Heart Broken

[kday64]

Today I climbed up into my 2003 F-150 4x4 Supercrew shut the door just as I have done hundreds of times before. Rode her through her 155,416th mile just as she did her 117th mile, beautifully!

I opened the door stepped out and half way to through the doors to Home Depot I remembered I left the materials list in the center console of my truck so I turned around headed back to my truck. Underneath the truck right even with the drivers door there was a 3x1" rusty piece of metal. Picking it up I wondered what its story was. Where did it come from? Will it be missed? Was it important? The contemplating lasted just long enough and it was back to shopping.
Sadness followed when I opened the door to my truck and found three more pieces of steel. It appears my baby is rusting and the bottom inside of the drivers side door is pretty much gone.
I love this truck and don't want to buy a new truck and I don't want my old friend to rust out from underneath me.

Any one else feel strange connections to their trucks/tractors alike?

~Kevin

 

[MIKE R]

I have strange connections with my equipment. It feels like family. Worry about it when its not sounding right. Treat it like its a million dollars. Even talk to it sometimes.

Always get any paint chips painted up as soon as possible and get all vehicles under coated once a year. Try to wash the vehicle one a month or more when there is salt on the road.

 

[newbury]

That's why I treat my vehicles like my wife, I make sure a I look at everything I can possibly see once in a while.
That way fewer surpises.

I used to live in the rustbelt called Vermont and can remember seeing cars rusted out that were only two years old.

 

[Scooby074]

I have a 2003 supercrew that has rotten sills on both sides and one cab corner. Door bottoms are blistered too.

You probably dont want to crawl underneath. All my cab crossmembers are gone on the ends. Thats probably what you found.

Thats just the body, the driveline isnt much better.

Ford garbage!! Never again for me

 

[BuzzardA91]

I have a 1999 Ford F350 with 122k easy miles. Has a small exhaust leak and was told it is so rusted out underneath it will be a very difficult job. Body in fine shape, no rust at all. I am not happy but what can you do. It lives outside but still. On its way to being useless with 122k unreal. I have always had Fords and this is my second low miles truck to rot into the ground. Time for another make or is this common?

I just sold my 1986 Ford 1710 tractor that lived outside and wasn't washed for 20 years. Some surface rust on tin but that's it. Bolts are still serviceable etc? Why can't they do that with trucks?

 

[Clint S]

Common on all. I had an S10 that was rarely driven. Body was OK , but at 8 years old and 48k it was a nightmare underneath. 3rd door was rotting inside out and all the steel lines were rusted out bad too. Bed cross members were rotted through. The truck was undercoated new and undercoating touched up every year for first 4 years. Our 2003 2500 is very bad under also at 100k. I live in the rust belt in northern NY

 

[Scooby074]

Im not going to defend ford, nothing they can do will make up for my trucks current condition nor the lack of service I got when the truck was still under warranty... but at the time, ~2000-2003 ford was trying to keep from going under and they got even cheaper with their rust prevention, warranty, and mechanicals. They shot themselves in the foot to save money.

This wasnt my first ford, Ive had several, and they all lasted better then this one, but this is my LAST.

 

[RobertN]

Is it from salt? Don't see that out here in the N.Calif foothills

 

[Diamondpilot]

Its common in the rust belt. Dodge wheel wells, Ford doors and tailgates, GM brake lines and cab corners, Toyota frames, ect.

I wash each of my vehicle weekly, 52 times a year, rain, snow, ect. Its helped. All look brand new with 2 being six years old and 1 being eight years old.

All are garage keep at 55 in the winter which I feel helps out as much as keeking them clean.

Never undercoated any of my 25 or so vehicle's

Chris

 

[sparc]

I have a 2003 supercrew that has rotten sills on both sides and one cab corner. Door bottoms are blistered too.

You probably dont want to crawl underneath. All my cab crossmembers are gone on the ends. Thats probably what you found.

Thats just the body, the driveline isnt much better.

Ford garbage!! Never again for me

a friend at work had a 04 F-150 that had a leak in the 3rd brake light on the roof of the cab. it let water seep in that got down to the channel in the rocker panels and sloshed around in there are rotted the truck out. He didn't found out until he went to run some wires through there for rear speakers after thaving the truck for 3 years. no idea how long it had been leaking.

 

[oldballs]

I grew up with cars that had the battery mounted under the front floor. Between the salt and the battery acid the floors rotted out until you could see the road go by under your feet. You added some plywood then. They make them better now.

 

[mikim]

I live in central Texas and have had no rust problems on my Ford F150 - put 250k on it in 10 years when I decided to upgrade to an F250. Still looked and ran good.
I remember living in winter and rust on all the locals cars. When I was in Germany I let the local garage undercoat my new Dodge like they did the Germans. They steam cleaned the underside, dried it overnight on a rack with heat applied, then sprayed a tar like undercoat under and up the side of the doors as far as you wanted. It was a lot like spray in pickup liners we see today. I saw a lot of Mercedes with that coating halfway up the doors. Never had a problem with it rusting though.

 

[dodge man]

Yeah, like others have said, its not just a Ford Problem. Of the big three, I can't say any given truck is better than another as far as rust goes. I've fought the rust in my current 2004 Dodge, and I doubt I've won the battle yet.

 

[newbury]

The rust is worse in the "rust belt" because of the salt applied to the roads combined with the freeze-thaw cycle during half the year. Down in Mississippi it rusts, but slowly. TThe freeze thaw cycle lets moisture get in, freeze and expand thus forcing stuff apart. Like when you leave a can of beer in the freezer and the top bulges or pops.

 

[crashz]

Its no particular brand. Here in the rust belt, the chemicals used to treat the roads and the sheer amount of salt used is the greatest threat to our vehicles. Liquid calcium chloride is extremely corrosive, even more that the typical NaCl brine.

The best thing to do is get under the vehicles each year, clean off the rust, use rust converter, a top coat and a good penetrating coating. I like Fluid Film. My 2004 was rust free when I traded it. It had no under-body rust at all, and the chassis was rust free and black. The only downfall is that FF makes dirt and dust stick to metal.

Unfortunatly I did not get a chance to do my new truck this year. So next summer I will be paying the price.

 

[stevem5215]

Fords of that vintage were not painted underneath. It was a primer paint job down there only. Like someone else said, ford was being cheap at the time. The door sill problem and third light problem are also common problems as well.

I will say that the ford super duty tranny is one nice tranny and very heavy duty inside. I've seen them all apart too.

Steve

 

[RobertN]

Wow, no wonder collectors jump all over California cars. For the most part, we just do not see that(rust).

Is there no option but salt for the roads? I would guess it does not help the trees, streams etc net to the roads either?

 

[crashz]

Rock salt is the most economical and readily availible product. But its corrosive, not only to our cars, but also plant life and infrastructure as well. Many steel and concrete bridges suffer from corrosion related damage more than anything else. This is exacerbated by municipalities that spread salt for every storm, including a pre-treatment so that people that "need" to be on the road can be safe. Here in MA, we have this ridiculous budget issue where, if they don't use all or more of their allocated amount, they recieve less money the next year. Salt, being fairly expendable is then spread generously for even the slightest threat of adverse conditions under the guise of "safety".

Less corrosive alteratives are availble, but more expensive. Magic Salt is a regular rock salt treated with some kind of liquid byproduct from brewing beer. It supposedly increases the effectiveness and reduces the corrosivity.

 

[Soundguy]

add salt and you are gonna get rust.

I'm not downplaying the ops or any northern'ers issues.. but I find it hard to swallow when i see a northerner condemn a particular brand of vehicle for underbody rust, when they live in an area that puts down highly corrosive material on the road half the year???!?!?!?!

 

[Scooby074]

add salt and you are gonna get rust.

I'm not downplaying the ops or any northern'ers issues.. but I find it hard to swallow when i see a northerner condemn a particular brand of vehicle for underbody rust, when they live in an area that puts down highly corrosive material on the road half the year???!?!?!?!

The issue is, if your going to sell in this market, make it resistant to the environment your selling into. What you can get away with on a car in Florida wont fly here, nor anywhere where there is salt on the roads.

Case in point. Dad has a Lexus of the same vintage as my ford. There is no rust on that vehicle except for a single stone chip. I plan on fixing that for him when I get the time. That car has 100,000 more kilometers than the truck. Both vehicles were priced about the same at time of purchase too. It all has to do with the manufacturer spending the money to ensure the vehicle has the proper rust protection.

Here's another great thing ford cheaped out on... They didnt paint the driveshaft, probably to save $0.28/shaft. Now those same shafts are severely corroded, so corroded that they are popping off the balance weights. $75.00 for a rebalance and paint job. Just had to do that. Thankfully I know a guy who owns a driveline shop so I saved a bit.