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Rust on Welding Area of Frame

3K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  MooseHead 
#1 ·
74993

2020 Rubicon (600 miles)

Has anybody experienced rust on the welding areas of the frame?
 
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#3 ·
Where do you live? Many factors lead to surface rust such as this. I would not consider it a factory defect unless there was a gross lack of paint over a large part of the frame.
 
#4 ·
You have probably done a Google search and seen a bunch of surface rust complaints with the JL. Frames are e-coated and have minimal protection at best. Welded areas don't seem to get a bonding with the chemical agents they use.
If you plan on keeping your Jeep for a long time you need to take rust control as part of maintenance just like oil changes.
Where I live they use a chemical deicer in the winter that seems to be way worse than salt so I do a twice a year fluid film application. You could pay someone to do it but I just buy the stuff and do it myself.
 
#5 ·
I live in SO-CAL in the LA area. I haven't taken it offroading yet either. Had the jeep for about 3 weeks. That sucks that a 50k vehicle needs immediate maintenance work to the frame out of the dealer lot. What brand do you recommend to apply a coating of protective agent?
 
#6 ·
Like I said I use fluid film. You can get it in airesol or by the gallon. It works well and you don't need to prep. It has a nice shine but it will wash away after a while so you need to reapply. Paint seems to mix with it also so you can keep your rig sharp.
 
#7 ·
Nice, thanks! I wasn't sure what fluid film was. I think I'm going to sand the welding areas, apply Rust-Oleum Rust Reformer, apply Rust-Oleum high heat aerosol paint (rated for 2000 F°), and then add Rust-Oleum undercoating. I also purchased fluid film. You think thats good or a little bit of an overkill?
 
#8 ·
I've always had good luck with Ospho - basically phosphoric acid. It works for me better than those jellies and various other formulations. Put a little in a cup and use a 2" throw away brush. Paint it on and let it sit for 24 hours, rinse. I have not heard of fluid film, that might work better than Ospho. Worth a try.

And welcome aboard, glad to have you and congrats on the new JL 👍 .
 
#9 ·
Fluid film inside the frame, reform and paint everywhere else. I am not a fan of undercoating as you cannot see what is happening underneath. At least with paint it will flake and you can touch up as needed.
 
#10 ·
They did not prep the frame right leaving flux on the welds. Pre expat surface treatment should have taken care of it. I would call the dealer and complain, they may paint it (they did on my TJ). If you are not too worried about look and dirt pickup, the best material you can coat the frame with is a wax. Will resist corrosion 10 to 20 times longer than paint and is self healing, meaning if you scratch it, it will reflow and cover the scratch. I can take a picture of where I drilled holes in my TJ fender and waxed it. 16 years later (9 in Michigan, 1 in chicago) and no rust. Bad part is it is sticky. And pucks up dirt. I use X121b from Daubert Chemical Company and it is available in spray cans or liquid. Best stuff I have found. BTW I am a paint chemist and have been inventing paint for 30+ years.
 
#12 ·
I used POR15 on new unfinished bumpers and after a couple of years I started seeing rust where I ran into things ;). After the base coat of POR15 I used their chassis black topcoat paint. In my opinion, this is highly overrated.
 
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#13 ·
Por15 is just a paint, and as such has limitations. Read my painting steel articles in the FAQ section.
 
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#14 ·
por 15 on my bumpers even with top coat faded and began peeling within a year in canada, the paint looks really thin there not like it chipped or rusted off.. if the dealer doesnt do anything id just do the best job you can painting it with tremclade or something similar, pressure wash, let dry then rub areas with acetone prior to painting, i like doing my frames in a gray rather than black idk why just seems to make it easier to pick things out under the vehicle, broken leaking parts ect as compared to absolutely everything being black and blending together
 
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