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Frame rust?

13K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  korman 
#1 ·
To start, I do not own a GM truck at this time. I'm shopping for an American made 2008 - 2009 Ext. Cab, 4x4. I am not "married" to any one brand, but I prefer the appearance of the GMC. That said, an issue that has appeared on another forum board is that of siginifcant rust on the frames and rear differential of GM trucks in this era. Not sure if 2010's & 11's have any rust issues - it may be too early to tell. I realize that one of the problem with all forums is that people will write if there is a problem, but not if everything is as it should be. So this tends to magnify problems out of proportion. Still, I would be interested in hearing if members of this forum have had any issues or concerns with undercarriage rust.
Also, if rust is a significant issue, would the application of Line-X or Rhino Liner to the frame be a good or bad idea?
TIA.
Glen
 
#2 ·
Most any vehicle that is subject to water, salt or any other corrosive elements will get some sort of surface rust. You can see if the dealer will throw in undercoating for free. That should protect you for a long time, and give u many years of worry free enjoyment
 
#3 ·
I haven't heard of rust being an issue. Also not sure when they started this, but my 2010 Silverado has like a rubber like substance sprayed on the frame to prevent rust. This came from the factory.

Again there may be issues I am not aware of but the only rust issue I have read is that this was reported to be a major issue with earlier Tacoma models
 
#4 ·
I had 97 Sierra before my current truck. The 97 had around 275,000 miles on it, and while the frame had rust on it, there was absolutely no integrity issues.
 
#5 ·
Glens08, I am a MN guy, too (as is starspangled..the post above).

I've had numerous GM trucks. frame rust is not an issue. These things are TANKS. Even the body rust is not anything like it used to be many years ago.

Buy a GM (Chev or GMC) confident that it is as good as it gets!
 
#6 ·
I too had heard a number of things mostly thru internet regarding frame rust on many of these trucks.
I am a new owner of an '08 sierra, it was a NH truck, so snow belt, surely some salt.
I will say, the rails and undermetal did have surface rust, more than I thought normal, it wasn't like a rust thru thing, certainly not on a 3 year old vehicle, but rust nonetheless.
The factory coating appears to be a waxy type stuff, and was peeling off my truck. I had heard that their coating is not exactly permanent.
That said....I chose to have my undercarraige Ziebarted. So, I had it professionally done and acid neutralized the rust before. I really don't know how long that will last, it's supposed to be "touched up" once a year. I took a chance with that, I did not like the look of the rust. Assailed my OCD'ishness :lol:
'course, this is all IMHO, must say, my Nissan Frontier frame that I traded it in for did not look like the Seirra underbody, but they may have been treated entirely differently with regards to garaging, usage location etc...

ace57
 
#7 ·
Thank you for the responses. I have read enough to decide that rust is not as big an issue as some folks make it out to be. Hopefully I'll be getting the (new to me) new truck in a couple of months. Til then I'll keep reading posts...
Thanks again.
Glen
 
#8 ·
Glen,
As much as I like forums (I must, or I would not be a moderator), I also know that it is possible to over analyze things. You can read way too much,and get so many conflicting opinions that you start to get paranoid. Don't let that happen to you. Make a good informed decision based on what you read, but also on what is in your gut.
To that point, there is no way GM could build a product that consistently rusted out in the frame. people depend on these vehicles for their livelihood--they must have a level of quality that few could surpass.

Enjoy shopping for your truck, and let us know what you buy!
 
#9 ·
I had 2 Ford trucks which I bought used and they both had very rusty frames(upstate NY). I bought a new '13 Silverado Z71 in March this year. I was talking to an experienced body shop guy who was admiring my truck. He said they are great but the coating on the frame doesn't last. He said it was some kind of waxy stuff that isn't as good as what Ford uses. Anyway, 5 months later I see rust forming in numerous spots on the frame. It definitely saw salt this winter, but I was hoping brand new would last longer. Not sure what I should do. Will undercoating stick to the waxy stuff? Does it all have to come off first? I am a little disappointed. :|
 
#10 ·
Reply to Exfordguy42. I purchased a Silvy 1500 LT on Dec 2010 (2011 model) . I had rustproofing treatment done on it and the guy did not tell me about the waxy black stuff that the frame is coated with. Well to my surprise, I noticed that the rustprooofing did not work well on the frame. Rust started to appear quickly and I think it might be because the factory coating makes a barrier to the rustproofing and worse, it allows moisture to permeate through ,and the coating will flake off and rust will develop. I went 2 years later to Krown for a rustproofing job and they said that ideally, the original coating should be removed and their rustproofing applied. I did and yes their rustproofing is working on all the places that the original coating has been removed. Eventhough I am keeping my Silvy, I prefer the frame protection of the other 2 North American trucks. My beleif is that if you ride in the Northern States or in Canada, rustproofing is a must and frequent washing of the exterior of the truck is necessary( do not wash the undercoating! Happy trucking
 
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