Frame Wax/Undercoating

mjager · June 5, 2015

Just do what other people do when they buy a new truck, pay someone $500 to lather their undercarriage in goop.

I realized after I painted my frame that it was probably covered under corrosion warranty(which I still have remaining) not bumper to bumper, but I still would have rather done it myself right.

What I'll be doing is paying 99.00/year for an underbody oil spray

jamin87ss · June 5, 2015

Here in buffalo we have a company called carwell, I swear bye there product, I'm not home to post pictures of my 05, but it was stunning and nicer then 99% of the 11-13 used trucks I was looking at which is why I ended going new, I will say they have been less aggressive with there spray as some rubber door seals have been swelling from the oil, so if u guys are doing oil baths research this, I removed all door seals and left the bottoms off, they trap dirt and salt begin there, scratch and rust out doors from the inside numerous used trucks I looked at had this issue,

Pinnacle · June 6, 2015

Whats it have to do with it???? Everything, I'm not spending that kinda of money on a brand new truck, to scrape the frame, sand, prime, paint and clear-coat it.

That's absolutey crazy!

Ya crazy.

07Softail · June 6, 2015

I checked my frame out and no rusting here and I purchased July of 14. Mine looks as good as new, Is this a northern issue with salt?

RT

Edited June 6, 2015 by 07Softail

tnchevy · June 6, 2015

No, you just probably bought one of the later built 14's. My december 2013 built truck had some rust on the frame when new. I told them about it and they took it back in the shop and sprayed what they could reach with some sort of undercoating. They just masked the rust with it and didn't really fix the problem. I am not to worried about it, just more of a cosmetic issue. If people think the painted frames on Fords are better then they should have a look at my 2012 f150 work truck, it covered in rust on the frame.

depogrog · June 6, 2015

I can pull of loose pieces of coating the size of baseballs from my frame. Waiting for my appointment with the bodyshop in august

HondaHawkGT · June 6, 2015

I checked my frame out and no rusting here and I purchased July of 14. Mine looks as good as new, Is this a northern issue with salt?

RT

Yes and not just road salt but magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, even beet juice (acidic). Sure you should wash the salt off but when your truck is a daily driver it's just not possible to keep the undercarriage clean all the time. Combine that with the mediocre wax undercoating that flakes off when you spray it with a carwash pressure washer and you're screwed from the beginning.

Bent-1 · June 7, 2015

Why doesn't GM paint the frames (a good etch epoxy primer) then dip in wax?

I think the problem is two fold, residual oil on bare steel frame before wax dip, and wax thickness reduction on sharp edges. Look at the rear wheel well frame area where the round support tube pokes through the frame rail. the edge around the circle is most likely rusted.

i check the edges every oil change & touch up as needed.

Re the Magnesium Chloride, It's tough to remove.

Bent-1 · June 7, 2015

Interesting read on Magnesiom Chloride effects:

http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20070103/NEWS/101030050

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/worse-than-salt-brine-sprayed-on-roads-will-munch-your-car-to-pieces/2015/02/22/b89294e6-b949-11e4-aa05-1ce812b3fdd2_story.html

It's difficult to remove without a pressure washer & soap. It is hell on electrical components, especially wiring.

IMHO, that's the job of auto makers to design & build a car that can withstand current road conditions.

Pinnacle · June 8, 2015

Why doesn't GM paint the frames (a good etch epoxy primer) then dip in wax?

I think the problem is two fold, residual oil on bare steel frame before wax dip, and wax thickness reduction on sharp edges. Look at the rear wheel well frame area where the round support tube pokes through the frame rail. the edge around the circle is most likely rusted.

i check the edges every oil change & touch up as needed.

Re the Magnesium Chloride, It's tough to remove.

Because it cost more. Both Ford and RAM paint their frames they give more of a shit.

Edited June 8, 2015 by Pinnacle

tnchevy · June 8, 2015

Like I said a few posts back, my 3 year old F150's frame is covered in rust. So much for painting them being much better.

BigBadSierra · June 8, 2015

If they start spraying them with the Bed liner spray they would never rust.

Ford/Ram/Chevy are all going to rust.

They don't want them to last more then 10 years.

Under coating and oil guard are a mess.

I just go under at the start of summer and re-paint everything.

After 5 years I still have a decent looking undersides.

Graphic · June 8, 2015

The Ram I traded in my 14 Silverado on is painted. I only have 1000 miles on it compared to 8000 on the Silverado when I got rid of it. I will update after awhile and a few thousand more miles as to how it is holding up. The frame coating was the proverbial last straw. Add in the Jeckle and Hyde between the 2 service advisors I was dealing with and a piss poor area rep, I left GM after 25 years. Don't know that the Ram will be any better, but I will not buy a GM again. Ever.

Ram is fun to drive though, and even with 8 gears, the transmission always seems to know what gear to be in. Headlights work too, so that's a big plus.

Edited June 8, 2015 by Graphic

Payton34 · June 8, 2015

After my lift went on last month I noticed spots of my frame starting to rust around the edges of all the holes and at the edges of the steel and welds. My truck was built June 2014. I only have 8000miles and have had it 1 year couldn't believe when I scrapped some edges with rust and 4-5 inch pieces of the wax coating fell off as soon as I touched them. All the body mounts and shackle mounts were the worst. I sanded the rusty spots and any loose wax coating then brushed on Rustoleum Rust Reformer 2 coats. It worked great all rust turned black and the areas I brushed over the existing wax coating dried and hardened up the wax coating underneath. I am going to top coat with the factory GM wax paint coating. I know all oil based product soften the wax coating so I got the Rust reformer because it is water based. I am thinking of maybe doing the entire frame in a coat to harden up the existing wax paint.

Jordan18 · June 8, 2015

I asked Krown about their process and GM frames in general.

Their reply below

"Thanks for taking the time to contact us. The factory coating will peel and flake off on it’s own but the application of our product will certainly accelerate this process. It is not necessary to remove the wax ahead ot time, but there are a couple options you can consider. You can have the application done and avoid treating the frame rails if you are concerned about the appearance of the coating that is on there. Alternately, we can treat the vehicle as normal. We would suggest you return a few months following this for a no charge touch up to the areas where the coating is peeling.

We have also attached some info from GM regarding this coating product."

I may wait for a winter or 2 before doing anything to see how the 15' frames hold up. I've seen videos/pics of new GMs on lots with rust underneath, mine has none at all so they did change something over the last 1-2 years.

The info they attached was a GM SB for wax frame treating, same as to what was posted here earlier.