2012 fender rust

Any one else see that happen on a plastic fender flare? I have washed if every week or two this winter. Even a few spots on the rear quarter panel.

 

Wtf. Take that shit to the dealer.

 

It's the result of rail dust.

It's why every new vehicle should be treated to a full strip, claybar, and good wax treatment.
If you live or work near a railroad, this needs to be done regularly.

Rail dust is steel.
It becomes embedded in the paint.
It rusts.
The rust stains the paint.

 

It also happens if do any kind of metal grinding near your truck. It's only on the surface the clay bar will fix it.

 

Rail dust. Just about every white vehicle I have owned has had this. A clay bar and wax should get rid of the problem and the stain. Shouldnt have to do this to a new truck but at least you can fix it. I wouldn't let the dealer try and fix it. Either find a professional detailed who who trust or invest the time and do it yourself. I would also take good pics before you do it just in case ou can't get the stains out.

 

With a truck as new as yours I would personally take it back to the dealer and have them take care of it. I used to work at a body shop at a Ford dealer we would take care of issues like this all the time.

 

Dang i never knew this

 

yeah, me too.

 

I have never heard of this. I do not live anywhere near any rail lines. But I do drive across them every so often. More likely from me cutting and grinding and welding 20 feet away from the truck?

I have never used a clay bar. I am assuming it will need a good waxing after?

 

Rail dust from shipping.

 

Cutting and grinding will do it.

I used to be meticulous about my DSM Tundra. Was the same with my white Silverado.
One night I was working on a project at work. It was a warm night, and being a weekend with the business park empty, I didn't think twice about working with the shop rollup door open.
Truck was parked about 75ft from the door.

Three days later I noticed one entire side of the truck looked like your picture.


Claybar... for the long story I'd refer you to the Autopia forums... the majority of members are professional detailers, and hobbyists who have very high end cars (these guys scrub and wax their wheelwells).

Shorty story:

Complete wash with Dawn to remove all dirt and wax.
Go over it with a fine-toothed comb and get ALL dirt and road grime. You want it factory-spotless.

Claybar treatment. Buy a few... When (not if) you drop one, don't bother to pick it up, it's junk.
When (not if) you find that spot of grime that you missed in your washing, toss it, it's junk.

Once the claybar treatment is complete, another good washing to remove any residue. Dry, and wax with your preferred wax.
Personally, I used the Klasse AIO followed by two layers of Klasse SG, then two layers of P21S or S500, which really made it "pop".

But I don't have the time, workspace, or desire to do that anymore.

 

Hell...even if I owned a Ferrari I would not do that much to it. That sounds like way to much work. With a DCLB that would take all day.

What about that spray on wax? Ever tried any of that?

 

BINGO!!

I used to work in a shop that built conversion vans with the raised fiberglass tops on them. We would use a sawzall to remove the factory metal roof, then blow off the metal dust and shavings with compressed air. If we skipped the compressed air, there would be rust spots on the van overnight. It didn't even have to get wet, just the humidity in our coastal air would do it with the van parked in the shop.

It's been too long, I don't remember what we used to clean it off. I know it wasn't the easiest thing I've had to do.

 

Grab a bottle of IronX......do the whole truck. You'll be amazed at how much rust/fallout you have in your paint.

 

It does take the better part of a day. If you're going to claybar your truck, don't go with spray on wax afterwards. They're ok to make your truck looking decent after a wash but if you strip all the wax from your truck, that spray on stuff won't do much to protect your paint. You'll want something that lasts longer.

I had a similar issue with my 2007 and here's the steps I used:
Mother's Car Wash
Claybar
Meguiar's Ultimate Compound
Meguiar's NST Sealant

I have a DCSB with a shell and it took me about 6 hours start to finish.

 

All day?

My '03 Tundra was a 4-day process.
Saturday:
Claybar, AIO, and the first layer of glaze was one day.
24 hours for the glaze to harden.
Sunday:
Quick wipe down with quick detail spray and microfiber to get the road dust off and another layer of glaze.
Monday:
Quick wipe down with quick detail spray and microfiber to get the road dust off and another layer of glaze.
Tuesday:
Quick wipe down with quick detail spray and microfiber to get the road dust off and the final "topper" of beeswax/carnuba blend (P21S or S500).


Spray on wax? I know auto care products have made a lot of progress, and there are now some very good liquid waxes that are nearly as good as the old paste waxes, but I'm still not ready to accept that the common "wax as you dry" and other spray-on products will provide any level of protection. I view them more as "quick detail" products that are good for bringing back a quick shine for a date or a car show, but I don't believe that they offer any protection to the paint.