RUST on my 2019 limited????!!???

[Oncehadadakota]

Just wanted to ask this question mainly because my buddy at work keeps saying that my ram is going to be a rust bucket soon. Is it true that they rust worse than other trucks? I live in PA and I plan on washing it a lot since I live here with the salty roads but I’ve had f150’s that didn’t rust so I was just curious.

 

[seadragon]

Well, they can rust if not taken care of. Definitely recommend some sort of rust protection.

 

[ChadT]

Well, they can rust if not taken care of. Definitely recommend some sort of rust protection.

The 2019 Ram's tailgate is aluminum, and unless I'm mistaken, so are the body panels over the wheel wells?
Wheelhouse liners are added protection for those worried.

I do believe auto industry steels as of 2018/2019 are generally spec'd for about 15years to rust through.
Source: auto industry metals expert lady on an autoline blog video, bout a good hour long watch.

 

[HKP7PSP]

I touched a magnet to all major panels and pieces when I first bought mine.

The hood and tailgate are aluminum, but the rest is steel, including the bumpers. The wheel well liners are a must have in my opinion, as they keep most of the salt and brine from getting slung all over the underside of the bed. During the winter months, I take my vehicles in for a wash at least once every two weeks, with a full undercarriage bath - sometimes even once a week. A coat of wax every few weeks can't hurt either, and doesn't take too long to do.

 

[devildodge]

My 99, wheel well liners are the reason my rearspring shackles rusted off and the reason I couldn't see into them to immediately diagnose the problem. They came off and I could then spray the frame and springs easily, new ones been on for 7 years the one side and 3 years the other...still look good, now that they can be sprayed off.

I really think wheel well liners are more of a problem than a solver. And am always astonished how many people want them.

But, just my opinion, and my experience in the Mountains of Central Pennsylvania

 

[HotHareSpey]

I live in a locale that’s a salty State. I had my rig treated. I’m not super anal like some of y’all fretting over dings in your bumpers. It’s not a Ferrari. But salt I loath as it eats everything if you don’t take care of it. And there are better options out there now for States to use on winter icey road conditions

When I had my truck treated I made sure they pulled the wheel liners off as they just trap salt. I lost an mpg especially in the hills and the truck feels heavier but is still nimble. Which is good because I wanted them to be generous with the treatment and I checked

Washing your vehicle can definitely help but washing your vehicle can provide other issues if the temps are super cold as some winters are much more sub zero than others. Unless you have a heated garage

I’m keeping my RAM for the next decade. I love it. I bought it for a couple of reasons but one of the main reasons was that the roads and weather conditions where I live are so atrocious they literally destroy cars.

You can drive a Prius or Honda or BMW, but it won’t last long and it’s going to take a beating.

The RAM feels stout and I’ll be driving it through sub zero temps regularly, two plus foot snow storms, mud ruts in spring that will go up to the doors, and pulling horse trailers through it all. To say nothing of children! Who enjoy destroying anything and everything they get their mitts on

 

[Rustydodge]

Too early to tell. 3rd gens were known for their rust issues, due to design of the rear fenders (why a lot of guys recommend rear wheel liners, to keep stuff from flinging up there in the first place). I had the rear fender rust, rust along the rockers and cab corners, and rust starting along the bottom of my tailgate.

I've kept a close eye on 4th gens, to determine if ram has made improvements. I believe they have, as i have yet to see a 4th gen (back to 2009) with rust above the rear wheels. Many for 4th gens were optioned with wheel liners than 3rd gens. The only rust i've seen on a 4th gen was all along the rocker panels. He had no front mud flaps or running boards, and drove on gravel a lot based on the dust constantly in his wheels. Read some issues with rust in the front corners of the hood, so keeping an eye on that.

I have seen rust in the rear fenders of some GM vehicles built after 2009, and rust in the cab corners of and rear fenders of 2009 or newer Fords, so anecdotally i believe Ram 4th gen and newer are no more prone to rust then any other (save 2015 or newer F150s)

 

[ramhead]

Two simple words: FLUID FILM - you'll thank me later.

Have your truck's undercarriage/fender wells, etc sprayed once a year and it'll still look new after years of use. Did it on my old Ram and no visible body rust on it, this being in NJ snow/salt weather.

With my new truck I had it done within the 1st week I had it - ounce of prevention theory. I have a buddy who put on lift and sprayed out of a 5 gallon pail using a paint sprayer. They sell the spray cans for about $9 at Lowes, etc. but it's much easier & quicker to do it with the shop spray method.

Stuff is used by US Navy in the bilges of ships. More info:

Automotive - Fluid Film

Cars are extremely vulnerable to corrosion in areas with heavy exposure to rain, snow, or salty air. FLUID FILM is the perfect protection against rust.

www.fluid-film.com

And:

 

[Rustydodge]

I've applied KBS rust converter and rust seal all under the cab and rocker panels of my truck, and covered the side holes that would let crap in (where running boards mount) in an effort to add an extra layer of protection and stop some minor surface rust that was appearing around cab mounts and on the frame. Who knows, i could have made things worse...

I also plan to pull the rambox tubs and coat the inner fenders above the wheel well covers. Another advantage to ramboxes i guess.

I expect i'll get rust somewhere eventually, no matter what i do

 

[ramhead]

I've applied KBS rust converter and rust seal all under the cab and rocker panels of my truck, and covered the side holes that would let crap in (where running boards mount) in an effort to add an extra layer of protection and stop some minor surface rust that was appearing around cab mounts and on the frame. Who knows, i could have made things worse...

I also plan to pull the rambox tubs and coat the inner fenders above the wheel well covers. Another advantage to ramboxes i guess.

I expect i'll get rust somewhere eventually, no matter what i do

Assuming you don't have rust on your new truck yet so.....using a rust converter like KBS on a new truck without rust is not the best choice (and may not do anything re: prevention). That stuff and other rust converters like POR15 (best I've ever used on rust) need rusted metal to be present to work it's magic and convert/bond to the rust. Putting it on new metal or painted steel is not going to accomplish anything and isn't what it is designed for.

For prevention on a new vehicle undercarriage/metal you need an oil/wax based application like Fluid Film, Krown, etc. that coats the surfaces to stop rust from forming. Old timers will tell you motor oil/trans fluid would do the same thing and they are right...but, they are more likely to continue to (esp. in hot weather) drip for a while and look/smell like leaks. Rust can't form where wax/oil is present....I learned this many years ago with an old truck which rotted out with rust everywhere....but, that truck had an ongoing pinion seal small leak which would leave a coating of gear oil on the underside of the bed. After cleaning off the oil the places where the leaked oil sprayed, those areas looked like new...unaffected by rust, salt, etc. due to the oil serving as a protective coating. Anywhere that hadn't gotten oil coated was either rusting, flaking or rotted through.

The only negative with the wax/oil based preventatives is that they need to be reapplied....they will wash/wear off with underbody car wash sprays, rain spray, etc. over time from some of the undercarriage. If things like the fender wells have fenderliners then it will last a lot longer there and in crevices that aren't as exposed as other areas of the undercarriage.

 

[Rustydodge]

KBS has a rust seal product, which is what i applied. I did have slight surface rust near the cab mounts. Truck has 100k miles and has been through 4 winters. It was the only product my local custom truck shop had on hand

RustSeal - Rust Prevention - Stop Rust Paint - Frame Paint and Concrete Sealer

www.kbs-coatings.com

 

[Biga]

My 2014 did not have any rust and I have only scene a few 4th gens with any rust, probably not taken care of.. I make sure to wash often in winter paying close attention to the underside, also if you do have fender liners make sure to take a hose and blast out the area where the liners meet up to the fender lips, Their is usually about an 1/8" gap between the liner and the metal lip where dirt and moisture can get trapped and can cause rust.