Hi All.

I have a 2002 F350 that has come down with the measels, little rust spots all over,was told it was from the salt &chemical and that I need to get a chemical bath in the spring done at my expense, problem is warranty is gone at 60,000.00 and I am at 50,000.00. Has any one had this probem and could it be bad paint?
Lil

 

You got that from the dealer ?
sounds bogus to me !

What color is this vehicle?
what area of the country do you live in ?
I would get Ford reps invovled ?
What plant was the truck built at?
There were paint problems at some.
I'd be all over them !

If you have salt and chemical getting to the metal on the flat surfaces of a painted panel on your truck already ,I'd be taking pictures and getting a lawyer and taking them to town !

Rust starts only by it being there prior to painting or a scratch through the e-coat on these trucks ,but a 2002 truck unless you dunk it in the ocean should not see rust spots starting already.


take some pics upclose let us see if you can!
Rich


Rich

 

Where exactly are these rust spots??? All over the place?? In one certain area??? I have a 2002 black F-350 and so far, no rust spots, and it has been driven trhough a lot of snow, salt and sand this winter! Your truck should not rust that quickly!!

-Another Rich

 

I have the same rust spots, they are tiny dots. I just noticed them a few weeks ago. I was trying to think what they could be from. I was thinking that maybe it is iron specs from the train rails/wheels from delivery (my truck was transported via rail) and the hot iron particles got into the paint. What do you think?
Byt hte way, my truck is white.

 

I noticed a couple of little pin sized rust spots on the driver's side rear fender of my truck last night while gassing up! Needless to say I was a little PO'd. There are no obvious signs of a stone chip or the like, but I know that's the first thing the dealer will say. IMHO it is simply unacceptible. I'm a ways away from my next stop in at my dealer, but I plan on keeping a close eye on it and pointing it out then.

Waxy

 

Whoa! That sucks! Now I gotta go home tonight and inspect my truck. At least it gives me something to do! I didn't notice any last weekend when I washed my truck but I wasn't looking for anything. They might be hard to notice on my black truck. Are you sure it is rust? If so, is it rust particles on the paint's surface? Or is the paint worn out to the bare metal thus causing the rust?

If it happens to be rust spots on top of the paint they should come out with a good cleaner wax, compound, or wet sanding. But then what the hell could be causing it??? If its not rust, it could be some sort of fallout from the atomosphere. Sometimes you can get spots like that on the paint's surface from the emissions of power plants and other vehicles (NOx, Sulfur, particlulate emissions). If that is all it is then the cleaner wax should take care of it. If it is a defect with the paint then it should be covered in the warranty!

-RIch

 

The color of my truck is white, I live in BC Canada so there is a mix of road salt and some times that new liquid anti icer, I travel thru out BC, Ablerta, and in the U.S. the only place that I can't see any rust spots is on the hood and roof so far, just came back from seeing my local dealer, he said it was only a chemical reaction and a chemical wash would take care of it, (In The Spring) of course when the warrenty is gone he won't even take down the mileage to prove this was still a warrenty problem, am going to the dealer I bought the truck from they said to bring it in and have a look and at least would note the mileage. Will try for some pic but don't have a digital camera, but will take my own for a lawyer.
Thanks Lil

 

Well, if you are not noticing any rust marks on the horizontal surfaces (roof, hood, etc.) then that blows my theory about acid rain or fallout. If it is only on the sides then it could be caused by something your tires kicked up onto the paint, or a defect in the paint. But if it were a paint defect, you would probably notice it on the roof and hood as well. Maybe they put some nasty chemicals on the roads up there in Canada to help melt the snow and this is having some adverse reaction with your paint. And I thought we had a lot of crap on the roads here in Connecticut!
Good luck!

-Rich

 

This liquid de Icer do you have a chemical content of it from the highway dept up there ?
If as stated your not seeing on the roof and hood thats interesting !

Keep us informed !
I'll be looking mine over real close Too !
Rich

 

I have noticed the spots you are describing on my truck and it is also white. The spots came right off after giving the paint the clay bar treatment. Give it a shot.

 

I gave the spots a real close look last night. They are NOT surface rust. My truck is dark blue so the spots aren't easy to pick out right away, but they are obvious when pointed out.

In both cases there is a small hole in the paint a little less than 1/32nd - 1/16th of an inch in size. Around the hole is a halo around 3/8ths of an inch in diameter of tiny bubbles in the paint that haven't rusted through yet. Both holes are on the driver's side rear fender, right at the seam of the fender flare, an all to common spot on Fords.

What should I be doing about this? Is this a warranty issue?

Thanks much for any help.

Waxy

 

This is a known problem that is especially noticeable on white or lighter colored trucks. I had it on my 99 and 02 S.D's. It also happens on the F-150's.

The technical term is Rail Dust caused by railroad cars, supposedly when the vehicles are shipped. Hot metal from the wheels of the trains land on and melt into the clearcoat. After exposure to the elements the "flecks" rust and become more visible.

The chemical wash or the clay bar is what is used to clean it up. Your dealer might pretend they've never heard of it but its all B.S. Good luck trying to get them to look after it when the warranty is up. I would get it documented A.SA.P.

 

I have noticed minute rust spots on two white vehicles recently.One was a Ford product and the other is not.I noticed these rust spots mostly on the top of the rocker panel area just below the bottom of the doors.I also noticed a few spots in this area today and it was on top of some vinyl type sealant or caulk.If caulk contains iron,then it's a new one on me.

My "guess" is that what you are noticing are minute,or maybe even microscopic,cast iron particles shed from the rotors during braking and they appear as they grow in size when they oxidize (rust).The salt and dampness from winter speeds up the process and it shows up.

The way winter has been around here this year there haven't been many opportunities to clean our vehicles.

Just a thought.

 

All you have to do is go to your local auto parts store or look at walmart for a mothers or meguires clay bar, soap up the area with the orange spots and use the claybar in horizontal or vertical motions to remove from paint. Then rinse and admire your efforts. White cars are the worst for these spots standing out because white shows everything.
As stated earlier these spots come from the brakes on train transported vechiles.

 

Do you have a Realtor friend? They usually have digital cameras. Also, you can just get a throw-away camera from a Variety store. Make sure you put a Newspaper with the Date on it in the picture to verify that it is in your warranty period. Also, if you get an oil change from a Quick Lube (etc) they will show a Date and Mileage on your invoice to document that you weren't "over" on your mileage at the time the picture was taken.