Rust Issue - Help!

[Christian1500]

Hello,

I just "bought" a used 2019 RAM 1500 HEMI Big Horn (15k miles), I'm very excited since I'm coming from a V6 (2014 RAM 1500) and let me tell Wow to the HEMI engine what a difference. Anyways so they delivered my truck yesterday and opened the hood and noticed some rust on it, so I went underneath and noticed some more rust in the frame under the truck. I checked the VIN and the truck is coming from Ohio. I never been there but I read online that they salt the roads over there. I took the truck today to the dealer to have inspected and they said everything looks good besides the rust under the truck, and it wouldn't be much as an issue since we live in Arizona in the Tombstone area.
I'm worry that this rust issue will become an issue in the future, since I usually keep my cars for 4-5 years. I have 5 days left to decide if I want to purchase the truck from Carvana, should I keep it or
exchange it? I have attached some pictures of the major areas where I see the rust.

Thanks for your help!
Christian

 

[Christian1500]

More pics

 

[Arvid]

Try this to halt it

https://nhoilundercoating.com/

 

[KeithP]

I’m an old transplanted farm boy from Kansas. Nothing I see in your pics would bother me but I grew up on salted winter roads. If your a native desert rat then I can understand your reaction. It’s your money. If the rust bothers you, this might not be the right truck for you.

 

[dhay13]

Pretty common in this area. Yes Ohio salts the roads. I'm sure mine looks similar

 

[farmallboy]

I live in Ohio. Whole life. Going on 29.

Rust on vehicles suck here. A truck can be rotted out bad in 8 years depending on how it's cared for or measures taken.

It's part of why I bought my new rig. Here in Ohio. A small portion of us try different methods and there are a lot of opinions on what's best etc.

With that being said you have no worries. You took the truck to a good environment to serve. Mine is stuck in Ohio and I'll be trying everything I can to keep it good looking and serve out 15 years. We will see.

You just have light surface rust in a couple places. NOTHING to be concerned with. You should see what some people drive around here. Frames cracking is not uncommon. Rockers goodbye. What door bottoms ?

Enjoy the new ride. Spray some fluid film on the bad spots and you will be fine.

 

[HAL9001]

That looks very typical for a vehicle from the salt belt, nothing unusual or overly concerning. Keep in mind that even without rustproofing newer vehicles are designed to last at least 10 years even in the salt belt. However, after around 10 years significant problems can and do occur due to rust. I've lived in Northern climates all my life, I speak from decades of experience.

You're from Arizona, so I don't recommend rustproofing, and if you use it exclusively in an area without salted roads it's not likely to get too much worse.

 

[Zoe Saldana]

Can you have the dealership pay for undercoating? If not get several cans of rust-oleum flat black and go nuts.

 

[Farmer Fran]

I lived in MD almost all my life, saw some pretty bad rust from salt roads and the bay. I moved south and never looked back. Like the above, you may never have a problem. Me, I would find one without the added wear.

 

[MoPowered]

Okay, first and foremost that really ain’t nothing I wouldn’t take care of on my own and being in NY I would scoop it up with no issues. On the other hand if you don’t take care of it and do it right it’ll continually slowly get worse. It needs to be converted with rust converter first and then primed and sealed before undercoating.
If you don’t do that it will come back I would degrease and power wash the entire under side making sure you get up under the rear wheel wells let dry am done then follow the steps to get rid of it. I’d even go so far as having a body shop get involved with stripping it off with a media blaster. Being in Arizona’s climate will limit it immensely of course but I it’s practically new and you want it for as long as you can keep it.
And for the Carvana giving you an excuse like well it’s it’s from Ohio and the use salt on the roads I’d tell them to sell it in Ohio.

 

[Buffchief52]

I live in Minnesota, they use tons tons of salt on the roads here. (Ridiculous amounts!) What I see on your truck is common on every vehicle in this state. Ive never had a component that has surface rust like yours fail due to rust. That being said, I try to clean the surface rust as best I can and spray it with some rust blocking black primer/paint. The spray paint nowadays is so good, it will last many years and looks so much better than the rust. Dont worry about your truck, it wont fall apart!

 

[Christian1500]

Here is a pic of my new RAM, its beautiful! Looks black but its actually Green color.

I have lived in the Arizona area my whole life so I have no experience on salted roads and rust issues. Thanks for your responses!

You guys are awesome.

 

[R242]

She's a beaut! Definitely more of the same from me, pick up some Fluid Film and hit all the spots. It'll protect for months depending on your usage, I always do a power spray, dry, fluid film twice a year, before and after winter. Those U joints on the driveshaft are going to look like that anyway, wouldn't be too concerned for them.

Just saw you're still in AZ? Once a year should halt any rust advancement.

 

[farmallboy]

I have lived in the Arizona area my whole life so I have no experience on salted roads and rust issues.

Don't really believe in divinity. But that sir is a blessing! Lol

 

[PoMansRam]

Living in the Buffalo NY area, I've seen brand new trucks look like that sitting on the dealer lot. It's disturbing for sure, but there's a lot of untreated steel components under our Rams. I've got even more disturbing posts on rust on this site in regards to my 2019 Ram 1500 classic I bought used in July. I had some areas I treated with a paint over rust product called Rust bullet and I treated my truck inside and out with Fluid Film and Woolwax. Pretty cool that you've got an aluminum driveshaft. My crew cab short bed driveshaft is steel and rusty.

Sorry if I missed it, but can you tell from the carfax where the tuck came from? It could have gone through 2 rust belt winters if it was purchased in late 2018.

 

[avantiguy]

The rust on the drive shaft and other mechanical parts is pretty normal but the frame rust is unusual to my eye. It suggests that the truck set in a damp/wet environment for an extended period or the PO just didn't take care of it.

Here is my 19 Laramie that was put in service in Michigan 1/19 so a winter and one half so far and we use at least as much salt as any other state. It's not perfect but way better than yours. It has been through the carwash with underbody spray everytime it snows here and that's fairly often. These were taken today.

 

[Different Drummer]

I am from the North East area of NYS. Plenty of salt used here. I have spent eight winters in the South West corner of AZ. Right near the Colorado River where AZ borders with California. I have always been totally amazed and blown away by how nice the vehicles are in AZ in regards to rust or more correctly, the lack of rust. The worst I saw there was paint fading due to the sun. Thus I can fully understand and appreciate OP's feelings about the rust. I would look for a truck more locally to him that is in the condition he is accustomed to seeing.

 

[Batt4Christ]

I don’t see anything that would scare me. BUT, I do see a few spots that ought to buy at least a little discount to give you a few $ to touch up/protect those spots.

 

[Christian1500]

Living in the Buffalo NY area, I've seen brand new trucks look like that sitting on the dealer lot. It's disturbing for sure, but there's a lot of untreated steel components under our Rams. I've got even more disturbing posts on rust on this site in regards to my 2019 Ram 1500 classic I bought used in July. I had some areas I treated with a paint over rust product called Rust bullet and I treated my truck inside and out with Fluid Film and Woolwax. Pretty cool that you've got an aluminum driveshaft. My crew cab short bed driveshaft is steel and rusty.

Sorry if I missed it, but can you tell from the carfax where the tuck came from? It could have gone through 2 rust belt winters if it was purchased in late 2018.

It says it is coming from Ohio. Thanks!

 

[Christian1500]

The rust on the drive shaft and other mechanical parts is pretty normal but the frame rust is unusual to my eye. It suggests that the truck set in a damp/wet environment for an extended period or the PO just didn't take care of it.

Here is my 19 Laramie that was put in service in Michigan 1/19 so a winter and one half so far and we use at least as much salt as any other state. It's not perfect but way better than yours. It has been through the carwash with underbody spray everytime it snows here and that's fairly often. These were taken today.

View attachment 227912 View attachment 227913

Hmm.. yours looks better than what I got.