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