3rg Gen corrosion resistance

[ACF]

I have a new 05 and come on you know how we are with our new trucks... . we want to take care of it and make it last forever, you have to after spending all that cash! My question is this... I live in the northeast and hate road salt on my new rig as I know that is just about the most corrosive thing that you can but on a trucks body. I have to drive in bad weather, just no way around it, and I try and wash off the salt as soon as possible. I know that there are people out there with much more Dodge time than I as I only had one other 3rd Gen and only for a year (buy back). How well do these trucks hold up to rust? I know allot of you never wash your trucks and drive in bad weather conditions, let me know how your Dodge's body is holding up... ... . 1st and 2nd Gen responses are welcome as they have the real years behind them. I am sure there are many on this site that would like to know. Thanks.

 

[Bertram65]

I'm in MA, this is my second winter, no rust so far, my truck is green under the coating of white salt it has had for the last 4 months.

 

[CPG]

Not aware if the 0-5's come out with the fender liners or not, but my 0-4 did not. These help a lot in protecting the underside of your truck as well as flaps front & rear. Easy to put on also.

Also running boards are somewhat more protective than nerf bars but this is a personal thing.

 

[DPKetchum]

Coastal and ISLANDS much harder on vehicles then salt states. Rust THREW is a by gone era for all manufactures I assume. Defintly major ones. Has been for a decade or more. Surface rust is one thing but thats not a big issue eaither.

 

[LightmanE300]

I would disagree. I've lived in both coastal FL and Cleveland, and the salty winters in Cleveland are far harder on vehicles. While in FL, I never developed any rust under my truck, even on the exhaust system or driveshaft, for 35k. This includes being parked at the beach a lot, etc. As soon as I'm two weeks into the cleveland winter with all of the salt, my exhaust system is almost totally surface rusted over (stainless t409), and the driveshaft is completely rust colored. Aside from that I have no complaints.

 

[DPKetchum]

Well you'd have to disagree with engineers that did several years of study on islands,coastal and salt states. I've gone/sat in seminars that this was a vocal point many years ago. Islands being the worst,coastal next and then the salt states. I was surprized also but photos etc. were proof enough for me. Nissan held the seminar.

 

[Kiohio]

We have salty winters here too... not as bad as farther north but some get bad. It still doesn't compare to the salty air along the coast. I remember Dad taking a new Chebby to Myrtle beach, it had already been through the end of a winter with no sign of rust. We stayed a block back off of the beach, the day after we got there I remember seeing rust on every edge of all metal on the underneath of that truck. Little orange stripes everywhere. Dad rinsed the truck everyday. You could taste the salt in the air, that has never happened even in the worst winter we have had here.



KO

 

[DPKetchum]

Island vehicles fell apart in a few years 2 decades ago. Yet Cubans have 30/40 year old autos! But photos I saw were amazing. Nothing left of most of them. Huge rust holes all over. Like a metal termite ate them apart.

 

[LightmanE300]

Well you'd have to disagree with engineers that did several years of study on islands,coastal and salt states. I've gone/sat in seminars that this was a vocal point many years ago. Islands being the worst,coastal next and then the salt states. I was surprized also but photos etc. were proof enough for me. Nissan held the seminar.

I'm sure since you've spent so much time learning about it you must be statistically correct. I'm just basing my comments on personal experience and observations. I've just lived on the beach in Sarasota for 9 years and the rest of my life in Cleveland and have seen how it affects my and my friends' vehicles. My vehicles have never had rust (all have had 150K+ when I sold them) in FL, but have in Ohio. I think part of the reason is that in FL the weather is always good enough to wash your car. Right now it's about 10F outside my window. It's just not gonna happen - so my truck currently sits with a nice white sheet of salt completely covering it head to toe. . I live in what is called the 'snow belt' of the Cleveland area, on the east side, and they salt extremely heavily throughout the winter. You can hear the salt chunks hitting the underbody as you drive and just picture them all getting wedged in places underneath the truck...