I have a 2012 ram and I noticed the other day a small rust stain near where the exhaust pipe on the drivers side exits the rear bumper. It wiped off easily but has since returned. If I look really close I can see a tiny black speck where there appears to be no chrome coating.

I have heard this is common with the 2009s and 2010s but it was supposedly "fixed" when dodge changed suppliers. Is anyone aware of this issue with the 2012s?

This especially sucks because now I can't make fun of our boss who has a 2010 silverado that has had a rusty bumper since new!

 

Keep it clean while your at work so you can continue to poke fun at your boss.
Meanwhile, I would see if the dealer can exhange the bumper for you as you have an anti-perforation warranty for stuff like that as long as it's not a chip from a stone(which wouldn't be covered)
Since it's on the corner edge of the cut-out, it's gonna be hard to get warrantied.

My truck has 10kmi and is always cleaned before parked. It has surface rust on the inside of the bumpers and started at 5kmi. Granted my truck is 4yrs old, it gets thoroughly cleaned after driving in the snow and only goes out for tow/haul trips otherwise.

 

my old 2010 had a spot in the same place where there was no chrome, put a dab of that rust converter stuff on there then a little clear touch up paint and I never seen it again in two years. The dealer would have given me another bumper but my luck the replacement would have been worse so I left it.

I was hoping it wouldnt be an issue anymore on 2012s, guess not..

 

I agree, sometimes your better off not going to the dealer for something minor. They could end up scratching your paint installing a new bumper, then you'll have thinner cleacoat after they have their body shop wetsand and buff or you'll have paintwork that'll stick with your vehicles history. Or you get home and notice a smudge of grease on your seat, then what?

I'd rather take care of most things on my own even if it's a few bucks out of pocket rather than leaving my truck at the dealer lot worrying about dents/dings and scratches or if they even did the work properly and didn't leave a screw off or if they got grease all over where they were.

I believe the problem is within the plating process. Nickel is expensive and must be used to properly adhere the chroming finish. Some manufacturers skimp on this process and even skimp on the thickness of the chrome plating. I think a mixture of both are what causes these issue's everyone is having.

 

that's a good idea....never thought of that

 

Sadly, this has been a trend in recent years with ALL automotive makes. Less time in the chroming tank saves money in many ways. Less material (thinner coating) and less time per piece means more can be done in the same amount of time.

Just one more thing that's made a lot shoddier than it used to be just to save that all mighty dollar...

 

Thanks for the responses. I will try keeping it clean and see if that helps. Since it is not perforated, I agree it is not likely that it would be covered under warranty, however if it gets much worse I will be demanding that they do something about it. I am in eastern Canada so there is alot of salt on the roads. In my mind though there is absolutely no reason why a vehicle with only a couple thousand kms should have this happening.

As Hammer said, the quality of these products nowadays is highly suspect. My '03 only started to see rust on the chrome bumper after about 7 years in this environment.

I guess its just another one of those things that you have to get used to.

 

Not when you spend $40k for a vehicle, it's just unnacceptable.

 

It's worth a call to the dealer...some guys on here and other forums had it replaced under warranty. If the dealer won't do anything call Chrysler directly...like dirtydog said "unacceptable".

Also....you can still make fun of your boss! He drives a chevy..Chevy - "Ride Like a Rock"

 

What if we just had it re-plated at a local plating place, and REALLY got a good layer of Chrome ? Is that expensive ?