[WORCSracing553]

I bought my 2014 Ram 1500 Express new in December of 2014, so it's a little over a year old. Love everything about the truck, I've been a Dodge guy forever. One issue I noticed when I washed it yesterday, the rockers appear to be getting sandblasted by the front tire. The clear coat appears to be coming right off. The effected area feels rough like there's no clear at all. Checked out my buddy's 2013 Ram and it's doing the same thing. I had stock wheels and tires until about a week ago, he still does have the stock wheels and tires. Has anyone seen this issue before? I wonder if I could get it covered under warranty? It's starting to look pretty bad. See attachments for photos. Thoughts??

 

[Ramdandy]

No doubt it is from those tires sandblasting the rockers. I doubt they cover that under warranty.

 

[WORCSracing553]

No doubt it is from those tires sandblasting the rockers. I doubt they cover that under warranty.

I've never had a truck do this though, strange that the stock wheels and tires would just take the clear coat off like that. It isn't just mine either, which makes me feel a little better, is there a known issue with the clear on these new 4th gens?

 

[jrtubb]

No issues, but I always add mud flaps to all my cars since I lived in Maine. Honestly you are from NH so I assume you drive in the winter and the sand and salt chew up areas like that all the time.

 

[WORCSracing553]

No issues, but I always add mud flaps to all my cars since I lived in Maine. Honestly you are from NH so I assume you drive in the winter and the sand and salt chew up areas like that all the time.

Interesting. I have mudflaps in the rear, but not the front. I've owned 9 Dodge trucks and never had an issue, the most recent being a 2012 1500. I didn't have mudflaps on the front of that one either. Maybe it's just a lot more apparent because this truck is black? Looks like maybe I will be doing a coat of 3M rubberized undercoating on the rockers...

 

[Biga]

Yea, that's caused by the big pieces of rock salt or cinders they put on the roads in the winter. I hate when they salt the interstate with no snow, sounds like a shot gun hitting the bottom of my truck. I bought a set of Weathertech mud flaps after I noticed just a little bit of blasting on mine, and they protect that area well.

 

[WORCSracing553]

Yea, that's caused by the big pieces of rock salt or cinders they put on the roads in the winter. I hate when the salt the interstate with no snow, sounds like a shot gun hitting the bottom of my truck. I bought a set of Weathertech mud flaps and they protect the area you have sand blasted.

Thanks. Salt sucks! I wish they would leave a layer of snow with some sand on it and leave it to people who actually know how to drive! I may throw some mud flaps on the front, I just like the look of the truck without them. Probably will just hit the rockers with some 3M undercoating this coming fall and run it.

 

[Thunderhorse]

I have KO2s too and to my knowledge my truck is not like that. I'd go check but I'm out of the country now. My truck is also white though.


I have not ever seen or heard of this. Maybe look into bedlining the rockers? There is a guy at work with a 2014 Ram that is silver with bedlining applied to the bottom 1/4 and on the quarter panels like the bottom color on two tone trucks. The bedlining is silver though

 

[WORCSracing553]

I have KO2s too and to my knowledge my truck is not like that. I'd go check but I'm out of the country now. My truck is also white though.


I have not ever seen or heard of this. Maybe look into bedlining the rockers? There is a guy at work with a 2014 Ram that is silver with bedlining applied to the bottom 1/4 and on the quarter panels like the bottom color on two tone trucks. The bedlining is silver though

I actually just put the KO 2's on last week, the damage has been done by the stock Good Year Wrangler RTS tires. It would show up a lot less on white, you probably wouldn't even know unless you felt it. Hopefully yours isn't the same way! In North Carolina though, I doubt it would be because they probably don't salt the roads where you are.

 

[Thunderhorse]

I actually just put the KO 2's on last week, the damage has been done by the stock Good Year Wrangler RTS tires. It would show up a lot less on white, you probably wouldn't even know unless you felt it. Hopefully yours isn't the same way! In North Carolina though, I doubt it would be because they probably don't salt the roads where you are.

Yeah I was hoping it was due to salt because I don't want to have to deal with that. You Northern guys really have it rough.

Lol they actually did salt the roads once in January because there was supposedly going to be some big ice storm. I saw a brine truck ahead and slowed to like 35 to stay as far away as possible, and a lick test when I got home confirmed. But it just rained all night and the next day which washed the salt away and off the truck

But yes, the truck is from Texas so has seen little to no road salt:smileup:

 

[raminator157]

Same exact deal on my 2013. Mine is not rough thought. I am going to have a body shop look at it Saturday and see if they can buff it out. I tried the Turtle Wax Black Wax. It did not help at all. Next step is I need to get front mud flaps.

 

[WORCSracing553]

Yeah I was hoping it was due to salt because I don't want to have to deal with that. You Northern guys really have it rough.

Lol they actually did salt the roads once in January because there was supposedly going to be some big ice storm. I saw a brine truck ahead and slowed to like 35 to stay as far away as possible, and a lick test when I got home confirmed. But it just rained all night and the next day which washed the salt away and off the truck

But yes, the truck is from Texas so has seen little to no road salt:smileup:

They salt up here every single day for 6 months. Sometimes I question why I'm not moving down by you!!

 

[WORCSracing553]

Same exact deal on my 2013. Mine is not rough thought. I am going to have a body shop look at it Saturday and see if they can buff it out. I tried the Turtle Wax Black Wax. It did not help at all. Next step is I need to get front mud flaps.

Really glad to see someone posting on this having the same issue. I have looked at a couple sitting in parking lots around here and have seen the same thing there too. I'm not super picky about the way my truck looks but it does concern me about rust problems in the future!

 

[raminator157]

I'll let you know what my body shop guy says. he said he think be able to buff it out and make it look a lot better. It looks like I am going to be buying the husky front splash guards. They include a film piece to apply to the truck so the mud flaps don't scratch it. The curse of owning a black truck. If it was a dark grey we wouldn't even notice.

Really glad to see someone posting on this having the same issue. I have looked at a couple sitting in parking lots around here and have seen the same thing there too. I'm not super picky about the way my truck looks but it does concern me about rust problems in the future!

 

[WORCSracing553]

I'll let you know what my body shop guy says. he said he think be able to buff it out and make it look a lot better. It looks like I am going to be buying the husky front splash guards. They include a film piece to apply to the truck so the mud flaps don't scratch it. The curse of owning a black truck. If it was a dark grey we wouldn't even notice.

Haha ain't that the truth. But man, when they are shiny and new they look so good! Let me know how it comes out and what he charges you, I'm curious. Good luck!

 

[mgwarrior350]

I have seen people take the clear coat off carefully and somehow use like a dr colorchip or other paint match product to repair this. I had a mobile paint guy do mine that way and they look as good as new.

 

[WORCSracing553]

I have seen people take the clear coat off carefully and somehow use like a dr colorchip or other paint match product to repair this. I had a mobile paint guy do mine that way and they look as good as new.

Interesting. So yours did the same thing?

Mine is at the dealer this morning, we'll see what they say. I should know more in a few hours I'll keep you all in the loop.

 

[Thunderhorse]

I'd get it fixed and see about some paint protection film

 

[user name]

My 12 did the same thing. It does have 125,000 and gets hammered down a dirt road every day though. I ended up bed liner on the bottom. Not crazy about the look but it's not that bad and should help keep the truck from rusting out for a little longer. I also did the inside of the rockers and under the cab floor while I was at it.

 

[WORCSracing553]

My 12 did the same thing. It does have 125,000 and gets hammered down a dirt road every day though. I ended up bed liner on the bottom. Not crazy about the look but it's not that bad and should help keep the truck from rusting out for a little longer. I also did the inside of the rockers and under the cab floor while I was at it.

Out of curiosity, how has the truck help up @ 125k? I've had two 4th gen rams but haven't kept them long enough to test the reliability. The one I have now I'm planning on keeping for a long time. I always get nervous when I get out of warranty. My old Gen 2 and 3 Rams ran forever but with the new stuff being built so cheaply I worry about longevity.