Why does Dodge go cheap with their steel?

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doogievlg

doogievlg

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I have been looking at trucks now for a couple months and I have mainly been interested in Fords but I figured I would check out a few Rams as well. Last night I looked at a 2013 1500 with 56k miles. The truck was perfect. EXCEPT for three rust bubbles on the bed. This truck is not even 5 years old and already has rust on it. That is shameful.
 
doogievlg said:
I have been looking at trucks now for a couple months and I have mainly been interested in Fords but I figured I would check out a few Rams as well. Last night I looked at a 2013 1500 with 56k miles. The truck was perfect. EXCEPT for three rust bubbles on the bed. This truck is not even 5 years old and already has rust on it. That is shameful.
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Yep, they rust out like crazy. I see new dodge trucks with rust holes, and I'm really not sure why. Not enough under coating? Painter failing to paint entire under side of bed? who knows. Shameful indeed.
 
IMO much of it has to do with the previous owner/s care and maintenance. Personally and from recommendations from guys with many many years in the repair business GMC/ are the way to go for trucks.
 
All of them rust. It's a design issue and not the steel and even more so, the salt brine solution they spray on the roads. It becomes a fine mist and gets everywhere it shouldn't. Who knows, the previous owner could have kept the outside washed but never sprayed underneath.
 
I see both Ford and GM products with the same amount of rust issues. I just bought a '12 GMC Sierra w/32000 on it and granted it only has surface rust on the frame it is unbelievable what and how quickly the salt and brine ruins to our vehicles.
 
This is an issue pretty specific to Ram trucks apparently. After a quick google search it looks like Dodge never has done a great job of sealing the wheel well and salt is getting in behind the fender. It's a shame because I really like the looks of the Rams but that rust is a deal breaker. Ford and Chevy does rust in the same spot but not as quick or as bad as rams do.
 
doogievlg said:
This is an issue pretty specific to Ram trucks apparently. After a quick google search it looks like Dodge never has done a great job of sealing the wheel well and salt is getting in behind the fender. It's a shame because I really like the looks of the Rams but that rust is a deal breaker. Ford and Chevy does rust in the same spot but not as quick or as bad as rams do.
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I'm in Central New York and we wicked rust issues similar to what you have. We have a body shop here that offers Rust Check. I think it essentially is Fluid Film( Think a heavy Wd40 that never dries and dirt doesn't cling to it) that they spray in a similar manner to undercoating. It's $175 once a year. Easily a worthy investment if you keep your vehicle for many years.
 
My '99 Dakota R/T with 173,000 miles has no rust! It does have massive clearcoat delamination.
 
Well now ya gotta get em with that TruCoat see?......The TruCoat is really were its at now...
 
Oh geez

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RedFish said:
Location is the key. Yours doesn't get a lot of salt brine in Orlando. Instead, more hot humid sunshine.
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That's why the NADA website asks for your zip code. A lot more salt, a lot more rust, and less trade in value up nort'.
 
I think the car company owners of the past would kick the owners nowadays if they saw how cheaply made everything is now. Heck, can our windows nowadays handle a tray clipped to them holding Saturday night's supper?
 
I've got a 99 Dakota that is one of the rustiest things I've seen in a while. I got it 7 years ago and it was getting bad then, but truthfully I've nothing to stop the rust's march across the body. I will say, though, that at 180K+ it is one of the most reliable vehicles I've had. Always starts, everything works...it never lets me down. And that's after I dropped it through the ice and froze the block. Tires, brakes, alternator and water pump have been it for the last 70,000. Much nicer ride than my Ranger, too.
 
Think about how much business rusted out vehicles generate. New vehicle sales, used vehicles sales, parts, body shops and so on.... They've had solutions for many years that the roads could be treated with and it would prevent our cars from rusting. Ain't gonna happen, to much money to be made.
 
My brand new ram was rusting out the bottom of the doors and bed within 5 years. Sad. I had just paid it off. Next used truck I buy will be from my brothers area of south GA. No salt and no rust down there.
 
Where i live in the desert southwest . No rust thru issues. Trucks regardless of brand are junked out here because the drivelines, and working parts are just worn out. Not uncommon to see a decent cab and truck bed in the junkyard here, maybe some dents but no rust. You go look at the odometer on one of these and see 300K or more on it.

Sloppy snow, and calcium chrloride on the roads in the winter kills any vehicle up that way. Get it rustproofed and undercoated when new, and it will slow it down some.

Park it in your garage during the winter months until the spring rains wash all that road salt away and drive a beater during the winter and you will never have a problem.

I used to live in the rust belt. Y'all can keep that ****. My chevy pickup is 24 years old, not a bubble of rust or hole in it.
 
Buy a west coast truck and drive it home. Salt kills any vehicle regardless of the manufacturer.

My wife's 95 Bronco doesn't have a spot of rust on it because it was a California rig.
 
Well since you're looking to make a big discision I'll offer up my experience as advice. I've owned a LOT of trucks (50+), both personal and for my business. There's things that are model/year specific, but some things just hold true over the spectrum. Here in the tristate area (NY, NJ, PA) we've got a pretty even mix of brands.

Dodge. The main reason there's so many is because they're cheap. Although equally equipped trucks are within a few bucks on the sticker, Dodge will slash prices drastically. Ford, Chevy/GMC won't budge much at all. The last Dodge I bought had a sticker of $52k. Before I left the lot the salesman was in the low $40's. The next day he called me at $39k. At the end of the month he called again. I bought it for $34k.
Dodge trucks are very capable trucks. They tow well, haul well, plow well, ect., but they are very poorly made. The rust issue can't even be debated, the front ends are junk, trannys are weak, and the small items drive me insane. Switches, sensors, heater controls, ect. And they generally get horrible gas mileage. They'll get to 250k, but it's a long anoying road.

Ford. They aren't gonna talk much about the price. F150's are cute cars with beds, so I'm not gonna waste time on them. 250/350's are very capable trucks. When a Ford breaks down it generally involves a flatbed, a loaner car, and a home equity loan. It's never anything simple. They're an electrical nightmare. They have the nicest paint hands down.

Chevy/GMC. They aren't gonna negotiate price much either. I'm trying real hard to think of any negatives. They have a crappy color selection, and the paint quality isn't as good as Dodge/Ford. If you want a truck that is gonna last and be trouble free, buy a GM. My GM trucks have racked up millions of miles, yes millions. The most extensive repair ever has been a water pump. My record so far has been 642k and I gave the truck to a kid as his first truck. My current daily driver is a 2011 GMC Sierra. Bought it new. It's got just over 200k on it now and I've replaced spark plugs, ball joints, and brakes. That's it! Factory battery, belts, hoses, ect. It could use shocks though truthfully. Not a spec of body rust on any of my trucks. Surface rust on frame, yes.
 
Well, aside from the bailout BS and the fact that they are owned by Fiat now...

My LAST ram, which will always be my last ram, was an 05 Hemi RCLB 2500 I bought in 08 with 50k miles. That truck was the biggest POS I have ever owned. Plowing my own driveway I lost the transmission at 68k miles, had EVERYTHING in the front end need to be replaced under 80k miles, (bearings, inner/outer tie rods, ball joints, u-joints, everything) steering linkages, master cylinder, both catalytic converters were failing, bed had rust bubbled by year 4 as well as both bumpers were rusting out. Add to that that in the winter I got single digit fuel mileage, just terrible.

I know (living in the snow belt) rust is inevitable, but some things are just ridiculous. I'll never own another ram.
 
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