Rusting Frame

[Clint623]

I hit it with a wire brush attachment for drill and used hi grit paper on sander till I saw fresh shiny metal

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Russian]

Hello,

have same problem. Running for few weeks from Chevy to GMC dealership. No one want to take my truck to repair this coating.
IS GM CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE HERE? COULD YOU GUYS HELP ME TO LOCATE DEALER IN MY AREA?

[EFLine]

Was wondering if mine looks worse than most or on par? Spot treatment of mine is beyond a lost cause as 75% of my frame and all suspension is rusted.

 

When do we have to worry about integrity of the frame if ever? I remember Toyota had issues with them failing.

 

 

 

[Colossus]

That is definitely worse. Wow. Where do you live?

[HondaHawkGT]

Wow that rust is nasty.You definitely won't see structural issues for at least a decade IF you don't address the problem. I've seen Toyotas with 5 or 6 year old frames that rotted away.

 

The issue with Toyota frames is that they're an open C frame that collects mud and road salt, the metal is thinner than the steel in competitor's frames, and the corrosion treatments Toyota specified were sub-par. Granted, even back in the 80's Toyotas were famous for terrible rust issues.

 

You can address your rust quite easily as long as you don't just try to cover up the rust by being lazy and re-applying the junk factory wax.

[EFLine]

That is definitely worse. Wow. Where do you live?

 

Live in Madison wisconsin. Bought the car CPO from local dealer who got it back on lease. Had it 3 years now, 30k miles put on 57k miles total. Own a side business detailing cars and planes and definitely take care of my stuff. Shocked to see how fast this got bad.

 

Wow that rust is nasty.You definitely won't see structural issues for at least a decade IF you don't address the problem. I've seen Toyotas with 5 or 6 year old frames that rotted away.

The issue with Toyota frames is that they're an open C frame that collects mud and road salt, the metal is thinner than the steel in competitor's frames, and the corrosion treatments Toyota specified were sub-par. Granted, even back in the 80's Toyotas were famous for terrible rust issues.

You can address your rust quite easily as long as you don't just try to cover up the rust by being lazy and re-applying the junk factory wax.

Good point. Definitely wasn't just going to cover it, but feel a frame off is the only way to get all of it since it's so bad. Also it's rusting inside the frame too so no idea how to attempt those areas

[HondaHawkGT]

Good point. Definitely wasn't just going to cover it, but feel a frame off is the only way to get all of it since it's so bad. Also it's rusting inside the frame too so no idea how to attempt those areas

Being a leased truck, I would bet that I was never washed all winter long. The frame wax is junk though and is the primary cause. Mine has little flakes of wax coming off the first year I bought it. Luckily I caught it early on.

 

You can either lift the bed off and attempt to strip off what wax is left and clean the rust up, then reapply a better frame coating such as POR-15 or Chassis Saver. The other option is to spray down the frame as it is with an oil based product. I use Fluid Film for its lower toxicity and its ability to creep into tight spaces that paint can't reach. Oil and Fluid Film will soften the factory wax, so you don't want to pressure wash the frame as it'll accelerate the peeling of the factory wax. I had a patch of wax come off, exposing clean steel. I hit it with rustoleum (mostly for looks as it was in the rear wheel well) and re-coated the area with oil. The oil works by soaking into the wax and rust, providing a moisture and oxygen barrier (just like oil on a gun barrel or cosmoline on new brake rotors), stopping the rust from spreading. Toyota guys swear by it (if it works for a Toyota, it'll protect anything).

 

 

As your frame proves, the factory wax is going to peel off no matter what you do. Reapplying the factory wax will actually cause the steel to rust even worse because now you're providing a place for salt and moisture to continue to eat the steel away. It'll look okay though, which is why some guys want to reapply the factory stuff-- out of sight out of mind. The same goes for rubberized undercoating. If you just spray it over the factory wax and rust, it'll continue to rot underneath but it'll look ok.

Edited July 11, 2017 by HondaHawkGT

[14_silverado]

EFLine, I have a 14 that was neglected by the previous owner and my frame seems to have more rust than most on here. That being said I don't have as much as you. I wonder if there is a way to report this to GM even with your truck being out of warranty. The more people who complain the more likely something more than just recoating the frame with junk wax will happen. No matter what conditions it's been in, except maybe being submerged in the ocean, that is unacceptable for a 3 year old truck in my opinion. I used to work as a mechanic and 10+ year old trucks didn't have as much rust as your frame or mine, and I'm in Ohio with all the nasty road salt and grime they put down in the winter. It really shows the lack of quality gm put into protecting the frames on these things.

[pickmeup]

As others have stated forget the frame wax as it is basically gone . Wire brush any scale and squirt the entire bottom with fluid film or Amsoil HD metal protector .

[crockett]

I used to own a 2011 GMC Sierra 2500 for 4 years and didn't see any rust on the frame.

 

-Did they have paint on the frame?

 

 

I just bought a 2017 GMC Sierra 2500 a couple weeks ago. The wax is very soft and sticky. I live in Florida, so no winter salt to deal with. Also not off-roading. Salty beach mist maybe once a month.

 

- Do you guys think the 2017 will have the same issues? Was 2016 better?

 

- Are the 2500 less affected?

 

- Did GM address and improve anything?

 

- Should I touch-up once a year with Nox-Rust X-121B, or Fluid Film, or LPS 3 or get the wax off and use something else?

Edited July 13, 2017 by crockett

[jrob56]

That frame above is worst I've seen. I've gone fluid film route. I take a look now and then or anytime work on it and spray any area that is exposed or flaking. So far so good. Lil rust but not bad yet. Probably 15-20% of frame on my 14 and mostly back half and lift points.

Edited July 13, 2017 by jrob56

[HondaHawkGT]

I used to own a 2011 GMC Sierra 2500 for 4 years and didn't see any rust on the frame.

 

-Did they have paint on the frame?

 

 

I just bought a 2017 GMC Sierra 2500 a couple weeks ago. The wax is very soft and sticky. I live in Florida, so no winter salt to deal with. Also not off-roading. Salty beach mist maybe once a month.

 

- Do you guys think the 2017 will have the same issues? Was 2016 better?

 

- Are the 2500 less affected?

 

- Did GM address and improve anything?

 

- Should I touch-up once a year with Nox-Rust X-121B, or Fluid Film, or LPS 3 or get the wax off and use something else?

If your frame wax is intact and it's still nice and soft, I would leave it alone. Just make sure to check on it once or twice a year. I would be willing to bet that if your truck was put on a lift, the bottom edge of the frame will have spots where the lift rubbed the wax off. I would check for rust there, clean off any rust you might find, then re-coat the area with the factory Nox-Rust wax. Also, check the area where the spare tire contacts the frame. The spare tends to rub against the frame and promote rust.

[crockett]

HondaHawkGT, on 13 Jul 2017 - 04:27 AM, said:

If your frame wax is intact and it's still nice and soft, I would leave it alone. Just make sure to check on it once or twice a year. I would be willing to bet that if your truck was put on a lift, the bottom edge of the frame will have spots where the lift rubbed the wax off. I would check for rust there, clean off any rust you might find, then re-coat the area with the factory Nox-Rust wax. Also, check the area where the spare tire contacts the frame. The spare tends to rub against the frame and promote rust.

 

 

Makes sense. Thank you for the tips. Will order the wax and check / rework twice a year.

[whajac]

Bought my 14 GMC SLE DC at the end of May, was a lease in Ohio with plenty of car fax maintenance records. It had some frame rust showing under the rear fender liners and various other areas. After reading through this thread and the various results others got from the dealer, decided to do it myself. First pressure washed the frame on low pressure and let it dry for a day. Used a wire brush, the kind with the wooden handle, and hit the rust to remove the scale/slag, then blew off the frame with a leaf blower. Decided to use Chassis Saver and foam brushes, be sure to buy a lot of brushes. I painted the entire frame including right over the factory wax to get a uniform look. it's been a couple of months now and it still looks like I just did the job. I want to get a second coat on but that will happen in the fall.

 

Things I learned, read and heed the instructions.

One quart should provide one coat on entire frame.

It's wise to buy the S8 reducer

Don't use a red Solo cup, ate through the cup in 30 minutes, switched to thicker tupperware.

Foam brushes deteriorate after about 15 minutes, switched to horsehair and was fine.

Use a large piece of cardboard to catch slag and drips.

I drilled holes in the lid and sealed them with aluminum HVAC tape.

Work in well ventilated area, did mine in the garage and the house smelled for a few days.

The sooner you use S8 the easier it is to remove.

[Psych73]

I own a 2014 GMC Sierra with 10k miles on it that I bought a month ago. When I negotiated with the salesman I asked for the frame to be sprayed. They told me it would be. On the day I picked it up it wasn't done and they wanted to charge me if I wanted them to do it. I said I did wanted it done and the salesman said it would be taken care of. Looks like they sprayed the undercarriage with black Rustoelum. I should have expected nothing more than that. Complete mess, all over the wheel wells and suspension parts. I took a mild brush and was able to clean up most of it, but totally lost faith in the dealership and believing that they really want to help anyone anymore.