Hi all,

Well so far we are enjoying our new 2011 Dodge Ram Laramie. We have only put a few hundred miles on it so far but have already run into some rust issues on both bumpers (chrome) and a rock chip on the lower side of the vehicle. We have only taken the vehicle out twice during the winter and that was on highway traveling.

We brought the vehicle to the dealership to look at the rust spots on our bumpers. For the front they indicated that rock chips caused the rust spots (although I can't see an "chips") and for the back bumper we were told rust developed because we don't have mud flaps. They polished the bumpers to remove the rust spots but indicated if they reoccur, then it could be that the bumpers are poor quality and need to be replaced.

Since that service, I brought the truck over to an auto body shop to seek their opinion on the bumpers. They indicated that all manufacturers (Ford, Chrysler, GM, etc) are experiencing rust issues with their chrome bumpers. The auto body rep indicated that they have replaced many rusting bumpers with new ones, making sure those new ones had American Chrome being the company surfacing those bumpers. Anyway, I will see what happens with our bumpers but I'm disappointed that I'm already experiencing rust on such a new vehicle.

I also discovered a rock chip on the side of the truck that was deep enough I could see rust. So I've cleaned that up and applied touch up paint.

Because of all this I am looking at buying Mopar Deluxe molded mudflaps. I've done some searches on various brands, and they seem to be rated pretty good. Although I have 20" tires, I'm hoping they will help somewhat since I really don't want to hang heavy duty mud flaps off the Laramie.

It's been recommended that I get something like 3M Tape to protect the front lower corners of my box (auto body rep indicated that this area can often get rock chips) and to put some of that tape between the molded mud flaps and the truck body.

Since our truck is black, I have concerns about putting on 3M tape that may collect dirt etc and look like junk in a short time.

Anyway, really looking for some advice without risking going into overkill mode.

Thanks!

Peter

 

Putting 3M ScotchCal on your vehicle to protect the finish will not be a poor decision. The stuff is worth its weight in gold. Once applied you cannot tell it is there except by seeing the edge where it ends. It will not collect dirt or dust at the edge and the surface itself behaves just like regular paint. You wash it and wax it the same way. As long as you're careful to not let wax build up at the edge (or wipe it away if it does) the line will be almost invisible unless you're really looking for it.

I highly recommend covering as many forward-facing surfaces on the truck as possible. Over the years you'll appreciate the small up-front investment in keeping your vehicle looking new. I have the Sport model so I have more areas covered than you'd do on a Laramie, but here are some to consider: front of hood, front fender corners, painted front-facing parts of bumper facia, under the door pulls, under the splash guards. You might also want to cover the chrome portion of your side mirrors.

Finally, invest in some headlight protection too. The same installer that does the ScotchCal can apply some to the headlights too, or you can buy a kit from Xpel (search on autosportcatalog.com) for about $45 that will come with pre-cut pieces for the headlights and fog lights in a much thicker material. The extra thickness helps absorb hits by bigger rocks. The Xpel kit is easy to install on a RAM since the headlights are fairly flat.

You don't mention where you're located, but if you're in MN send me a PM and I'll put you in touch with the guy that did my truck. He does a quality job.

Rob

 

Oh, as for ScotchCal 'looking like junk in a short time', I've had it on my 2001 IS300 since it was purchased in summer of 2000. It held up great and looked almost invisible as I described above for about 9 years. That includes 11 winters driving through MN rush hour traffic on metro-area interstates (think tons of salt and sand-blasting). In the last year and a half it has started being susceptible to 'scratches' that look like someone rubbed their fingernail over it. Getting 9+ good years out of it in these harsh driving conditions (I've had the windshield replaced 2 or 3 times due to pitting) makes it a winner in my book. And if I really cared, it could be easily removed and replaced with fresh stuff to get back to new and the paint underneath is still in great shape.

Rob

 

Thanks for all the info Rob. That helps!

I'm in British Columbia and there is an Xpel dealer in town. So I will check them out.

Have a great day!

Peter

 

Here's a picture of it installed:



Rob

 

I had that 3M stuff on the fronts of the back fenders of a Cobra for years, no chips to the paint and you can barely tell its there. I've seen Cobras without it and the paint is really chipped up badly. Not cheap but it works.

 

No mudflaps huh? dealers and their excuses. I guess you just have to keep waxing and polishing those bumbers.

 

The molded mudflaps will be fine. Just do yourself a favor. Use some of the clear tape behind them to prevent chafing of the paint or that could start another rust area.

 

From what I understand, all the manufacturers are having rust issues on chromed items. I read on another forum that the 3rd party shops who make & chrome the components are being beat up so bad for the lowest bid that they are going thinner and thinner on the chrome coating, cutting back duration in the chroming tanks.

As far as paint chipping - old redneck trick. In addition to the touch up paint, carry you a small bottle of clear nail polish in the truck with you. The nail polish is many times stronger than the touch up paint and also, is not porous like the paint. Seal any chips with the nail polish. You can also use it to bring the depth up to the rest of the paint, where the touch up paint will be more uniform to the level of the area around it.

I carry clear nail polish around with me everywhere. I have a bottle in my tackle bag, it is super for repairing fishing rod eyes on the water and will seal just about anything. Sometimes the chicks do look at me funny when I go to the make-up counter to pick up a bottle or two though...

 

Molded Flaps with 20" works great, I didn't have them for the first week, could not keep the sides of the truck clean, they made a huge diference.