greasy film. Many mechanics tell us they get dirty working on a vehicle anyway. Mechanics routinely work on vehicles that are covered in all types of fluid leaks (oil, transmission, etc.). Another upside other than a rust-free undercarriage is that mechanics no longer have to struggle with rusted and corroded bolts and clamps. The entire industry has converted to non-drying coatings because they perform so much better. There are millions of vehicles treated with wet coatings, and the mechanics are used to it. Other vehicle owners have posted that for the one or two times a year they work on their undercarriage, they can deal with it. Another option is a drying rubberized coating. But that has it's downsides also. So wet or dry? It's a personal preference.

Below is a video of Woolwax™ as it ages into a soft grease.
Woolwax turns to grease.

Absolutely. Let the coating settle in for a couple of weeks and then you can run that vehicle through the car wash every week. You will not wash off any of the very dense Woolwax™ coating with a regular undercarriage wash. We do not recommend that you power-wash the undercarriage, but a car wash undercarriage spray won’t make a dent in a Woolwax™ coating. Woolwax™ won’t wash off and will provide protection for 2+ years under harsh weather conditions. Woolwax™ is made in New England it takes a lot to hold up to New England roads coated with salt, brine, liquid calcium chloride, and whatever else the highway departments can come up with to cause vehicles to rot away. Woolwax™ won’t wash off.

Yes. We get this question all the time. Woolwax™ (lanolin) is compatible with every annual maintenance coating that we are aware of. On non-drying products, the lanolin in Woolwax™ will work it's way to the base metal and provide excellent corrosion protection for long periods. Woolwax™ is much more resistant to wash-off than any other non-drying coating, has almost no smell, and is a very viscous non-drop formula.