Rustproof?

[Akron]

I bought my 2022 Ram 1500 to replace my 2014 Ram 2500. I rustproofed my 2014 Ram and it started to rust in the wheelwell area about a year ago which was past the warranty. Should I rustproof my new truck or am I wasting money. I live in N.E. Ohio. One other idea I have is just getting a yearly oil spray underneath. Ideas? TIA.

 

[RC Turner]

Most of the rust I have seen on all pickups is above the wheel wells in the box. Rust proofing and oil coating generally do not get those areas. My favorite body man tells me to get some heavy oil and spray it down into that area. Also wash out the dirt a time or two a year so that wet dirt is not sitting between the inner wheel well and the outer skin.

 

[pacofortacos]

Did you ever work on a vehicle with oil or grease sprayed on it for rustproofing???
Unless you hate yourself or your mechanic, I do not recommend it.

But you might be in luck. Does your 22 have rear wheel liners on it? If it does, remove them this time before rustproofing, if you don't then you should be ok but make sure that the area is touched up yearly.

 

[RC Turner]

Does your 22 have rear wheel liners on it? If it does, remove them this time before rustproofing, if you don't then you should be ok but make sure that the area is touched up yearly.

The liners do not protect the area that rusts. The rust is between the inner wheel housing and the quarter panel on the box. The wheel liner is good protection from chips and noise but no help with the rust issue.

 

[pacofortacos]

This is true, but the liners do help limit the amount of stuff that gets up to that lower lip - at least on my 4th gen. With them off you can really get to the lip and protect it from that side
Another spot to get into there is remove the taillights and go through there and if I remember correctly there is a spot in front of the rear tire that goes up into that cavity.
The more protection from nicks and chips that you have the less chance of rust.
Mine also has the stock wheel flares and those also really protect the lip on the wheel well.

If wet dirt can get into that area, so can rustproofing it is just a matter of spraying it in there.

I had a truck that was undercoated with a grease base material. It did work, however it was a nightmare to work on since every time you touched anything you were covered in grease.

I live just east of where the OP lives, but in Pa. and they use brine as well as liberal amounts of salt here. Rustproofing is mandatory in this area if you plan on keeping a vehicle for several years.

 

[tron67j]

For rustproofing you are going to be doing something every year regardless. There is no one time cure-all type of product. My personal experience is from my 2003 2500. I drove that thing in far upstate New York where the snow starts in October and doesn't end until May. They salt the roads like crazy up there and I drove it every single day. When the temperature was down near zero, the salt really couldn't activate so it wasn't a problem. But once the temperature started to rise I would constantly rinse the bottom of the truck and I drove it for many years with zero rust. I had no rust proofing on it, it was just constant maintenance and I believe that no matter what you do, the amount of rust you get is inversely proportional to the amount of effort you're willing to expend to keep the underneath clean. I finally sold that truck in 2019 and I have another 2500 now. Good luck

 

[68PowerWagon]

For rustproofing you are going to be doing something every year regardless. There is no one time cure-all type of product. My personal experience is from my 2003 2500. I drove that thing in far upstate New York where the snow starts in October and doesn't end until May. They salt the roads like crazy up there and I drove it every single day. When the temperature was down near zero, the salt really couldn't activate so it wasn't a problem. But once the temperature started to rise I would constantly rinse the bottom of the truck and I drove it for many years with zero rust. I had no rust proofing on it, it was just constant maintenance and I believe that no matter what you do, the amount of rust you get is inversely proportional to the amount of effort you're willing to expend to keep the underneath clean. I finally sold that truck in 2019 and I have another 2500 now. Good luck

Yep! Removing the salt from the under carriage asap is the key. Rust proofing & fluid filming will help, but if there is one spot you missed or one little rock chip, the salt will find it, & start to eat. I took my liners out, put several layers of undercoat down, & then put the liners back on. Then I fluid film with WD-40 a couple times of year, & then wash the under carriage sometimes several times a week. Something I tried on one of our company vehicles was to buy the cheap Wal Mart brand bed liner to undercoat. Sounds crazy, but so far it is the best undercoat I have ever used! I guess cause it stays flexible enough to keep from cracking & chipping so easily.

 

[Akron]

Yep! Removing the salt from the under carriage asap is the key. Rust proofing & fluid filming will help, but if there is one spot you missed or one little rock chip, the salt will find it, & start to eat. I took my liners out, put several layers of undercoat down, & then put the liners back on. Then I fluid film with WD-40 a couple times of year, & then wash the under carriage sometimes several times a week. Something I tried on one of our company vehicles was to buy the cheap Wal Mart brand bed liner to undercoat. Sounds crazy, but so far it is the best undercoat I have ever used! I guess cause it stays flexible enough to keep from cracking & chipping so easily.

I used the Walmart bedliner spray on my wheelwells of a 30 year old Airstream. Cleaned it up pretty nicely.

 

[LouM]

Check out waxoly, does the job and isn't bad to work on.

 

[coobie]

Krown rustproofing

 

[HEMI_Finn]

I live in NEO too. I've been getting my '14 done with Fluid Film since I went to VA in 2016 and got it. No rust and no regrets.

 

[roadrnnr]

Fluid Film or woolwax are your best bets.
Been doing my 2011 every year since new and rust free and I live in the northeast where they put calcium chloride on the roads

 

[TomB 1269]

I had WOOLWAX sprayed on mine a year ago. The guys I went to clean the truck but I was still cleaning over spray off for 2 days and there are edges in which I can quite reach but see that have a residue.
It does eventually "cure" and be come a little less messy, but you will need to take off your tires and clean the back of each rim. And any one that touches any frame or coated part will spread "grease" to anything else they touch.
The idea is great.
It does function as expected, i.e. self healing, etc. It can be sprayed every wear i.e. in side step tubes, in frame rails in bed support rails, in the cracks and creases to protect. Being it is an oil base it will absorb in to the metals.
I waited to let some of the new rub off on mine before coating it. I bought my truck in March 2019. I had planned on doing it in 2020 but did not get to it.
My guy told be that it is easier to apply and it cures a little quicker if applied in spring / early summer vs fall. It will also pickup less sand and grit as it has had a chance to cure. The sand and grit clears up over time but it just would not have looked as "dirty" if I'd given it more cure time before fall leaves and initial winter sand & salting.

 

[roadrnnr]

I'd find a differeant guy to do it.
I do my own every year with the spray gun made for it with the wands. I get everything underneath and inside the wheel wells, rockers doors etc and never have any over spray on the paint. No Lift either I do it on my back with ramps.
Wool wax is Lanolin based not oil based. It will no drip off. It will creep in crevices over time.
Do not clean off every year, just spray over the top of last years.
Fall is the best time to do woolwax

 

[BLKBWTY]

Did you ever work on a vehicle with oil or grease sprayed on it for rustproofing???
Unless you hate yourself or your mechanic, I do not recommend it.

But you might be in luck. Does your 22 have rear wheel liners on it? If it does, remove them this time before rustproofing, if you don't then you should be ok but make sure that the area is touched up yearly.

I have my 21 ram rustproofed every year. Holes have been drilled into locations so the rustproof can be sprayed inside the panels where rust begins. I take my taillights out and spray into there so the rear panels are soaked down inside . It cheap insurance , much cheaper than a paint job, electrics don’t rust and resale is better.

 

[Moose2]

Fluid film and wool wax for me as well. In fact, I will be touching mine up in a week or two.

 

[Ubem]

Check out a product called undercoating in a can from Petroleum Service Corporation. It is a black wax undercoating that you can purchase in spray cans currently selling for $74.95 for 12 cans or can be purchased individually. I used it to undercoat my 2019 Ram 1500 Crew Cab and did the entire truck with 10 cans. I removed the wheel liners both front and rear before undercoating and then reinstalled them afterward. The product does set up, does not get hard and retains a waxy type consistency. After three years I am still happy with the product with no rusty areas whatsoever. Check out their website and reviews.

 

[GTyankee]

Just don't use that old fashioned black stuff that is sprayed on hardens
That stuff grabs in some areas & leaves a void between the black product & the under carriage.
Water will intrude sooner or later & you will get rust between under coating & the sheet metal

 

[Ironhead3]

This is gonna be a long rant, so if you don't read it, I will understand--- In my opinion, some answers need explanation and reasons why - I am no expert, but just explaining what works for me from 45 years of owning vehicles in a part of Canada that can have up to 6 months of winter some years.
Rustproofing of some sort is "absolutely necessary" where I live in Atlantic Canada if you want a vehicle to last. They use lots of salt here, starting sometimes as early as late October, and sometimes as late as the end of April, and there are vehicles here 4 or 5 years old rusted through in spots such as over the rear wheel wells.
I agree with a lot of things that people have said, and if you are lucky like me to have access to a hoist whenever I want it, washing underneath your truck frequently during the winter, especially washing out the inside of the rocker panels, over the wheel wells etc. is very important, but I am convinced that "rust proofing" is worth every penny. I say rust proofing, as the term UNDERCOATING is used as a description of too many different products by different manufacturers/suppliers.
Depending on what people consider "undercoating", it can be as bad or worse than using nothing. There is a fellow I work with that bought a truck new in 2011, had it "undercoated" when new. He kept if fairly clean all the time he had it, although not to the extent that I would---people say I am a little **** when it comes to my vehicles. Two years ago, (the truck was almost 10 years old) he went for the yearly Motor Vehicle Inspection (MVI) that is required here, and the Inspection Station noticed what looked to be a small rust hole in the frame. They poked a small screwdriver in the hole on the frame of the truck, and although it looked good and still had most of the "undercoating" on it, the frame was rotted and rusted beyond repair, and to the extent that not only did they "reject" the truck for the MVI, the owner ended up selling the truck to a scrap yard for the drivetrain and interior because he wasn't going to replace the frame. The undercoating used on this truck was kind of a black, hard, dry coating, and what happened was when any cracks came in the coating it allowed water/salt to get underneath the coating, keeping the frame damp and wet all the time and the salt to have a continuous rusting action, and most of the frame was rotted.
Actual "rustproofing" (RUST CHECK is all that I use, but other people have mentioned KROWN, FLUID FILM, etc. and they are all good rustproofing) does certainly slow down, or if used properly, eliminate rusting of a vehicle - body panels, frame, etc. and in my experience, prevents a lot electrical issues like corrosion in connectors, wires corroded and loosing connection (new vehicles use very small gauge wire in the harness' and it doesn't take very much salt to corrode them)
I like RUST CHECK because it requires two different products depending on what part of the vehicle you are applying it on, unlike KROWN and FLUID FILM which uses one product for the complete vehicle. The RED can of RUST CHECK is runny and will creep in all directions, so it is used for inside panels-fenders, doors, rocker panels, box sides, tailgate, electrical connectors, etc. The GREEN can is a thicker product and used on the frame, underbody, and places that are easy to access to make sure you get complete coverage (the red runny product would wash of easier because of road spray on the underside of the vehicle, so I use the thicker RUST CHECK in these locations). Another area I do is to take the scuff plates off at each door, pull the carpet back a bit, and coat the wiring and metal in this area. This area is prone to get salt/water/dirt in it, no matter how clean you keep your vehicle, or what kind of floor liners/mats you use. If your vehicle is driven in winter and snow it is bound to get wet.
Another bonus to RUST CHECK is that it can be applied even in cooler temperatures, because the red runny stuff will still creep "uphill" in lower temps, where the other brands tend to slow the creeping effect unless it is warm out.
Also, it is, in my opinion, a really good idea a couple of times a year (I do it usually monthly as I am in the woods a lot on muddy roads), especially late in the fall if you are a woods traveler like me, to get the sand/mud out of the front and rear wheel wells, inside doors and tailgate, etc. You can spray lots of water in factory holes in the rocker panels, front fenders by opening the hood and using the access holes at the front and rear, clean in the doors and tailgate by using the holes for the latches, and if you aren't lucky like me and have a hoist that I can use anytime, then you have to either take the taillights out to clean in between the two panels over the wheel wells really good, or spray a stream of water from in front of the rear tire aiming for the rear over the wheel well, and a stream from behind the rear tire aiming towards the front.
These are all just my opinions on protecting your vehicle from the harsh winters, and all the salt and calcium chloride used on our roads.
To anyone who does get rustproofing done, or intends to get it done, in my opinion it is worth every penny, and helps immensely to protect your vehicle......and we all know they aren't cheap. Thanks for listening, and have a great day.

 

[Dusty]

Most of the rust I have seen on all pickups is above the wheel wells in the box. Rust proofing and oil coating generally do not get those areas. My favorite body man tells me to get some heavy oil and spray it down into that area. Also wash out the dirt a time or two a year so that wet dirt is not sitting between the inner wheel well and the outer skin.

The suggestion to flush out that area is a good one. I do that routinely on all my trucks. You'd be surprised what you'll flush out sometimes. My '03 Dakota, which is still on the road, didn't start to show rust in that area until its twelfth year (I didn't own it after year eight).

Sand is especially abrasive, and probably due to airflow it seems to really like to collect in that area of a truck body.

Rams actually rust in the area just below the welded seam junction of the wheelhouse and quarter panel (Ram does a pretty good job of using foam at wheelhouse junction). This is why you typically see rust starting about two inches above the quarter panel lip. The area below is unfortunately exposed. You can see this area only if you remove the wheel liner or don't have any wheel liners.

To avoid the messy-ness of oil, I have applied cavity wax. I won't find out how successful this is for another five or more years.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33-gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 3 June 2018. Now at 78854 miles