Factory Runs in Paint

[HeavyHauler]

A few weeks after I got my truck, I noticed that there is a very substantial run in the paint in the middle of the bed stretching from the beginning of my bed all the way to the beginning of the dually fenders. It is on the part of the bed where they used to put the body side moldings on the trucks a few years older than mine. It is apparently from the factory because I know that the truck has never been painted.



Has anyone ever experienced this? My truck has an extended warranty; does anyone know for sure if I could get Dodge to fix it?



Thanks for the help.

 

[y-knot]

If it hasn't been fixed before (accident) , and is only cosmetic, I don't think so. The original owner could have gotten it repaired at the time of purchase, if he seen it or wanted it repaired. But who knows, maybe he got a discount? Your paint is not damaged and it sure isn't peeling, so Dodge isn't going to fix it for you. You do have the option of getting their body shop to repair if for you, shouldn't be that much maybe 4-5 hundred. Just depends on how much it bothers you.

 

[HeavyHauler]

Yeah, I agree that the orginial owner should have gotten it fixed, but considering he never was the truck himself (always had someone else do it) and being that the run is virtually unnoticable unless you are doing a thorough cleaning, I can see how he didn't ever see it. I am nearly 100% positive that it is from the factory because the truck has never been wrecked or painted for any reason.



I may get them to look at it the next time I go by the dealer's and see what they can do.



Thanks for the reply.

 

[propuller]

If the run is in the clear coat any bodyshop can wet sand & buff the run out in less than an hour or two. Usually runs occur in the clear & not the base as the clear goes on alot wetter & heavier so runs in clearcoat are pretty easy to get out. I was a bodyman for a number of years & dealt with this stuff all the time just take it to a shop you trust & let them do it because i doubt the dealership will do anything about it.



Kurt

 

[krs]

"from the beginning of my bed all the way to the beginning of the dually fenders. It is on the part of the bed where they used to put the body side moldings"



propuller's right that most runs are in the clearcoat but you say that it runs sideways, from the front toward the back??



It's VERY unusual to have a paint run sideways - in fact I can't imagine it unless they paint beds standing them upright.



Maybe it's not a run but instead is some kind of damage caused by a chemical that was blown the length of the bed by the wind as it went down the road??

 

[HeavyHauler]

Originally posted by KRS

"from the beginning of my bed all the way to the beginning of the dually fenders. It is on the part of the bed where they used to put the body side moldings"



propuller's right that most runs are in the clearcoat but you say that it runs sideways, from the front toward the back??



It's VERY unusual to have a paint run sideways - in fact I can't imagine it unless they paint beds standing them upright.



Maybe it's not a run but instead is some kind of damage caused by a chemical that was blown the length of the bed by the wind as it went down the road??

The run is clearly dripping down, toward the ground. It's just that the total length of the run, horizontally, is from the beginning of the bed to the start of the dually fender. It's on the part where they used to put body side moldings in the middle of the bed. Sorry if I was unclear.

 

[krs]

Oh. OK, then it really sounds like someone must have shot some clear on for some reason. I have an old friend who worked for years in a Ford dealership body shop who told me that it was an unusual new car that didn't get some kind of body or paint work before it went on the lot, but I'd be real surprised if a professional painter made a run like you describe.

 

[HeavyHauler]

Maybe I'm not being clear -



My truck has never been painted since it left the factory. I remember when the original owner bought the truck - known him my whole life. It has never been painted, no wrecks, no hail damage, no key scratches... nothing.



It was done at the factory during the original paint job. I just wanted to know if anyone else ever had that happen.

 

[HeavyHauler]

Thanks Dl5treez, it's not that the run bothers me that much - it's hardly noticable because of where it's located. I just wondered if anyone had the same experience and if they had any luck with getting a dealer to fix it.



Thanks for the replies.