My $3150 mistake.

[RobertN]

This is one thing I like about being in California; my '01 Ram is rust free...

Of course, I do not live on the coast, and although I run to Tahoe skiing, they must not use much salt up there.

 

[DK35vince]

I was just going to say I'd never heard of such rusting issues in a ~10 year old vehicle. I really wanted to blame it on being a Dodge issue and then remembered the salting of roads up north. ha ha

In my area with all the salt and calcium spred on the roads. If you don't undercoat or oil your vehicle it will be a rust bucket in 10 years

 

[RobertN]

I'm surprised they have not come up with better methods. Also surprised that everything within 100' of the road is not dead from the salt et-al.

In my area with all the salt and calcium spred on the roads. If you don't undercoat or oil your vehicle it will be a rust bucket in 10 years

 

[hrcarver]

I got a question for all the yankees.

Generally speaking, is only the body rusting out or is the frame rusting out? I can live without rocker panels, but a truck that is broken in half aint much good.

 

[dodge man]

I've seen both, but the body usually goes first.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I've seen both, but the body usually goes first.

Same here. I actually seen first hand a 90's GM 1/2 ton broken in half. It was a plow truck for the last 2 years of its life but it broke right between the bed and cab.

Toyota had a issue with trucks rusting out the frames but they have stepped up and are replacing the entire frame under a recall if it has signs of rust no matter the miles.

Chris

 

[Ryan03]

Some of the trucks we have put in the surplus auction at work had soft frames. A 2000 chevy 1500 4x4 W/plow, and a 97 F250 W/plow. Both frames were rotted even with the mid ship fuel tanks, as all the salt just lays there, both did not have one good rear spring hanger left on em, and the Chevy also was rotted on the boxed crossmember under the Rad.

My extensive rust bucket experience as a DOT mechanic has taught me that door bottoms and pinch weld areas of sheetmetal rot first, followed by oil pans ,diff covers, etc. Then spring hangers shortly followed by the frame. The stuff I work on sees more salt exposure than most typical rust belt cars, which is why they decay so rapidly.

PS. Any boxed frame areas seem to fare much worse than channel areas as far as rotting out.

 

[DK35vince]

The metal brake lines will rot off too. When they do you hit your brakes, the line will blow and the peddle heads for the floor.

 

[hrcarver]

Same here. I actually seen first hand a 90's GM 1/2 ton broken in half. It was a plow truck for the last 2 years of its life but it broke right between the bed and cab.

Toyota had a issue with trucks rusting out the frames but they have stepped up and are replacing the entire frame under a recall if it has signs of rust no matter the miles.

Chris

That must be something to see. I was thinking you could replace just about anything except the frame. That has to cost more to swap everything out than it is worth???

 

[Diamondpilot]

That must be something to see. I was thinking you could replace just about anything except the frame. That has to cost more to swap everything out than it is worth???

Yea, make no sense. I had a 1 year old Craftsman mower that I bough back in 97. Its frame cracked and they stripped it down and put a new frame on it. I bet it took 10 man hours to do.:confused2: It was all under warranty but it seems like they would have been money ahead to just give me a new mower.

Chris

 

[Mace Canute]

I'm surprised they have not come up with better methods. Also surprised that everything within 100' of the road is not dead from the salt et-al.

Years ago, I remember reading a report about contamination on power lines caused by salt applied to highways. They said that salt on a road could be carried in the air up to a quarter mile from the roadway. Whoda thunk?

 

[Soundguy]

sorry to hear about the issues.

at least now you got a good machine.

when I bought my used ford 350, Iknew I had some issues to address.. then a few more hidden ones popped up. took a while but ironed them out.

now go have fun!

 

[me0418840987]

Rust thinning the frame is the reason my 84 Dodge 350 dump broke. This winter I will have to do spring hangers and the cab floor on the driver side, probably tank straps, too. it's on it's third set of brake lines. Not planning to drive like Fred Flintstone yet, but it would be less gas.

 

[wcilbob]

Hey Dodge man, sorry for your problems. I too am from west central IL & have an 07 Ram with Cummins. I had mine rustproofed and undercoated when it was new so hope the rust will stay away a long time. A friend bought an 06 Ram last year & it started rusting shortly after he bought it. He took it to Cavanaughs in Monmouth (my dealer) & they told him there was a problem with rust over the rear fenders due to a design problem. Dodge paid to have the repair done at a body shop they recommended. Its probably to late for you to collect on that after the fact, but it might help someone else. I thought that was good of Dodge to stand behind their product like that, especially since he bought it used from an independent dealer.

 

[Soundguy]

that salt is bad stuff.

When i went shopping for my f350, I crawled under lots of trucks and looked at lots of carfax, avoiding a truck that had been up north..e tc.

good luck guys.

soundguy

 

[aczlan]

The metal brake lines will rot off too. When they do you hit your brakes, the line will blow and the peddle heads for the floor.

Had that happen a couple of weeks ago on a '97 Dodge 1500. Not fun, but at least it happened in the driveway.

Aaron Z

 

[dodge man]

Hey Dodge man, sorry for your problems. I too am from west central IL & have an 07 Ram with Cummins. I had mine rustproofed and undercoated when it was new so hope the rust will stay away a long time. A friend bought an 06 Ram last year & it started rusting shortly after he bought it. He took it to Cavanaughs in Monmouth (my dealer) & they told him there was a problem with rust over the rear fenders due to a design problem. Dodge paid to have the repair done at a body shop they recommended. Its probably to late for you to collect on that after the fact, but it might help someone else. I thought that was good of Dodge to stand behind their product like that, especially since he bought it used from an independent dealer.

Well I live about a half hour south of Monmouth near Macomb, were pretty close.

 

[R_Walter]

Good thing about living in the Southwest is there's not much rust going on.