2019 Ram 1500 crew cab rust on inside cab corners

JTK

Joined
Aug 14, 2003
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15,690
Location
Buffalo, NY
I got underneath my new to me 2019 Ram 1500 CC, 4x4 SLT today to treat it with fluid film. One of the first things I noticed was these areas on the inside of the cab corners, that by design, catch road spray from the front wheels. There's some dimples just downstream on the bed side that also have the paint eroded off and starting to rust.

All this on a vehicle with a build date of 07/2019 and MSRP of ~$45600 and was in rental service for 10 months and 14800 miles. I've had the truck 10 days. Totally disappointing and disturbing.

I got all the door, rocker and tailgate cavities as well as much of the underside done with my last ~2 quarts of FF, but still need to drop the spare tire and touch up some other areas before fall.

I cleaned up the rusty areas with some rubbing alcohol and coated them with some unopened Rust Bullet I had on hand for a previous project that never happened. These areas are going to need some major protection. I'm wondering if some type of 3M tape, Flex Seal tape, etc would do the trick?

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The issue with taping it over or applying undercoating is it can trap moisture behind and rust worse. Seems like a fairly accessible location... I would just apply a protective/rust converting paint and top with fluid film. Then keep an eye on it.

Maybe you could make a deflector out of plastic to keep spray on that area down or mud flaps on the front fenders.
 
That's really bad for a one year old vehicle. I'd be seriously annoyed, and I'd be pressing for the dealership to fix it correctly. That way, you have a record of the problem. Anyone can see that the panel will dissolve in short order at that rate of corrosion.

The only way to correctly fix rust is to remove it. In this case, soda or bead blasting may be acceptable, possibly followed by brush-cad plating and proper painting.
 
No offense, but whenever I look at a new-to-me vehicle the first place I start my inspection is under the vehicle. And on a truck it should be quite easy to get underneath!

Although in this case, being but a year old, I too would probably not have bothered... geez, one year old?

I have to wonder if the dealer is going to do anything for this...

Serious question: you like to change vehicles, often. How long do you realistically plan to keep this? If you're going to be out of this in 3 years (or less)... does this matter? Splash some oil on it and ignore it? The right thing to do is to sand it down and fix it properly, but, if ignored I wonder if this rust is going to go anyplace important before the vehicle is out of your hands.
 
This would be considered wear and tear, not a paint defect.
I would also guess the truck, since it is a rental spec, is not equipped with front mud flaps, which reduces this type of damage.
Looks like the original rental drover(s) drove it extensively on gravel roads to cause that amount of paint removal.
I used to run a commercial fleet, and certain trucks that were stationed where gravel roads were common, I armored with steel plates them to keep the stones off of sensitive areas like shocks, brakes, rear suspension, etc.
 
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Cujet, I hear you, but living in the Buffalo NY area my whole life an having been down this road with rust on newer vehicles, I know how it would go with a Ram dealer.

Per the limited carfax you get with an ex-rental, the title was issued in August 2019 in Oklahoma, the first owner (Enterprise rental) in Kentucky on the same day. It could have spent it first winter in Buffalo for all I know.

Anyway, I own the issue now as I top coated those areas with rust bullet.

I'm more curious what other ~2009+ Ram crew cabs look like in this area. I don't recall how they looked on my quad cab 2017. I would have noticed if they looked like this.

This truck is pretty spotless interior wise and in the bed, under the factory bedliner (I had it out), etc. No trailer hitch has been on it. The only ding I didn't notice that's got to be touched up ASAP is on the roofline, dead center, just above the windshield glass. A stone left a ding and a chip there that I did not notice.

Supton, I did slide under this truck before buying it and how I didn't notice these areas. I totally missed it.
 
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That's a bummer. My last car I bought I missed the cracked windshield. It was at the top, but as a 4 or 5 inch long crack it should have been an inspection fail.
 
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That isn’t the fault of the truck. The paint was chipped off from either road debris or gravel. I’d do a full POR 15 treatment and paint body color followed by some Amsoil rust proofing spray.

Add splash guards if gravel is unavoidable.
 
That isn’t the fault of the truck. The paint was chipped off from either road debris or gravel. I’d do a full POR 15 treatment and paint body color followed by some Amsoil rust proofing spray.

Add splash guards if gravel is unavoidable.

Agreed on that.

The rust bullet product I used is similar to POR-15.

I'll keep an eye on it and top coat it with something stronger than my usual fluid film or woolwax.

Like I say, I'm very curious to what other crew cab Ram owners experience is here with these inside cab corners. It wasn't an issue with my quad cab for what ever reason, but like you say, it may have been a dirt road runner during it's rental life.
 
Definitely looks like it did a lot of driving on gravel roads. I’d think some mudguards combined with your fox should be sufficient.
 
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That’s something that I wouldn’t have expected in a lightly used vehicle. However, it’s been in the rust belt. I don’t know what kind of warranty you have on that truck. I would certainly look into it. I WOULD NOT APPLY ANY RUBBERIZED UNDERCOATING. Rubberized undercoating traps moisture and leads to more rust. See what your warranty covers and see the dealership. If it’s not covered, I would try to remove any surface rust and apply a rust converting paint. Rustoleum makes a good product.
 
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Agreed on that.

The rust bullet product I used is similar to POR-15.

I'll keep an eye on it and top coat it with something stronger than my usual fluid film or woolwax.

Like I say, I'm very curious to what other crew cab Ram owners experience is here with these inside cab corners. It wasn't an issue with my quad cab for what ever reason, but like you say, it may have been a dirt road runner during it's rental life.

I’ve crawled under many used pickups the last few months and IMO Dodge is the best as far as holding up. That was not the case 5 years ago and beyond though.
 
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Bad design. Thin paint.
My trucks previous owner drove almost exclusively on rough gravel roads for the eight years he owned it.
Zero rust or paint loss. At least down below. Can't say the same for the leading edge of the hood.
 
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Even living in the rust belt this shouldn’t happen this quickly. I’m shocked actually. Wow, that would drive me CRAZY.

I owned a 2018 Silverado and their frame wax was an embarrassment...stuff was coming off before I left the dealership, but the actual painted areas held up great the two years I owned it. I fluid filmed that thing twice a year while I owned it (stuff works great on the frame but easily washes away, which is why I did it twice a year).
 
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Granted the truck only has 4300 miles on it, but the paint feels solid. October build date.

Thank you for sharing a pic of how your 1500 looks!

I was curious if I was missing a rubber or plastic piece as in some type of splash guard. My metal work is identical to your crew cab.

The more I think about it, I totally blame the truck's design for this. These corners act as big scoops. There's no way to avoid damage to them from road spray.

I've gotten over being upset about mine. I found the issue and can hopefully mitigate it for the time I own the truck and hopefully for the next owner. I do make great used vehicles maintaining them all BITOG like. LOL.
 
Thank you for sharing a pic of how your 1500 looks!

I was curious if I was missing a rubber or plastic piece as in some type of splash guard. My metal work is identical to your crew cab.

The more I think about it, I totally blame the truck's design for this. These corners act as big scoops. There's no way to avoid damage to them from road spray.

I've gotten over being upset about mine. I found the issue and can hopefully mitigate it for the time I own the truck and hopefully for the next owner. I do make great used vehicles maintaining them all BITOG like. LOL.
After seeing yours, I may spray some bed liner or something in that area to give it some additional protection!
 
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After seeing yours, I may spray some bed liner or something in that area to give it some additional protection!

Problem with that is those DIY spray liner kits come in large volume kits and they're expensive.

I'll see how this rust bullet coating holds up. It's a thin paint with a strong nail-polish like odor. Sets up very quickly. I got a bit on my hand and it ain't coming off.
 
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