Hey everyone, I just purchased an 08 f150 xlt 4x4 and plan on keeping the truck a long time. What are the typical rust spots on these trucks people are seeing? I know on my 99 f350 the rear wheel wells and bottoms of the doors get hit hard. Also has anyone had luck with undercoating or a rust protection?

P.S. I live in Michigan where salt takes its tole

 

i cant speak from experience bc im down in florida but...... these trucks come fully painted inderneath frame axles etc. so i would imagine it would be fairly rust resistant

 

I have some rust starting on the box side just below the gas door. Just bought the truck, but did notice that when I filled up the other day the pump didn't kick off when the tank was full and it overflowed a bit. Not sure if it was the pump or if for some reason the truck, but I'd assume it does that fairly often since it's rusty there. Gotta go get a quote to get that taken care of.


Other than that, my truck is clean, I'm in the western UP of Michigan, lots of salt over here. My truck has that rock guard stuff along the bottom of the body, might be a good idea to get that done. My frame is very clean, I'm thinking of getting it undercoated but not sure if I have to.

 

thanks for the replies, Id just rather be safe then sorry

 

I would highly recommend getting your truck rustproofed or oil sprayed. I live in Ontario, where they use tons of road salt in the winter and will be getting my truck rustproofed this summer. Anything you can do to prolong the rust is a good thing.

 

My 05 only had 54,000 miles on it and the paint under the gas cap plastic peeled off and rusted three times. I finally talked the dealer into respraying the entire right side of the bed. The had it professionally done and while it lasted longer when i traded it in you could feel a slight bubbling in the same spot again. I never spilled gas on that spot either, not even once. They said it was infected metal used by ford..
The truck itself was starting to rust all under the areas where the step rails mounted, along with major surface rust spots all under the truck.

I painted the under carriage every year and it just rusted away. I had a 1997 ranger with a cleaner under carriage.

Either my 05 was a pile of junk in the rust dept, or ford doesnt do much to protect them paint wise.

If my 2010 isnt any better it will be my last ford. I spend more time cleaning and detailing my trucks then most i know and to get results like my 05 showed after all that work is disheartening. But i also live in upstate NY.

 

I have an 06 and the rocker panels, main large bars of the frame(part of the frame you see in side shots of trucks), and the back end near the spare are rust spots for me because dirt and water would sit there. So i sanded/grind(ed)?, everything i could, and put a coat of rust reformer on. It has held up so far but if you don't cover everything well, it will chip off. I will cover it all in rhino lining soon to keep it all safe. But rust reformer will work well for about a year. By the way i live in houston, and go down to the beach a lot so im always around humid air.

 

I'm in the market for an F150 and the common spots i have seen are, bumpers and near the gas cap.

 

the only area I see any rust is in the bed where things rub the paint off

 

No rust at all on my '06 and I hope it stays that way for a long time because I plan on keeping the truck for a long time.