Reddit reviews Fluid Film TPAS11 Powerful Rust & Corrosion Protection, Penetrant and Lubricant for Corrosion Control, Penetration, Metal Wetting and Water Displacement, 11.75 Ounce (3 Aerosol Spray Cans)

Hello! I’m glad you asked before getting one of these. Most of the store brands that you’ll see are the same MTD snowblower with a different name and color paint. As all of these individual companies went out of business over the past 20 years, MTD bought the name and now sells their junk with these once-trustworthy brand names painted on them. For instance, you can buy the same 30” snowblower at Lowe’s with a Troy-Bilt badge, at Tractor Supply with a Cub Cadet badge, at Sears with a Craftsman badge, at Walmart (Yard Machines maybe? I forgot.) etc. Troy-Bilt was once a company that made great power equipment in Troy, NY. Now MTD and Lowe’s just take advantage of their reputation.

I picked up a Troy-Bilt 3090 XP from Lowe’s when I first bought my house and hadn’t looked into these. I wish I hadn’t. The plastic chute doesn’t stay locked in place, the starter and lights failed immediately (the first use), and the steel/paint are inferior (rust!).

I have three recommendations. The first is to buy a Toro or Husqvarna from a local, independent dealer. You’ll have vastly better machine quality and customer service. If you tell me what area you live in, I can recommend a dealer.

The second is to hose off your snowblower in the spring, and then (once dry) coat every metal part with a thin layer of Fluid Film, a rust inhibitor. You can do this to the underside of lawnmower decks too.

Lastly, buy gasoline in small one-gallon increments and use the blue Sta-Bil fuel treatment all the time. At the end of the season, make sure your equipment’s gas tank is completely full with treated fuel to avoid moisture buildup and other fuel/storage problems. If you ever have untreated gas that’s two months old or treated gas that’s six months old, put it into your car and get a fresh supply for your OPE.

Edits:

• Snowblowers aren’t an especially dangerous tool. Just don’t stick any body parts into the chute while it’s running.

• I don’t care for any of Consumer Reports’ reviews. They tend to test brand new items for immediate use and have no perspective on long-term dependability, maintenance, customer service, or factory support.

• I’ve had MTD reject a warranty claim on a leaf blower because I couldn’t find my receipt. They could have just checked the serial number to see that it had only been manufactured six months before the problem, but they’re in the business of selling as many low-quality items as they can and ignoring customers with problems.

• Get one with a metal chute and manual crank-style adjustment. The cheap plastic joystick-style (both manual and electric) adjustments are the first point to fail on these.

To protect the underside of my car, I sprayed all the rust prone bits with Fluid Film. I've done this to the last two cars I've had and it's been effective; it coats the surface in a waxy film that doesn't dry up. One good coating lasts the winter. It smells a bit funky because it's made out of sheep wool wax so don't spray it on the exhaust; I did this and my car smelled like a farm for a few days :/

When it starts getting cold and I change to my winter tires and do the winter's oil change, I get under the car and spray this stuff over everything. Yeah, it's gross and the underside of your car will be pretty nasty, but it won't have rust. As someone who lives above the snow line, you have to choose your battles.

I would recommend Fluid Film for underbody coating. Just clean off any loose dirt and rust then spray it on. Since it's lanolin based it wont damage any plastics or rubber and it does not wash off easily so your car can still be taken through the car wash.