Should I be wary of trucks from up north?

[Random_Walk]

If "up North" means Western Oregon or Washington, you're generally safe from salt (Oregon especially doesn't use it, though mind the Coastal trucks), but you will want to check for water or moisture intrusion (cab light and gasket, upper GPS/SiriusXM antenna, enclosed frame/body bits, head/tail lights, etc), due to the fact that we get mad amounts of rain.

Another(odd) thing to check for up here, especially on older trucks, is any potential mold/mildew in the interior fabric, especially if the truck has sat for any long length of time.

 

[indept]

I think all all mfgs have this issue. My wife's 2004 grand cherokee, traded in 2016,. Had very little rust underneath. Like you, I am up here in the salt belt.

I had a 2000 Grand Cherokee before this truck. It 210000 miles it had 1 small spot just starting around the rear wheel well. That was because leave got caught in a pocket there and held moisture but overall no rust. I expect, with reasonable care & cleaning that my Ram will be fine.

 

[indept]

This forum is awesome for tons of information. Threads like this scare the **** outta me. Im in southeast PA, ive had rust issues with one car, a 2001 Nissan maxima which was cared for like my 3rd child. Never buy a Nissan again and they were known for bad sheet metal those days. Ive had over a dozen other cars and suvs, mostly honda and toyota and have never had any issues. Never used fluid film or krown. After snow storms id run through a car wash that had undercarriage wash. So, when i bought my 1st truck i wanted an American truck, loved RAM and price was right. This rust issue that keeps being talked about, is this RAM issue, or all trucks? Constantly hearing about northern trucks and rust makes me wonder if i made a bad decision.

I lived in your area for 18 years, I now live just over the river and with normal care( ie: carwashes after snowstorms to remove salt) had no real issues with rust outside of undercarriage / frame surface rust.

 

[huntergreen]

I had a 2000 Grand Cherokee before this truck. It 210000 miles it had 1 small spot just starting around the rear wheel well. That was because leave got caught in a pocket there and held moisture but overall no rust. I expect, with reasonable care & cleaning that my Ram will be fine.

IMHO, no amount of care will prevent rust when it occurs under the paint. I believe that is caused by poor quality steel.

 

[indept]

IMHO, no amount of care will prevent rust when it occurs under the paint. I believe that is caused by poor quality steel.

I agree but cleaning the salt off will help especially with frame rust

 

[CVX20]

Most of us that plan on keeping a vehicle for a while know enough to have some type of rust/corrosion prevention/protection.Mine has been Krown'd since new and 3 1/2 years later still looks new.I'd be more concerned about being leased or flood damage.Less obvious.

 

[huntergreen]

I agree but cleaning the salt off will help especially with frame rust

Abosolutely. That's why I go through the car wash with the under carriage wash usually once a week in the winter.

 

[CVX20]

IMHO, no amount of care will prevent rust when it occurs under the paint. I believe that is caused by poor quality steel.

Don't think that rust occurs between the factory paint and the sheet metal.I think that it rusts through from the unprotected inside of the panel.FCA's E-Coating isn't all it's cracked up to be but the paint should seal the outside.The inside needs some type of oil spray to stop rust from coming through.JMHO.

 

[Ludville1]

The chemicals that they throw on the roads up here is definitely corrosive, and makes vehicles rust over time. Keeping them as clean as possible during the winter helps. I bought my Ram last July and it is an amazingly clean example for a 2009 Michigan truck as the PO hardly drove it in the winter. Fortunately for me, it's not a daily driver and is stored until spring.

 

[mtnrider]

I would pass but if you have to have it I would crawl under it and inspect with a fine tooth comb.
I made the mistake of buying a truck that came out of upstate New York once. Looked good on initial inspection but after purchase I found that they had covered up a lot of rust that was starting underneath. Also made it hell to work on down the road as every nut and bolt under they vehicle became rusted and difficult to get off. And even if it isn't visible now the process has started and it will rust.

I'll never touch another vehicle from that north east area again.

.

 

[huntergreen]

Don't think that rust occurs between the factory paint and the sheet metal.I think that it rusts through from the unprotected inside of the panel.FCA's E-Coating isn't all it's cracked up to be but the paint should seal the outside.The inside needs some type of oil spray to stop rust from coming through.JMHO.

I can't agree. I have seen a few vehicles, not Chrysler's, that had the paint bubble up and had rust underneath the bubble. Acouple body shop guys told they see this on occasion. The inside, or unpainted side doesn't have any rust.

 

[PoMansRam]

If you're buying a 2016 or 2017, what state it came from wouldn't bother me in the least. Overall condition would. How it was used and cared for are the more important factors IMO.

I know when shopping for a used 2017 or 18 for a family member a few months back, we looked at some lease returns that were from the Michigan area per the carfax. They were Longhorns with the Hemi. We also looked at several 2018 Ram 1500 4x4 CC hemi, SLT trim that were ex-rentals from Canada. They all had mileage in the 8-10K range and were priced really great. Problem was, they had lots of little dings and scratches and most had stained interiors.

In the end, my brother wanted a Pentastar powered Ram and he bought a new 2019 1500 classic, QC, 4x4, 3.55 gears. After the rebate and incentive game, it was about $33500 + TTL. Sticker was $40K.

 

[Articlonestar]

I live up in Maine and they sprinkle salt on roads like crazy in the winter. I spent days looking at different trucks local, and eventually bit the bullet and paid $1000 to have one shipped from Texas. Looks pristine underneath!

Your best bet, stick to something southern. Salt eats through quickly if you are not right on top of it

 

[indept]

I live up in Maine and they sprinkle salt on roads like crazy in the winter. I spent days looking at different trucks local, and eventually bit the bullet and paid $1000 to have one shipped from Texas. Looks pristine underneath!

Your best bet, stick to something southern. Salt eats through quickly if you are not right on top of it

I think the brine is worse. With salt they would put it down just before or during a snowstorm. With brine they put it down days before the possibility of snow which sometimes doesn't happen. The salt has to dissolve in water to attack you truck, the brine comes out ready to attack.

 

[gofishn]

you need to accept Rust.
Embrace it even


Just like most women will usually get fat arsses, as they age, so too will your truck get flaws, as it ages.

Embrace the changes .... or trade in for a newer model
BE WARNED, trading either your truck or your Wife 'in', for a newer, prettier model, will cost you. DEARLY.

 

[dodgeramfan]

Living in N. Indiana, I'd be concerned about it being a leased vehicle as much as salt. Leasers/renters sometimes beat the crap out of vehicles because they just don't care. On the other hand, there are plenty of people up north who baby their trucks (like me).
Are the floors and seats pristine? Is the bed/tailgate scratched? Was it a 'working truck' or 'driving' truck? My first '17 (before it got hit and totaled), the hood chips and scratches (all clear coat) told me it was highway commuter miles. Current one- I could tell had been driven on gravel/dirt roads some, but was otherwise near perfect.
Be Sherlock Holmes about its history and usage.

Every truck I ever leased/rented was babied like a princess washed /waxed regularly . oil changed on schedule interior kept immaculate tires rotated on schedule! Never beat them either . Nothing worse then a beat up truck so whoever bought my leased/rented trucks bought a premo!! But yes I totally agree most people don’t give two sh#ts.


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[MileHighRam11]

If the truck is still within its warranty makes sure its not from Canada... myn came from a auction then to a dealer from Canada has a cam issue and cylinder miss fire code... thought it'd get fixed under its powertrain but chrysler denied the claim.

Same with mine. Bought in Michigan, but came from Canada. Cylinder 2 misfired and needed camshaft and lifters replaced. Thankfully warranty covered the repairs. No rust though!

 

[MidTennMtneer]

I just bought my ‘17 in NC with 20k miles on it. Was off lease from Michigan and sold at auction. No rust on mine. Truck really is like new. Very happy with it.

I looked at 3 in the Charlotte area. Equipped the same. Two ‘17s and one ‘16. All three off lease with less than 25k miles and from Michigan.

After reading this thread it must be super common. I’d just do your due diligence on checking it out. Only rust on mine is the driveshaft surface (which from another thread on here is very common) and some surface rust on the weld beads that I’ll take care of in the spring. Everything else looks new.


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[averageguy]

Here are some salt pictures from Michigan. The first one is the salt coming straight off the conveyor from the mine underneath the city of Detroit. The second is how thick the salt is put down on the road and the third is the giant pile in Detroit. That's a 988 Cat loader loading that truck if you know how big that is to put it in perspective. All the cars here are white with salt and there is salt dust flying up as you go by there is so much on the road. It's in every crack crevice and seam of your car because no one's washing inside their doors or under their bed good enough to get all that out.

 

[MidTennMtneer]

It’s the same way here in WV. Soon as this cold breaks there will be a 30 min line at the local car washes. Of which I always use an undercarriage wash.


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