I’ve had 4 Rams, a 95, 98, 02 and now an 06. Three of which have had the doors rust out. The 95 and 98 rusted so quick that the factory replaced the doors under warrantee. But now my 06 is rusting and the truck just turned 5 years old with only 53K miles. I’m calling the dealer tomorrow and if they tell me what I think they will, This will be the last Dodge product I’ll ever own. These trucks are way too expensive to have them rust out in a few years. I’ll keep you posted!

 

That's weird. Here in Florida, we have serious humidity almost year 'round. If there have been any rust areas on the last ten vehicles I've owned, it was so minor as to be negligible (and that would cover the American big three as well as more than one import). Something else is going on here.

 

I've had two Rams, a '98 & my current '04, the '04 has lived half it's life literally 1.5 miles from the ocean where there is actually salt in the air all the time. Can't keep an unprotected metal ANYTHING outside or even in the shed or garage without immediate rust issues. Aside from my driveshaft, neither of my Rams have had a spec of rust.

I've got a cousin in upstate NY (salt state) who's had a '96, '01 and now an '08 Ram and he's never had a rust problem either. My old man, also in upstate NY, has a 2000 Ram, purchased new in '99, I was in it last fall, not a spot of rust.

I got another cousin in South Carolina, lives about 1/2 mile from a huge paper mill, I don't know how he can stand it, the place ALWAYS smells like sulfur. He nor anyone near him can keep a vehicle without it starting to rust like hell inside of a year.

I don't think the brand is your issue, but either the environment you are in or possibly a care issue...

 

i live in ontario canada.. lots of snow lots of salt on the roads.. i undercoated my truck inside doors box everywhere underneath and have NO rust at all.. and then i have seen a few with the top of the rear wheel wells almost completely gone because there rotted sooo badly... its all how you take care of it.. i wash my truck almost every other day in the winter to keep the salt off it

 

First thing I do when I get home from fishing either the intercoastal or beach is to wash off my rods and reels, second thing is grab a beer, third - wash my vehicle and at least apply a mist on, wipe off, in between waxing, wax. Another biggie with me is I keep a cheap, plastic oscillating sprinkler with my auto wash stuff and do the old, redneck trick to wash off the underside of the vehicle. About five minutes letting it rotate side to side under the front half and the same for the back half. You'd be amazed at how much red clay mud will saturate and drop off when I'm running the dirt roads up at the farm.

My '04 still shines like the day I took it home new off the lot, over seven years ago and my '02 Grand Cherokee is mint also...

 

I live in WI. Rough winters, lots of sand and salt on the road 5 months out of the year. Your right these things are expensive. Preventative maintenance is key, and i don't think it matters what brand. Water based paint is water based paint and most manufactures are skimping on materials i think.

Wax a couple times a year, and spray on quick polish in between. Going to the car wash once a week, and only getting their spray on "WAX" with clear coat protectant isn't enough. Only thing that is starting to rust on my 05 is the rear bumper where the chrome is physically chipped away from road debris right behind the rear wheels. My buddy has on 03, and never takes care of his truck. All 4 fender wells are bubbling thru.

 

I live in san diego next to the beach and have not had a rust issue on my 08 ram. I have other issues with the truck but not rust. I do agree with you on not buying Dodge again though. I am pretty sure i'll never buy another Dodge. My reasons are for problems that I have with the truck and when i take it in to the dealer they either say It's normal on a Dodge or they haven't figured out a fix for the problem yet and will notify me when they do. LOL still waiting for a notification Dodge.

 

Sounds like a care/environment issue. The OP looks to have a history of this issue, but doesn't say if he has other vehicles that have fared better. All vehicles (other than a delorian) will rust without proper care. Yea if you live next to some industrial complex that's creating a toxic environment it may be tough to keep the rust away, but short of that car care is your best preventative maintenance.

nateroach

 

I'd say you need to find a different dealer, I'm not aware of any issues in the '08 Ram that are unfixable...

 

What problems could the dealer not fix?