Does this look right to you??

[rustyshakelford]

Well after crawling under the trailer to adjust the brakes it renewed my resolve to have the rusting issue made right. The axles were made 2 days before the trailer so the time spent in the elements was short. I will try and put some new pics up later tonight or tomorrow. Pretty bad for brand spanking new!

So far, it's a Dexter issue. I have been talking with them. Initially they said they don't cover corrosion or rust and that the axles probably spent a long time outside. I sent new pics with the manufacture date for the axles and they still sang the same tune, but agreed they looked bad. I asked to speak to her boss. I was told she was on another call and would call me back.

Received an email later saying the boss took the pics to her boss which is the quality control manager. He will then bring it up on a staff meeting Monday morning.

I'm hoping they see something wrong here or else they would tell me to get over it, it's not covered. But I have hope they will rectify the issue. When you see the pics, I don't know of a single person that would find this acceptable on a brand new higher end fifth wheel!!

Brett

 

[Jellystone]

I agree with you 100%. I know that rust is a natural occuring issue that we all have to deal with, but you should not have to deal with it in a brand new expensive 5th wheel. The mindset of "it's ok, don't worry about it" does not go far with me. If you just bought a brand new 2011 Cadillac LS with rust all over the hood would you be ok with that also? I think not!

The rust issue should have been dealt with by your dealer. They could have sprayed some OSPHO on it to eat the rust off, then cleaned it up and painted it black. Less than 2 hours worth of work. Your trailer should have been right from the get go and at that point you become the caretaker of it with daily-weekly-monthly-yearly preventitive maintenance. JMHO

 

[KENNY COCHRAN]

GO TO WALMART AND GET SOME BLACK HAMMERITE PAINT. IT IS A PRIMER AND BLACK PAINT, KILLS THE RUST TOO. COMES IN SEVERAL COLORS. WORKS GREAT. BEEN ON THE MARKET FOR YEARS.
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]HAMMERITE® Rust Cap® paint is a long-lasting quick dry enamel that lets you paint right over rust, with no primer needed. Its rust-encapsulating formula and rust-preventive coating are designed to provide both interior and exterior long-lasting metal protection. It provides a decorative finish that resists corrosion and the weather.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]This versatile paint can be used for a variety of applications – from covering rust to painting lawn furniture, crafts, machinery, metal wagons and more. It’s terrific on iron, steel and most metal surfaces. [/FONT]

 

[rustyshakelford]

Here's one of the pics. I'm uploading from my phone while sitting at my brothers soccer game. Hope it works

Brett

 

[Yellowreef]

Its hard to tell from the pictures how much is surface and how much if any is pitted. Have you tried brushing it off? I get the whole principle of the new RV shouldnt have rust, but being impatient I would have probably sprayed, brushed, and wiped in order to determine for sure. It might not be as bad as it looks...

 

[rustyshakelford]

Dexter contacted me and asked me to submit an estimate for getting all the suspension sanded and painted. I took it to a local dealer and we will see if Dexter approves the quote!

Brett

 

[kakampers]

Yep! Looks like road salt to me too. Since you've only owned it several weeks, it was produced during the winter months and transported over salted roads...this is why I ordered mine in the spring and took possession in early July...has never seen salt, and don't plan on it....

 

[rustyshakelford]

Yep! Looks like road salt to me too. Since you've only owned it several weeks, it was produced during the winter months and transported over salted roads...this is why I ordered mine in the spring and took possession in early July...has never seen salt, and don't plan on it....

thats it! it was built feb 14, traveled 5 miles from the factory to the dealer. Sat for 2 weeks until we got up there. We drove home on nice dry roads. I now know what 5 miles of salted roads can do to a trailer! What a mess!

brett

 

[Birchwood]

You probably don't want the suspension replaced as I didn't want Heartland to replace the
cushion floor in our RV because of a 1 inch cut.Ask for a monitary settlement from Lippert
or Dexter and then spray the metal with Lanolin Rust protector.I would go for at least
$1200 for a 3 week old trailer.

 

[hankaye]

rustyshakelford, Howdy;

Yep! Looks like road salt to me too. Since you've only owned it several weeks, it was produced during the winter months and transported over salted roads...this is why I ordered mine in the spring and took possession in early July...has never seen salt, and don't plan on it....

Think kakampers has it nailed... also, the suspensions are pre-fab at Lippert / Dexter, whoever... they get shipped in the open, & stored in the open.
Then when you picked it up. the roads already had salt/chemical residue on them. Dosen't have to be wet for it to attache itself to the frame.
If you really want to keep the rust from reoccuring in the same spots;

#1, Remove all rust, bubbled and loose paint (sanding work great and a scrapper is good too), also find ALL of the spots where the paint is chipped and achieve a "feathered" edge
-wash thourghly.. use comet or ajax (you're looking for a surface that water will not cling to), rinse with copious (large), amounts of clean water (no white residue).
-allow to dry
-Get some Navel Jelly and apply (follow directions),
-After you have rinsed with more copious amounts of clean water allow to air dry (do NOT use a compressor as that air generally has some sort of oil in it).
surface will have a whiteish appearance, that's ok, it's a protective coating.
-use a primer, not a 2-in-one paint. Rust-o-lium is great stuff. Then use a top coat of paint of the same type (lacquers on lacquers... enamels on enamals.

You may have areas to fix later, but they won't be the same ones...
14 years of Corrosion Control for Navel Aircraft...we used to spray a coat of sealant on befor the primer but that would be optional for you. (chuckel)

hankaye

PS. Rust never sleeps.....