Rocks In Rear Fender?

[Sir Dan]

My dad has an '07 Silverado 2500 Dmax (GMT-900) which he drives on gravel roads quite a bit. We noticed recently that there are several little bulges in the rear fenders just above the wheel wells on both sides and the paint is cracking from underneath. After checking up in there to see what could have pushed these out, I noticed there were little rocks wedged in between the sheet metal and the inner fender. They must have been kicked up in there by the tires and worked themselves down in to push out the bulges. Anyone else see this? I wonder what can be done to prevent it?

[MS3DALE]

There is actually a bulletin on this issue,Give me a few minutes to find it.

[MS3DALE]

Here it is.....

 

#PIT4745: Dent / Ripple Appearance Around Whell Well Opening - (Nov 11, 2008)

 

Subject: Dent/Ripple Appearance Around Wheel Well Opening

 

Models: 2007-2009 Chevrolet Silverado

2007-2009 GMC Sierra

 

Condition/Concern:

Raised dents or ripple appearance in the side outer panel of the cargo box around the perimeter of the wheel house opening due to the lodging of stone/aggregate/debris between the wheelhouse, and the side outer panel.

 

Recommendation/Instructions:

Remove the tail lamp to access the inner area of the side outer panel above the wheelhouse.

Inspect for any stone/aggregate/debris. Remove as needed using a power washer and/or shop air blow gun.

The use of a body hammer (Snapon cross peen, short curve, #BF608B, or comparable tool) to lightly tap the side outer panel may help to dislodge any stuck stone/aggregate/debris.

Access the rear of the inner wheelhouse area through the tail lamp cavity; and the front of the wheelhouse from under the vehicle, and coat the inner hem of the wheel house to side outer panel, with 3M Rust Fighter I, or equivalent.

Allow sufficient time for this to cure about 5-7 minutes, or according to manufacturer's instructions.

Apply several coats of Nox Rust X-121B undercoating (GM Part # 12346501) or equivalent, from the front and rear.

Apply enough undercoating to prevent stone/aggregate/debris from getting between the inner wheel house and side outer panel.

Reinstall tail lamp.

 

Please follow this diagnostic or repair process thoroughly and complete each step. If the condition exhibited is resolved without completing every step, the remaining steps do not need to be performed.

[Sir Dan]

Thanks Rich, I'll pass on the info to him.

Not a TSB# but a "PIT#"? What does that stand for? Did a google search and nothing.

[MS3DALE]

"PIE" means "Preliminary Information" There are different types of PI's....PIE,PIT,PIP,PIC,etc.

[RyanbabZ71]

I bet the T stands for technical?

[txdox21]

Wouldnt the wheel well liners prevent this from happening?

[MS3DALE]

Wouldnt the wheel well liners prevent this from happening?

No,They do not go down far enough to prevent stones/rocks from being thrown up inside of the wheel wells.

The only other thing that would help would be splash guards,even then there is still possibilities of stones/rocks being thrown up.

[txdox21]

I just cant picture where this is occuring. Does anyone have any pictures?

[Sir Dan]

I just cant picture where this is occuring. Does anyone have any pictures?

I'll post some pics soon...Just imagine looking down the side of the truck and you can see little bulges in the sheet metal just above the rear wheels. I think he has 2 on one side and one pretty bad one on the other. He does have mudflaps and oval steps on the truck and they still got wedged in there. I wonder if chevys are more prone to it than GMC due to the different shape of the fenders? I drive on many gravel roads too, but he does much more.

[fraiolib]

i know this is old but ive got a 2010 thats doing this very badly, i have wheel well liners and splash guards. is this by any chance GM's responsibility to fix or am i SOL?

[cklewman2]

This same thing happened to my 2008 Sierra. At the time there were only a few trucks that had this problem. GM wanted to try the new 3M fix for this problem. They ended up giving me an extended warranty, wheelhouse liners, and molded mud guards. It was very frustrating because they tried removing the dents and repainting twice and it came back both times. The 3M fix worked for the 2 years I kept the truck after that. I'm sure GM will cover it. I would definitely check it out.

[fraiolib]

Yea i went to the dealer right after i found this thread, they told me it was just a bullitan and gm doesnt have to do anything about it. Drivers side is very bad. Pretty much junk. Paint is spidering in all the dents. Id say 10-12 on that side. And 4-6 on the passenger side. Kind of dissapointed in GM. A problem they are very aware of and they dont feel the need to take care of it. Spend 35g on a truck and its full of dents because of a design flaw

[cklewman2]

I would try calling GM about this problem. Thats what I ended up doing when the dealership tried to fix it. The service manager was pissed that I called GM but I got results. It's a design flaw and GM needs to take care of it. They wouldn't have put out that Bullitan if it wasn't a problem. Be a pain in their ass and you might get some results.

[fraiolib]

Ill have to go to a different dealer to be a pain in the ass. A few friends of mine work at this one and they do take good care of me there, just had my rear end replaced under warranty, in and out in 2 days.