I have a 2011 F350 6.7 powerstroke crew cab with an 8ft bed that I bought in 2014 from a local dealership in Baltimore MD. It is strictly a personal vehicle that I use to get to and from work and haul the family around in. The truck has a factory installed 5th wheel prep package and around one of the 5th wheel holes is a softball size rust through in the bed. I have a spray in bed liner so I never noticed the hole until one morning when I came out and there was a chunk of rusty metal under the truck. I have been to two dealerships and three body shops and they all say they the same thing that some how the area around the hole didn't get preped properly and that is why it is rusting. Every place has quoted me 6-6.7k to replace the bed because they say it is not good to just replace the floor. And Ford no longer makes replacement beds so the only way to get another bed is to find a take off bed and have it installed. I called ford and sent them pictures and asked why I should have to pay 6-7k to replace the bed when it is rusting because of something that wasn't done right at the factory and they said sorry but you are out of the warranty time frame. So my questions are is this a common issue that ford just doesn't want to fess up to, is there anyone in the Baltimore area with a 11-16 8ft bed, or is there another person from Ford on here that would like to keep a repeat customer. This is my third ford and my second f350 super duty but after this I will never by another Ford if they don't care about loyal customers.

 

So your from the rust belt, and your complaining about a little rust on a 7 year old truck? Whatever you do, when you leave ford, don't go to Chevy or dodge. The rockers and cab corners will be missing in the Chevy, the dodge will just disappear.

No brand is going to warranty rust issues on a 7 year old vehicle.

Hopefully you have a white truck. These are very easy to find as brand new takeoffs from after market outfitters. A bed swap is very easy. I've used the rafters in my garage, a come-along, and a half dozen 2x4's to remove/install long beds by myself.

Unfortunately, 17's are much easier to find now, but I guarantee you can locate a '16 if you spend a little time searching. Here's an example in a '17. No way you should pay close to 6k or more.
*** 2017 Ford F250 F350 8' NEW Aluminum BED Tailgate Bumper $1800

 

This is a common problem for ALL trucks in the rust belt, the bed should have been rust proofed on the underside as soon as it was purchased, most people don't do it, and most people don't wash their truck once a week in the winter to get the salt knocked off either.
You can find plenty of take offs, by searching ebay, CL, FB market place, they'll run between $1500 and $3000, maybe you'll get lucky and find one with same color as your truck, you and 3 friends can have it changed in about 4 to 6 hours easy or take it to shop to have it done, or go buy a flat bed to replace it with that.

IF / When you remove the bed, if it's just that 5" or so hole and it's supports aren't rotted also, you'll probably still be able to sell your old bed from $500 - $1000, someone is going to cut out the rust and weld plate or change the floor out.

 

I also heard the "out of warranty" line from Ford when I had a clear coat issue on the hood of my 1992 F-150. I had to suck it up and I wound up stripping and repainting the hood myself. I felt the same way about Ford, however I'm back with my 2nd F series truck since then.

I think you can do better than 6-6.7k on the bed price. Places that do truck conversions usually sell at better prices. Good luck.

 

6-7 thousand dollars is crazy! They are easy to come by on Craigslist in Texas for $2k. Even if you have to travel, get one painted for another $1k and have it bedlined you are still ahead of $6k by a significant margin.

Shouldn't be that hard to swap out with a few buddies.

 

I try to be an accommodating person with other's viewpoints, but we're gonna come to blows on this one. Ford's approach to rust prevention, hell their entire approach to materials science, is near criminal negligence. there is NO EXCUSE for these trucks rusting as fast as they do, and there's ample precedent for makers that do a better job of corrosion prevention (Toyota, VW/Audi, BMW for example) and precedent for makers making amends for past failures. Toyota and VW/Audi have both fixed older cars with bad frames or powertrains, free of charge.

justifying the issue by saying that Dodge or GM don't do any better (yeah, they actually do) isn't acceptable, either. I live in the rust belt and I can't say I've ever seen a modern Tacoma or Tundra with a wasted bed or cab. I see Fords with their rotted out bedsides waving in the breeze on the highway and that's just a normal morning.

What's shocking is that to achieve the same level of rust prevention on a Superduty to get a 'best practices' level costs about $200 more. That's literally nothing on a truck that stripped out with roll-up windows starts in the high $30k range. Even the friggin wheel well liners are an option. Really?

I really, really like my Superduty, but after 30 years of working on other rigs at home and professionally, I am flat-out disgusted at the crappy decision making present on the Ford design team.

people need to be fired.

 

I will agree with the brands you stated being ahead of ford with rust prevention, he'll, way ahead. But none of those manufactures make a 3/4 or 1 ton truck. No competition drives no improvement.

I don't live in the rust belt, but what I do see in my parking lot at work is a co-worker with an 08 duramax with rotted cab corners that he has owned since 09. And a 2008 Dodge Ram with 3 of 4 wheel wells rusted out badly, along with rust holes in the rear bumper. Granted, I don't know the history of the dodge, or even the owner. I don't live in the rust belt, so I can't argue with what you see. But I don't expect any manufacture to warranty body rust on a 7 year old vehicle.

 

A patch can be welded in and finished off very nicely with no filler for a few hundred. One of the easiest panels to patch. Bed floors did not change much from 1973-2016 super duty. They are not known for rusting at all unless something is bolted to it or covered with improperly applied bed liner.

 

Those Tacoma bed floors are plastic. A lot of the truck is plastic.

 

I am sorry for the confusion the beds around here are scarce and cost 3-4k for new take offs. The total to replace the bed and repaint it is 6-7k. I called another body shop today and they said they could just replace the floor for around 4k

 

Average price for your area on CL seems to be about $1800

https://baltimore.craigslist.org/sea...ce=&max_price=