77mrich

Hello all!
I did a quick search and didn't find exactly what I was looking for.

I have a 2009 Platinum that has rust issues at the back corners of the cab. Can anyone shed some light on this problem? Common? Cause? It is disturbing that a truck of this age has rust issues. I am about to get some quotes to get it fixed but I also want to prevent it from reoccurring.

Thanks in advance.

who_knos

Yea most likely dirt buildup in the rocker panel, find the holes on the backside and feel around you may be surprised how much is in there. The pic is the dirt from the frame on the second cleaning, my rockers had about half that but enough to cause abrasion and hold moisture. Another poster said he had twice that much in his truck.

elfiero

Well, it is 8.? years old anyways, so it's time for a trip to the stealership to re-up your car/truck loan. It looks like they have some pretty sweet deals on in-stock vehicles right now, in a color you'll love!

WTF150

Leaking 3rd brake light

who_knos

Havent had that experience yet, read alot about it but slipped my mind.

77mrich

Thanks, everyone. I sealed up the third brake light last year but this is still rusting. It must be something underneath. Where are the holes where dirt can be accumulating? I got two quotes yesterday to repair the damage. They were in the range of $1200 to $1400 for both sides. I was expecting higher quotes.

paintballdude05

They are all along the rockers, they're easy to see if you look underneath where your side steps mount. Cleaning and undercoating the inside of your rockers and the cab corner will help stop it from coming back.

wolfy53

It is, I believe the 3rd brake light does drain there, but I don't believe that is the cause. My 06 did this and I had my retired body guy do the repair. You can see the holes where road debris and stuff gets in there, and it rusts from the inside out. My guy told me to spray fluid film up in there after I cleaned out the other side. This helps protect it from happening again.

The only way to make sure it is done right is to cut out that old metal and weld in new. Some repair places will just grind it down, and pack full of filler. That repair may last a year or two at the very best.

TimelessR1

Do you have a sunroof? The rear track drain tubes run down that way. I believe its either the sunroof drain or 3rd brake light...when mine was leaking i found it damp in the area that holds the scissor jack and spare wheel stuff ( supercrew) Even after i fixed my 3rd brake light water stick around down there for a while!

who_knos

Yep and may or may not have tape covering them, I would defiantly clean them out and from my experience and hearing from others I wouldnt undercoat them do to it will seal whatever moisture and crud is in there and rust at a faster pace, that being said there is a few rust stoppers out there to treat it, like the stuff eastwood sells or evapo-rust. I have never used these products but heard great things but I do know the stuff permatex makes works well.