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tundra246
03-18-2013, 03:40 PM
I have a bullet 246rbs 2011. A couple weeks ago i was looking underneath and i was shocked at all the rust and flaking paint it doesn't evan look like it was primed before they painted it. Well any way this paste weekend i went under and scraped and sand blasted and then used rustoleum rusty metal primer and paint over it with rustoleum automotive high gloss black hopefully it will hold up better. It was a nasty 2 day job.

SlowPoke
03-18-2013, 03:46 PM
I have read here and other places that doing a lot of "Northern" driving, and hanging at beaches, salt and chemicals will wreak havoc on even the best painted surfaces. Especially underneath on chassis and frames. My Dad once told me , after any beach trip or trip North during the winter season, he would wash the undercarriage and would advise me to do the same. I have found by washing regularly the undercarriage and rinsing the salts and chemicals away, my vehicles have tested well against the elements. I'm not saying you don't, but if not, give it a shot, if ya do, someone else reading this could benefit from it!

Though my TT is new , I plan to inspect the undercarriage every few months, and wash it thoroughly as possible to keep the rust down to a minimum, I know it's inevitable to get some though....

I went "Used car shopping" numerous times in the past, and have noticed cars that have been primarily used and stored up North, have extensively more rust than cars from the west, and south...simply due to the road chemicals used during cold seasons. I always found myself passing up even the nicest cars/trucks due to rust, and settling for "less" without the rust. Just me...didn't want the issues that comes with rust, (muffler holes, exhaust holes and separation...axle breaks etc...)

JRTJH
03-18-2013, 07:09 PM
That is one of the reasons we have been reluctant (so far) to go south during the winter. The only way "out" of Michigan entails travel on salt covered roads through this state, Ohio, Kentucky and parts of Tennessee. The travel down isn't really a big issue, we can always wash and rinse the chassis when we get to warmer places. But, coming home, we not only can't control the snow and salt (may wind up sitting in north GA for a week for the roads to clear???) and when we get home, what's frozen under the trailer will still be there when the snow melts in March or if it's like this year, April or May .... That just can't be good for the chassis. I know I'm overthinking this, but rust is rust and once it starts, it's hell to stop.

One of the big car/truck "selling points" on Craigslist up here are ads that start with, "Southern car, never driven on Michigan winter roads."

I think I'd keep a close eye on the underside of your RV. Some surface rust (patina) is OK, but if it's the gritty, flaking kind, then it's gone too far and you did the right thing getting it clean and priming/painting it. Watch closely, where it's hard to get off around the corners and under welds, it will be back in short order :banghead:

SteveC7010
03-19-2013, 01:57 AM
We regularly see new TT's and 5'ers being delivered via the New York State Thruway all winter long. The Thruway Authority uses a more salt per mile than most anyone around the state. I am pretty sure that dealers don't do a particularly good job of hosing and cleaning the under carriage and frame areas when the trailers arrive. So rust has a head start on the trailer's steel exterior components long before the first potential customer looks it.

BruLaz
03-19-2013, 05:48 AM
We've met Snowbirds who drive their trailer down to Florida early, then put it in storage and drive back home for the Holidays without it, then drive to Florida again in January and tow the trailer back in April.

Too much driving for me, so we store both the truck+trailer over the Holidays in Florida and fly back north.

As a result, neither truck nor trailer has seen road salt (just sea salt), and after three years there's not much rust on either.

One of the beauties of travelling in the South and West is seeing all the lovely old cars and trucks still in daily use.

Scratch
03-19-2013, 06:59 AM
We have heavy rust on our 2013 Cougar, too. The dealer agreed it is more than surface rust; took pictures, and sent them to Keystone for review and warranty consideration. Our hope is that they will reimburse the dealer in blasting and treating the affected areas. The axles and brake assemblies are pretty bad.

If they don't take care of it, I'll wind up spending significant time under there doing the work myself. Won't be fun with two major back operations slowing me down these days, but what must be done, must be done. According to 'my' dealer, they are not responsible for spraying/cleaning underneath the units when they arrive from the factory. In their words, "It is the manufacturer's responsibility to prepare the unit prior to shipment." Rather perturbed at myself for not catching it on the PDI, but that is in the past. In my opinion, the responsibility should be shared by both and the buyer is also responsible for catching it during PDI.

We've heard folks say it is the same with all manufacturers, but the Forest River Flagstaff TT we had was clean as a whistle underneath when we bought it and when we traded it in...

Good luck...

MISailor
03-19-2013, 10:39 AM
We've heard folks say it is the same with all manufacturers, but the Forest River Flagstaff TT we had was clean as a whistle underneath when we bought it and when we traded it in...

Good luck...

That might relate to when the TT was made and shipped. My office window looks out over US-131 in Kalamazoo, the straight-line delivery route from the factories about 45 miles south of here to dealers in Grand Rapids and points north. I see a steady stream of new RVs being delivered all winter long (there goes another one!). On a snowy day like today (:(), I see the salt being laid down too:eek:. It makes me glad that my TT was manufactured and delivered in August :D.

I selected my last TT (2000 Aero Cub) in large part because it had a fully galvanized chassis. Not a speck of rust on it after 12 years.

tdawg
03-23-2013, 10:19 AM
If you watch on youtube video of keystone construction they are spraying something on the frames thought is was for rust protection maybe they just did that for the video?

Mag1234
04-23-2013, 10:18 AM
My 2013 Passport bought in Texas in March also came from the factory very rusty. My jacks almost look used they are so rusty. I figured this was normal, but I compared mine to other (older) Jayco trailers at my hunting lease and they look pristine underneath. Disappointed..

therink
04-23-2013, 10:50 AM
Like already said, anytime a rv trailer (no matter which brand) travels on winter salted road either to an rv show on delivered from factory, the frame will rust. I'm sure that most dealers don't take the extra time to flush salt off the underside.
Last last TT was a show model that traveled highways in winter. The frame was toast. My new fiver that I have now was delivered last Oct then sat in the dealers showroom all winter. The frame is spotless. The frames are not painted and treated like car frames and are not designed for exposure to road salt.
Steve

Greysquirrel
04-24-2013, 05:43 AM
We picked up our 19FBPR in Nov. and one of the first things I noticed was small amount of rust around the steps, spare tire, grill holder, by the battery frame and now I noticed the radio antenna now has rust on the spring. Haven't checked the frame but will do it and take care of the rust I do see now when I get back from a trip we are taking on Sat. for a week.