Unbelievably upset at rear door bubbling on 2014

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

theoldwizard1

Full Access Members
Joined
Jul 29, 2013
Posts
320
Reaction score
81
Location
SE MI
Not that this will help most people or even make you feel better, but the following verbiage has been added to the Ford US standard warranty as of 2016MY.

If aluminum body panels have corrosion or rust damage, and the damage is not the result of abnormal usage, vehicle accident, customer actions and/or extreme environmental conditions, the corrosion or rust damage repairs are covered for 5 years, unlimited miles.

Remember this is not a "perforation" (physical hole through the panel) issue, which is covered in the standard bumper-to-bumper warranty.

As for repairs, I spoke at length with a body shop professional. He has fixed many of these and they have lasted "indefinitely" but his process is time consuming ($$$ !).

  • Remove hatch
  • Remove ALL trim, inside and out
  • Remove all paint
  • Clean the repair area
  • Apply an aluminum compatible filler to the damaged area
  • Sand to blend filler
  • INNER AREAS (between the inside and out side panel) NEED TO BE SAND BLASTED
  • Clean all areas
  • Prime with a zinc chromate primer
  • If necessary, a high build primer can be used next.
  • Apply paint
  • Wait a full 24 hours before re-assembly
 

darmahsd

Full Access Members
Joined
Jan 19, 2012
Posts
241
Reaction score
27
Location
Wilton, NY
The problem.is dissimilar metals and the contamination
it causes. It will be interesting to see how well the all
aluminum F150 bodies hold up. Probably really well
because Ford has learned alot from its guinea pig
customers who they haven't taken care off. The cure
for the tailgate issue is to bead blast the area around
the license plate insert. This area is prone to the
aluminum corrosion because the fasteners holding the plastic insert are steel which causes the galvanic
action with the sheet aluminum. After the bead
blasting to get rid of any residual steel or iron particles,
a thorough washing and application of two part catalyst primers and paint. Replace insert, using either aluminum fasteners or nylon ones. The bubbling around the insert
shouldn't come back. This beats replacing the whole tailgate, which is what one bodyshop told me was their solution. Really? That's gotta be well over a grand from
the dealer. I won't support those types of businesses, which are what drive up costs in all areas.
Stephen
 

theoldwizard1

Full Access Members
Joined
Jul 29, 2013
Posts
320
Reaction score
81
Location
SE MI
The problem.is dissimilar metals and the contamination
it causes. It will be interesting to see how well the all
aluminum F150 bodies hold up.
The F150 is stamped at a location that has no steel stampings. This greatly lowers the possibility of iron "dust" contamination.

The F150 uses a different alloy of aluminum and a unique coating ("pickling") applied at the aluminum factory (Alcoa is the primary supplier).


This beats replacing the whole tailgate, which is what one bodyshop told me was their solution.
That is what they told my daughter !
 

ExpeditionAndy

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2013
Posts
3,711
Reaction score
1,126
Location
Fort Wayne, Indiana
So say Ford won't help me at all, what are you guys looking like to get it repainted? Can any body shop handle it, or because of the aluminum, is it a nightmare? I hate having vehicles with any type of corrosion/rust!
Steve, That link I posted originally has a specific procedure to get relief from Ford through the small claims court system. I can't remember the name of the company mentioned but they have a complete court room kit that you can rent and use it to present evidence in court to get restitution.

Your question about body shops, you want to find a shop that is certified to make aluminum repairs. They will have all of the right tools, equipment, and materials to make it right. The procedure that someone posted on here is the exact procedure that my body shop said they follow when painting these liftgates when I talked to them 3 years ago. At that time they wanted $1500 to paint the lift gate not counting the hood.
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
53,396
Posts
500,654
Members
46,814
Latest member
savbraze
Top