Factory undercoating is peeling off!!

YQatari · February 19, 2014

I was installing my RC 2.5 lift kit the other day, and found that the undercoating is flaking off in some spots on the frame rails. Some surface rust has been developed, this is not acceptable for a truck with 600 miles that hasn't seen snow yet. I also noticed that the front side of the rear axle is not fully covered with undercoating and starting to show some surface rust. I'm not sure what to do now, should I take it to the dealer or get a spray can of Eastwood chassis black to touch it up?

newdude · February 19, 2014

Is it a crew cab?

YQatari · February 19, 2014

It's actually a double cab..

newdude · February 19, 2014

It's actually a double cab..

Gotcha. There was a problem with about 1200 crew cabs with poor wax undercoat coverage...anywho...There is a document...#PI0564D from GM. The dealer should be able to help out with this under warranty and have the coating fixed up for you.

Green 1364 · February 19, 2014

The trucks are dipped in black wax, best bet take it to the dealer. The wax they apply is also available at the dealer, sorry can't remember the name. If you put anything over it, it will not stick and fall off.

Good Luck!

YQatari · February 19, 2014

Gotcha. There was a problem with about 1200 crew cabs with poor wax undercoat coverage...anywho...There is a document...#PI0564D from GM. The dealer should be able to help out with this under warranty and have the coating fixed up for you.

Thanks!! I just talked to the dealer and they already knew about this problem, truck is scheduled on Friday to get that fixed.

pm26 · February 19, 2014

The best chassis protection treatment I ever saw on any vehicle were the 1980's Mercedes cars. The entire underbody was coated with a thick layer of rubberized coating that stuck to it like glue. I have an '85 Mercedes 300D turbodiesel thus protected and the original coating is still intact. All metal brake lines are also coated with some kind of rust proofing material and there is no rust on those to date. Not bad for a car that is almost 30 years old.

klrrdr · February 19, 2014

are not the brake lines aluminum

pm26 · February 20, 2014

are not the brake lines aluminum

I do not know about new ones, but older cars and turcks have steel brake lines.

hillcountryredneck · February 20, 2014

Since the advent of galvanized bodies in the last 20 years, undercoating as been all but eliminated.

If you were sold undercoating by a dealer - you got ripped.

Maybe soundproofing???

Hootbro · February 21, 2014

Since the advent of galvanized bodies in the last 20 years, undercoating as been all but eliminated.

If you were sold undercoating by a dealer - you got ripped.

Maybe soundproofing???

He is talking about the coating on the frame rails which is a wax type coating from the factory. All the GM trucks get it. It is not a coating of the underside of the body that attaches to the frame.

LifeisthePits · March 24, 2014

He is talking about the undercoating on the frame, it's a "Silent TSB", read my comments from below on another thread, it's a really bad issue that will lead to major rust damage if not treated.

"Just thought I would chime in here with a similar issue. After about 2 weeks of having this truck I wanted to detail it and when I got underneath on a roller i noticed some really bad rust spots on the frame. I decided to inspect the entire underbody and found 4 spots like the picture below that were rusting badly already. I called the dealer right away and found out about the "Silent TSB" regarding the undercoating. I could take my finger down the undercoating and rub it off to bare metal! After taking it in for the TSB and getting the truck back I waitied 3 days and got underneath just to find out that they sprayed over it and the rust was still there and the undercoating was just caked on and rubbing right off still. Round 2, they gave me a rental and said they were going to strip the frame and spray it with undercoating that wouldn't rub off like silly putty. It is now 2 weeks later and the coating is again rubbing off to bare metal. You can see the rust was treated but not removed because the coating is caked on over it. The rust will obviously continue to eat through so I am now on to round 3 to see what they can do.

I will keep you up to date on what comes next but this is a really sad issue that far too many people are having to deal with. On top of it all, I was told that if I went and had this done by a company that could handle it, that would void my warranty!

-Adam"

Dmendrin · March 24, 2014

So My truck is also starting to lose the coating. I spoke to the dealership just now. The guy I spoke with told me that is normal and that coating was for shipping purposes only. So my question to him is why is it starting to rust? He couldn't answer the question. Anyone that gets results please post. My dealership isn't being so friendly about this

LifeisthePits · March 24, 2014

So My truck is also starting to lose the coating. I spoke to the dealership just now. The guy I spoke with told me that is normal and that coating was for shipping purposes only. So my question to him is why is it starting to rust? He couldn't answer the question. Anyone that gets results please post. My dealership isn't being so friendly about this

It's a "silent TSB", the first time I brought mine in they noted it on the work order and said I was the first person to bring it in for that as if frame rust was no big deal. I will check my records tonight and see if there is a corresponding number. The real problem starts after that, they will spray it with the same rubber crap and it will do the same thing. The other issue they are running into right now is lawsuits because the dealerships are trying to fix it multiple times which results in lemon law cases. Most dealerships will play stupid so they don't start a process that can't be fixed with the tools they currently have provided to them. The techs at my dealership are really good guys, I have spent enough time there with this truck to get to know them all but they are told to spray it with the same undercoating that was faulty from the factory. Regardless of what they say about the undercoating and what it's used for, brand new trucks should absolutley not have frame rust! My last truck was a 14 year old F-150 that I bought used and barley washed, that is a truck I expected to rust but not a speck on it the day I sold it.

I really love the truck and it was an amazing expierence buying my first new truck only to find frame rust 2 weeks in. The worst part is the dealership telling me going somewhere else to have it professsionaly done will void my warranty. Instead I have to keep taking it back to them to repeat the definition of insanity.

Dmendrin · March 25, 2014

It's a "silent TSB", the first time I brought mine in they noted it on the work order and said I was the first person to bring it in for that as if frame rust was no big deal. I will check my records tonight and see if there is a corresponding number. The real problem starts after that, they will spray it with the same rubber crap and it will do the same thing. The other issue they are running into right now is lawsuits because the dealerships are trying to fix it multiple times which results in lemon law cases. Most dealerships will play stupid so they don't start a process that can't be fixed with the tools they currently have provided to them. The techs at my dealership are really good guys, I have spent enough time there with this truck to get to know them all but they are told to spray it with the same undercoating that was faulty from the factory. Regardless of what they say about the undercoating and what it's used for, brand new trucks should absolutley not have frame rust! My last truck was a 14 year old F-150 that I bought used and barley washed, that is a truck I expected to rust but not a speck on it the day I sold it.

I really love the truck and it was an amazing expierence buying my first new truck only to find frame rust 2 weeks in. The worst part is the dealership telling me going somewhere else to have it professsionaly done will void my warranty. Instead I have to keep taking it back to them to repeat the definition of insanity.

Thanks so much for replying. So here is the big question. Dealership can't repair it. Warrenty is void by having a professional touching it. What do we do?