Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
I bet many of you like me have the stainless steel wheel trim on your truck. I really makes them look good. But pay attention to to what is going on underneath.
I put them on my 96 when I picked it up from the dealer. I pulled the rear trim once but never removed the front since 1996.
I had to deal with some rust on the rear driver side right underneath the rear body side moulding. Those pieces behind the wheels are great spots for rust to start. Because the rust was outside what the wheel trim covers, it was suggested the entire box be painted. To save some $ I pulled all the wheel trim, tonnue cover, etc off the box. THey were going to fix the rust on the front wheel liners also as you could just see the start of some rust on the underside.
With the wheel trim on it all seem like surface rust and not a big deal to clean up and paint.
It was all surface rust under the rear wheel trim but the front had rusted completely through! Again! you could not see any rust with the trim on other then some surface rust on the exposed areas on the underside of the wheel well. THose that know me, expect to see my truck clean and shiny all the time. Two waxes a year, always washed off after any messy winter driving. We do not live in the rust belt here in ND but rusted out fenders on a 1996 seems like a surprise.
If you have these stainless steel wheel trim (9 out of 10 trucks do around here) I would pull them every spring and clean everything out and keep a head of the rust.
jjw
ND
PS... I have a good set of Stainless steel wheel trim for sale!
I put them on my 96 when I picked it up from the dealer. I pulled the rear trim once but never removed the front since 1996.
I had to deal with some rust on the rear driver side right underneath the rear body side moulding. Those pieces behind the wheels are great spots for rust to start. Because the rust was outside what the wheel trim covers, it was suggested the entire box be painted. To save some $ I pulled all the wheel trim, tonnue cover, etc off the box. THey were going to fix the rust on the front wheel liners also as you could just see the start of some rust on the underside.
With the wheel trim on it all seem like surface rust and not a big deal to clean up and paint.
It was all surface rust under the rear wheel trim but the front had rusted completely through! Again! you could not see any rust with the trim on other then some surface rust on the exposed areas on the underside of the wheel well. THose that know me, expect to see my truck clean and shiny all the time. Two waxes a year, always washed off after any messy winter driving. We do not live in the rust belt here in ND but rusted out fenders on a 1996 seems like a surprise.
If you have these stainless steel wheel trim (9 out of 10 trucks do around here) I would pull them every spring and clean everything out and keep a head of the rust.
jjw
ND
PS... I have a good set of Stainless steel wheel trim for sale!
