Rusting Frame

[Willshire]

No drip oil applied with a long piece of tubing. My 08 was mint and I did it every October

[jonny72888]

my 2013 with 20k is really bad. Im going to bring it to the dealer and see what they say.

[pm26]

Hopefully the dealers get fed up with these tsb bandaids and make enough noise that GM ditches the shitty wax coating.

The coating is not to blame. it is the fact that they spray it over rusted metal that causes problems.

[HondaHawkGT]

The coating is not to blame. it is the fact that they spray it over rusted metal that causes problems.

I had a patch of wax come off that didn't have any rust on it. I'm guessing the steel had oil or some other contaminant that didn't allow the wax to bond.

[pickmeup]

Fluid film does not play well with the gm frame wax. It will bubble it ,super soften it and break the wax adhesion to metal.

[Brianibew]

Yep. Fluid film and wax frame coating is a no no.

Edited February 28, 2016 by Brianibew

[Adamrg]

i was going to fluid film my truck but was worried about this, so I opted not to do it for this winter, and do some research/thinking.

Wondering if it would be better to leave frame wax in place, or get it off and fluid film? Looking to die with this truck, so longevity is my goal lol

[pickmeup]

I am going to leave the wax in place and ordered some cans of the wax in spray cans. I am going to spray the wax on a little thicker around any cross member welds and leading edges of any frame perch mounts where it has a tendancy to be thinner from factory application. Rest of truck and components are painted so I will apply fluid film to them being careful not to fluid film frame . I plan on keeping the wax frame touched up and maintained with wax until it becomes a losing battle which hopefully won't be for several years. Then I will just fluid film the whole thing spring and fall.

[Geoguy]

I have the same issue. I am extremely particular about my vehicles and I'm not happy about this. I had this truck undercoated when brand new 18 months ago, and the frame is rusting badly where the tubular cross sections are welded to the boxed frame, both ahead of, and behind, the rear axle. It has 17,000 miles on it now. My son has a 2014 Silverado with the same mileage and exactly the same amount of rust in the exact same spots, and his was never undercoated. I went to the undercoating shop today and talked with them, and they told me this: GM, unlike Ford, beginning around 2012 sprays their frames with a sticky protectant so when they arrive at the dealers, the frames look good. When the undercoating is sprayed on a new truck like mine, it sticks to this protective coating, but this coating isn't a long-lasing protectant, so when it separates from the frame, the undercoating comes off with it... then the frame rusts. Therefore, both my son's truck and mine look equally bad even though mine was undercoated and his wasn't.

 

Of course, this could just be a line they're telling me to absolve them from any warranty or liability, but it actually made sense to me if it's true. I have had numerous other Ford trucks and GMC (pre-2012) undercoated when new and never had this happen until this 2014 GMC. I am going to take pics of both mine and my son's trucks and take them to the dealer and ask about the TSB mentioned elsewhere in this thread. I'll repost with any news.

 

Thanks guys.

[HondaHawkGT]

Yep, spraying rubberized undercoating onto the frame wax won't do much. You would need to scrape the factory wax off and degrease it before applying the undercoating.

[Cupillac]

Well, now you see the GM manufacturing trend for these trucks. The idea is to produce a comfortable vehicle with a car like ride, silent interior, and loaded with gadgets. This is bound to impress the buyer when he first takes a new truck for a test drive. The important things, such as quality made parts, quality materials, and strict quality control during assembly , are left out of the equation. What you have is nice riding vehicle that will start rusting and breaking down after a few short years. It seems that people these days care more about vehicles fully loaded with every conceivable option and gadget than quality. And manufacturers are capitalizing on this observation. This allows them to export the manufacturing facilities for both vehicle assembly and part production to third world countries and raise prices to record levels at the same time. And this trend will continue as long as people continue buying these vehicles.

 

 

Just my observations and opinion, of course.

brilliant!

[HondaHawkGT]

Yep. Fluid film and wax frame coating is a no no.

Been doing it for well over two years without issue.

 

Fluid film does not play well with the gm frame wax. It will bubble it ,super soften it and break the wax adhesion to metal.

So don't fluid film it and the wax will flake and peel off. If you do FF it, the wax may peel off. Hmm seems as though the factory wax would have peeled off either way.

 

I've been brushing on Fluid Film onto the wax coated frame every six months for two years without issue. I don't even pressure wash it in the winter. Zero rust, wax still there.

[jrob56]

Been doing it for well over two years without issue.

 

 

So don't fluid film it and the wax will flake and peel off. If you do FF it, the wax may peel off. Hmm seems as though the factory wax would have peeled off either way.

 

I've been brushing on Fluid Film onto the wax coated frame every six months for two years without issue. I don't even pressure wash it in the winter. Zero rust, wax still there.

 

I did two of my worst spots with it and it seemed to have stopped those spots cold. No more peeling there. I was keeping an eye on them after all this done us it talk.

[everclear86]

I have a piece of shit 2014 Sierra going in for a pressure test on Tuesday. Truck doesn't even have 50k on it yet and has already had one radiator replaced. Now, 10 months later, I'm losing coolant again but can't locate a leak. Can anyone confirm for sure if the radiator can be replaced without removing the grille and bumper pad? Looks like the core support may stop it from being able to be lifted out vertically. These jokers are asking a grand to replace it, so I'm looking to do it myself. Just wanting to know how involved it really is.

 

Going to attempt to have this covered under possible powertrain warranty due to it being the second occurrence in such a short time. Not to mention 2 visits for trailer wiring issues in which their "certified tech" couldn't find anything wrong the first visit and told me it was my boats wiring. Absolutely not the case and I surprised them by hauling it up there the next day and demanded the boat be put on another truck on the lot to prove to him he was wrong. Rear 12v accessory not working, vibration on the freeway after 50 mph, rusting frame already, clunking transmission/rear end, squeaky interior, engine knock (running Signature Series Amsoil with religious oil changes due to frequent traveling with boat in tow), weatherstripping beginning to peel around rear passenger door and was told there is nothing they can do about it, rust pits in front bumper, MyLink radio display intermittently blacking out not allowing radio to be raised or lowered or change a station, not to mention no backup camera when it's acting up, etc.

 

I hate to offend anyone but in my experience, I can say these are nothing more than cookie cutter vehicles for guys who like to cruise around the city looking cool in their spit-shined trucks. Put them to work and they simply can't handle it. Looking forward to having it repaired and trading it in. Cosmetically, I think it's the best looking truck on the market but I am thoroughly disgusted and embarrassed in this "Professional Grade" poor American craftsmanship and quality. No more GM products for this guy. Cummins or Powerstroke will be next in line.

 

Anybody want to buy a truck?

[Daryl Z71]

They're all made overly cheap these days. Made to last 10 years then go to the junk pile. Throw away cars as I like to call them.