You didn't say that it was State-owned before. That falls under fleet contract procurement and Ford may have cheapened some specs to hit a price point. I would check that rusted steel line to make sure it's only power steering and not brakes. That one will rust through.
Remember the Enterprise Rent-a-car airbag controversy a few years ago? Until then, I wouldn't have thought that basic vehicle construction would differ between retail and fleet sales, but apparently it does. If you don't recall, apparently Enterprise was able to spec cars without airbags, but didn't disclose the absence to buyers when the cars were retired from service. Never mind the folks renting the cars, who would expect Federally-mandated safety equipment to be installed.
Ya gotta admit while they can't paint frames worth a shoot at least the stepped up an are dealing with the issue. Unlike the airbag wiring in the steering column.
It's only the consumable parts that are unpainted. They will wear out way before the rust will ever be a problem.
Just for reference, my 2012 F150 is painted where yours has rusted from not being painted. Hard to believe a fleet truck would have this done (or not done) to save a couple of bucks.
No more Fords' for us. Too many problems least of which is rust ! Ford refuses to stand behind their overpriced crap.
Just go buy a can of Extend spray on rust conversion. A few minutes under the truck and it becomes a non issue. http://www.boatstore.com/catalog/product/view/id/24878/s/rust-treatment-pint-case-12/ Or the brush on type if you are worried about over-spray.
Don't own a bolt in it? Don't worry. Maybe mention to the fleet manager that the new Ford you were given to drive is a rusty P.O.S. and see how far it goes. Frankly, I wouldn't worry about rusty tie rods or steering knucles but then again, I did drive an 09 Wrangler. Talk about under carriage rust.:huh
From the 70s to the 90s I worked for what is now Hostess Brands. They bought a couple hundred Econolines and they became instant rust buckets. Seemed like Ford really cut back on the paint on that fleet sale. In '97 I bought a new pickup, thought it was an individual order it was pretty much a fleet spec- plane Jane Ranger XL with steel wheels, hubcaps, and painted bumpers. Cab and box are doing OK, but underneath it's turning into a real horror story- the brake mechanisms are rusting out and I'm having to replace them every 5 years or so.
Seems like after the first time they wouldn't be fleet parts any more and would hold up better. Unless you're going to the dealership and ordering parts based on your VIN, then I suppose you could be getting the same crap over and over again.
You (or at least I) would think that it would cost Ford more to keep track of two different grades of parts and installing them on the correct trucks on the assembly line.
The logistics bean counters and the engineering bean counters aren't the same bean counters. Saving $2 on a part, but costing $3 to keep track of it doesn't enter into the total corporate cost equation. As for which parts on which trucks, it's all barcoded and no different than tracking different axle capacities, gear ratios, brake options, etc. Just another bin full of parts to pull from.
Is it possible they put a little something extra on trucks headed for the North Country?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o> Absolutely none of the rusted spot in the pictures are bare metal on my truck. Everything is panted or coated black and I didn't have any extra undercoating done that I am aware of.<o></o> <o></o> Side note - I absolutely love my truck. I came off a loaded Land Cruiser and prefer my Eco Boost XLT even if it's not nearly as pimpy.<o></o>
I've related elsewhere on ADV the story of my '06 F150 that I traded in recently due to numerous components rotting away and failures but here goes again. My 2006 F150 with 65K miles had the following go wrong with it (all fixed at the dealer); Airflow sensor - $500 plus towing, dead on the side of the road Throttle body replaced - $500 (just a CEL that time) Stuck caliper ate the drivers front rotor twice, I paid for it both times "wear item" Rotors all four corners rotted out from rust, requiring replacement Rear axle and diff cover rotted out dumping all gear oil, rebuild rear axle, seals, etc. 4wd actuators on the front rebuilt twice, dead again when traded in A/C died right before I traded it in Torque converter was making death rattle per dealer and transmission shop second opinion, traded in that way I'm sure I forgot a few things The truck looked practically new and they gave me $14K for it at the chevy dealer on trade-in. Hopefully the '12 Silverado is capable of going five years without major work. I had four F150s and all of them had unreasonable problems, the newer ones had bigger and more major issues. To be fair the F150 felt far more substantial than the '12 Silverado which feels cheezy and everything is super light-duty. I just want the stupid thing to run without major repairs for 100K miles, is that too much to ask?
My 1998 Ranger did fine for the first 6 years and 80k, but since then it's had a bunch of the same problems- dragging brakes due to rust, 4 WD actuator had to be slathered with contact cleaner to restore function, etc.. QUOTE=SourKraut;20184313]I've related elsewhere on ADV the story of my '06 F150 that I traded in recently due to numerous components rotting away and failures but here goes again. My 2006 F150 with 65K miles had the following go wrong with it (all fixed at the dealer); Airflow sensor - $500 plus towing, dead on the side of the road Throttle body replaced - $500 (just a CEL that time) Stuck caliper ate the drivers front rotor twice, I paid for it both times "wear item" Rotors all four corners rotted out from rust, requiring replacement Rear axle and diff cover rotted out dumping all gear oil, rebuild rear axle, seals, etc. 4wd actuators on the front rebuilt twice, dead again when traded in A/C died right before I traded it in Torque converter was making death rattle per dealer and transmission shop second opinion, traded in that way I'm sure I forgot a few things The truck looked practically new and they gave me $14K for it at the chevy dealer on trade-in. Hopefully the '12 Silverado is capable of going five years without major work. I had four F150s and all of them had unreasonable problems, the newer ones had bigger and more major issues. To be fair the F150 felt far more substantial than the '12 Silverado which feels cheezy and everything is super light-duty. I just want the stupid thing to run without major repairs for 100K miles, is that too much to ask?[/QUOTE]
