Guess I'll be the RUST test case... purchased my used 06QC(3.7) with 35K and on was almost chased off by theunderside rust. Also some rust on thefront seams like Graythang IIs pics. I loved the trucks ride, color & price…. so I finally decided that slowing the brown cancer and making it last another 6-10years was something Id be willing to do. Obviously the previous owner hadbeen on many salty road trips, but there was no rust on the inner / outer sheet metal andstrangely enough therust seemed to bemostly around the hardware. You can easily seewherecheep H/W was used vs. properly coated H/W which had minimal or no rust at all. The back bumper is completely rusted onthe inside (butperfect on the outside).

I plan on steel brushing the rusty areas and spraying with the rust killer (or galv. paint as suggested). Top-coating with a layer or two of spray undercoating should do the trick. Even the inside of the bumper could be done this way.The front under hoodseams area isrusted enough to require sanding, priming touch-up painting. Definitely NOT what I’d expect to see in a2-1/2 year old truck,butI accepted the challenge andif I want it to last 7-10 yrs... i'd better get started.


hlp

 

Im not sure all out trucks were created equal in the rust protection dept.

My truck has a complete black undercoating on the frame, it came like that from the dealer/factory.

Ive seen alot of dakotas that dont have the complete undercoating though...

I see ericemery's dakota doesnt have the undercoating sprayed on the inside of the bed, behind the rear wheel inside the well. There should be a complete undercoating paint job under there!

Ill post a pic of my truck when it was new, and show you what I mean...

 

You can see where I circled around the rear wheel well, if you look inside, you will see it has an undercoating applied to not only the frame, but everything including the inside of the bed.

 

I just noticed about two weeks ago that the inside of my rear bumper is forming a good amount of rust, not sure what to do. Is it something that is normally replaced under warranty?

 

I doubt they would cover that but it never hurts to stop by and ask them to take a quick peek at it.

 

Technically, this is supposed to be covered under the rust/corrosion waranty right? I mean, its not like damage caused the rust. It's a defect.

I Have the base ST base model black bumper, and it's not rusting at all. I live in NY and we get all the seasons up here, including salting of the roads.

If they don't cover it, take it off and fix it. It's easy to remove the rear bumper, and the patch up job doesnt need to be perfect because no one is going to ever see it! Remove the rust, and paint it. Or, better yet, spray or roll in liquid bed liner. That should do the trick.