Rust issues: Wishful thinking?

[cardiffman]

From the looks of things, the automotive industry solved their rust problem back in the '70's or 80's when they began to the rustproofing process of submerging the entire car in a solution prior to paint. I'm no expert on this but it appears that motor home manufacturers do little, or nothing to address the problem.

A few years back, prior to buying a new coach, I took tours of the Country Coach and Monaco manufacturing plants in Oregon. The process they used was to take steel components and weld them together without regard to rustproofing.

After a few years, I saw surface rust appear all over the undercarriage on my coach. We live in Utah where they salt the roads in the winter. The salt is a wonder rust promoter. Go figger.

Has anyone been through a tour of other motor home manufacturers and observed the rustproofing process, if any?

If there are no manufacturers with specific processes to address this problem, then it may well be a standard within the industry. If that is the case and it doesn't present a safety issue, then we can get out the crying towels and Rustoleum.

What think ye, fellow campers? What does Winnie do for rust prevention during manufacturing? What about Tiffin? Others manufacturers who allow tours????

[Lault]

None of them do much about rust and nothing compared to the auto folks. What a shame.

[zippo]

Google "Winnebago Rust" and you'll learn more than you want to know about Winne rust. Winnie tried to lay the blame on us for our rust, but as owners we never drove on salted roads. Oh and our TV that stopped working, again Winnie blamed us saying we must have driven on some very rough roads. Winnie did fix these things under warranty but they tried to blame us first to see if they could get out of fixing it.

[Akibase]

I had my unit Rust Checked as soon as I bought it. We live in Canada where salt is the norm. I have applied Rust Check to all of my company equipment for years and I swear by it. Our coach has no under body rust after three years. 38" coach-$320.00

[56 Nomad]

Can't say for Winnie or Tiffin but Coachmen's position on rust is the same as their position on handeling and any other problem. You bought it we got our money we don't care. So my position is like the poor handeling, missing switches, etc. I'll just fix it my self. Spray every thing you can see with Blaster CSP Corrosion Stop. This stuff is great it sprays on and then migrates to seal the surfaces. Only down side is it never truly dries so it will collect dust. I have never had anything rust further after coating with this product.

[bachler]

Just to throw salt on the fire. Our chev/Dodge under carrage are covered with rust.. I hate to say it. But it is something we all need to thke with a grain of sand.. OH NO LETS ALL COMPLAIN AND WORRY ABOUT IT AND LOOK FOR SOME ONE TO BLAME;;; as it certently can't be me the owner of the unit.. ------ Happens

[JimM68]

AHHHHHH!
Sorry, but....
A: the warrantee was one year.
B: My "just pre chapter 11 Monaco is completely rustproofed underneath, no bar emeatal, not a spec os rust anywhere....

Naa Naa Boo Boo!!!!

Sorry.... it's been a good evening.

[grtharris]

Winnebago does E-Coat in a large vat the front metal cage back to the B pillar and all of the other metal parts are power coated. This is all well and good until someone drills a hole, cut the end off one of the steel tubes, scratches the protected surface (like around the windshield area) or welds something. Their appears to be no process for touching up any bare metal once assembly starts.
The chassis is another story, about the only thing with some protection apply is the frame and that is done before the chassis build up starts. The chassis sets out in the yard for some time before they are used.
A couple of things I would like to see done.
1) Require the chassis manufacture to paint all parts.
2) Repaint or touchup the metal on the coach when it comes out of the weld shop before the finale assembly starts.
Just my 2 cents.

[Superslif]

Here is a link to a 2011 Winnebago the owner thought had way too much rust as a new coach. The IRV2 thread link is here "Winnebago Vista rust"

If you look at the pictures, you can see a lot of the rust is where they welded on metal tabs and other such do-dads and things that were bolted on after the main frame had already been painted.

[FleetMan]

One of my annual preventive maintenance chores is to get under the coach with a wire brush and a spray can of rust treatment, brush off any rust I find - none ever found on the Freightliner stuff, all is found on the Winnebago weld joints and propane pipe plumbing - and give the cleaned area a liberal spray. Our coach was delivered to Marysville, WA during the worst weather in Dec. 2006. I was very disappointed the next spring when I was able to scrounge around underneath and really check things out for myself. However, since I started my annual routine, I am finding less and less rust to be treated each passing year. I agree, the factory does a very poor job of rust prevention, especially compared to what the chassis manufacturer does. FYI: I have the coach up on six inches of 2x12 ramps (all six tires) with 4x4 cribbing under the leveling jacks - it ain't goinna to come down on me!