I was disappointed to see the tops of my front coil spring buckets to have cracks in them. Then I start picking and pieces of rust start flaking off about 3/32" thick. This truck is well taken care of, maybe a dozen times in snow ever. It's a 2005 F250 SD X-cab long bed 4x4. The only other rust issue I have is a small spot on one of the bed supports. Is this a problem with these trucks? I wonder how long it will be until the coil top pops through and takes out other components under the hood? I just cannot believe this. Had the truck been riddled with rust I might understand. I wonder if fatigue opened up the crack and water found it's way there and initiated the rusting? Go 1/2" below the top and it's shiny black paint. You would have thought I waxed it.

 

My 2006 f350 is full of rust underneath. It's just used as a private plow truck, and a back up to my main truck, but each year that i hold onto it i pray that it doesn't fall apart from the rust.....

I'm in central ny where they use alot of salt on the roads.

 

Yeah, same truck, used for plowing, same concerns. 55K miles. Good truck in many ways, but rust resistant it ain't. My bed is rusting out over the wheel wells, I've replaced rusted out tranny cooler lines, power steering lines, shocks that pretty much fell off, trailer hitch, cab steps, rear brake backing plates, every single part of the front end steering components - hell, even the front drive shaft was so weakened from rust it exploded one night while plowing. Sometimes I wonder if I'm going to make it home.

 

Better to replace them now than to wait until something happens.
With all the salt and chemicals they use on the roads now days, I'm surprised any vehicle does as well as they do. Everything is thinner and stamped out of lesser grade materials. The only thing that can be done to prevent it from happening is weekly washing and then undercoating and painting the metal components every year or two.

 

Just took a picture of my 2006 F350 springs. I uograded to the 6,000 lb springs maybe five or six years ago, so they aren't original

 

And the shock in the picture is only two years old

 

spray some fluid film or some old crankcase oil on there. Might stop it from rusting so fast.

 

If you live in the "Salt Belt," You HAVE to use either Krown,
"my choice" or fluid film when brand new or it's gonna rust.
Quite frankly it's too late at this point.

 

I live in the rust belt. I've been spraying fluid film on mine since it was brand new so no rust yet. I guess it's too late for that amount of rust to do anything. What a shame.

 

This is my 2013. I live in New England and I do not have a garage.

 

Nice! Looks like mine.

 

They use salt up there (New England) or just sand?

 

Salt and lots of it!
They have also started using a highly corrosive liquid deicer.

 

Krown or Corrosion Free. I have Krown. No experience with the other but read up on it. It's supposed to be better than Krown. My 2011 shows no additional rust since I had it done at 2 years old. You CAN NOT drive these expensive trucks in salt OR live in a damp climate and not apply some form of rust proofing. Steer clear of the black tar-like undercoating process. The factory does nothing to protect against rust. I wish Henry would put a winterization or rust belt option on the list. Have Krown done from day one. I also installed the Ford rear wheel well liners. These liners would be part of the above-mentioned salt belt option. I understand selling trucks. I don't understand a 60K truck crumbling in 5-6 years. Thus the need for rust proofing. I looked into a sacrificial anode system too. That's not a bad idea either.
The best option IMO is to move to Phoenix. These guys have it good. Their trucks look new at 20 years old.

 

This is my 2011 F350 - purchased in 6/2010. Basically no rust compared to my 2006 F350 in the puctures above (that's dirt you see). Maybe Ford has changed materials since the 2006 model. I've never sprayed any sort of rust coating on the 2011.