My 2010 F-150 has been garage kept and washed regularly especially in the winter to keep salt off of it. My rockers are rusting out significantly on BOTH sides with large holes appearing on the crew cab where it meets the bed. The weather stripping is losing metal to adhere to. I’m the owner of this truck. 170k miles. I’ve maintained it very well and it runs great. I think it’s absolutely RIDICULOUS that the engine will last longer than the body will!!! Thank you for this informative video. Shame on Ford for screwing us like this!
@@bradleysteeves7891 ok. I’ll look into this. I’m not sure how to do that, but you can see a line of demarcation in the ceiling of the back of the cab. Appreciate your help.
Just had my 2013 fail it’s safety due to rusty holes in the rockers. Then I went underneath to check and saw the taped up holes and thought it was the undercoating company who did something stupid like this. But you just proved it was Fords best engineers who thought of this design! Wow!! Thanks for the vid. Thumbs up
How do you think they keep you from keeping your truck for ever? they have to make sure your truck or car falls apart so they can rip you off by selling new one.
Nice Video. I am dealing with rocker rust now. I cleaned them up with a wire brush. I bought a gallon of Total Boat rust converter($29) to spray on and inside the rockers. Did two coats. Then painted with metal primer and top coat. Lastly will dump in some used gear oil from my outboard lower unit. I will also do the same thing to the doors. The window seal fails and you get water in the bottom of the door. Remove the rubber grommet at the bottom of the door for access.
Maybe you already covered this in another video, but another potential area of rust is the bottom of the doors. Debris falls down through the window opening and plugs the drain holes along the bottom of the door. I discovered this when I heard water sloshing around in one of my doors and found dirt plugging the drain holes. I check them regularly now to make sure the holes are clear to drain.
Designed and built for Wall Street.. Mine is a 2012 and bought new.. the first thing I did was Rustuleum paint undercarriage and I put silver duck tape over all those holes and painted over them.. Today I was under it and cleaning winter salt out with air hose and painting and that tape is still good !!
That could be part of your problem, but if you have a sunroof Ford ran a drain hose down the inside corner of your cab. Allowing the cab corners and rockers rotting out.the drain hose did not exit the truck; they are about 10” short allowing the cab corners and rockers filing up with water.
i have seen examples of body parts that trap water and dirt inside them for years.the common problem is there is no drainage at the lowest point of these parts. i remember cutting into a camero quarterpanel that actually leaked water as i did so
Just to add my rotted rockers and cab corners to the group, 2010 98K miles . Rockers have been gone since '18. Of course weekly washes at the carwash (yes paid for the extra wash for the frame and wheels) . $2,000 + for replacement. Truck owes me nothing but I'm waiting for it to fold in half when I hit a bump.
great video Steve, wait to call a spade a spade. You know another funny thing is they also have a drain tube running out into the cab corner that (I guess) is a drain for the third tail light or rear window, but the thing just drains down into the cab corner with no way for the water to get right out. Would have laughed my ass off except that I discovered it only after having to fix the rust.
Nice find. There is also a fold in the rear rocker to cab corner you can stick your baby finger in there.. mine is a 13 and spray it with oil every fall. Looks OK so far. I shoot oil in those holes where I can and most places drill hole and plug them when undercoating. If you don't spray them also up inside the box panel the top rusts above well and up where plastic box cap meets paint.
What part our F150 is the box panel? Apologies i’m having this issue with rust. I have at least 6 confirmed places water has made its way into my cab. Of course it all ends up where the wires are located on each side of the truck cab under the plastic foot panels. 3rd brake/xm satellite, top roof moldings, front windshield clips, body seams/pinch welds/adhesive foam missing. What product do y’all suggest for either I rust removal/reformer? And should I use a product such as fluid film on it after or use before or at all? Open to suggestions and feedback. Any idea if ok to use near electrical wires? Sorry, I live in Florida and hurricane season is picking up.
@@Sheeeeeeeeeeeeiiitt Fluid film is a good product to use. Just put you arm up between rear tire and bumper and spray above the wheel arches and in front of rear tires between rear of cab and tires you can reach up there. That is the box panels. Same with rockers that is the part where you step over, there are plugs and the moulding you can remove to get access to holes to spray into. It will creep around also and run into creases once it's in there. Any holes from the factory I just spray directly into them and some guys drill new ones and plug them after. Hope this helps.
@@jpowell9343 thanks for the feedback. Yup all of those places you mentioned are in serious need of attention. Thankfully no holes yet but certainly concerning. Thanks again
Just did my 14 with 3m cavity wax with wands, works great, putting my finger in there felt sheet metal was curving up before hitting the lowest point in corner, I'll check that again, wanted to get a good coat at very bottom of it, has really small rust spot or chip gotta tend to. If need be could probably use 3rd brake light hole, some small hose and pour atf or something down to the lowest point where rust always starts, thanks for pointing that out. Caught my rockers and wheel wells in time, gonna do doors too, seals shrink a bit and leak water in.
Had to share this with my OSHA Ironworker instructor today, he just got a 13 and if nobody tells you about it you'll have a nice rusty truck!!! The last rear rocker hole has an access hole to the outer side of the cab corners that must also be waxed or...I used 3M cavity wax with the 360° spray wands, pricey but worth it then used rubber gorilla tape. And the doors have access holes with grommets just for this, go figure and don't forget your brake light gasket, they leak to, Amazon has good ones. As for the foam in the wheel wells that's getting tore out to I decided, then coated again, holds enough moisture to cause rust, tore some out and tested it in glass of water. Fabbed and welded up one corner and a small spot over the wheel so I should be good till one of us wears out completely 🤔, it's a 14 btw.
I am getting ready to clean my rockers out today... any Tips? I live in Pennsylvania where they use a lot of salt on the roads. My 2011 rockers and cab corners are starting to rust and bubble. Most of those holes were opened up, tape falling off..... what a horrible design flaw... I am sure its packed full of wet salty sludge
Just checked. And yes my 2013 has those band-aids. Why wouldn`t they use something like the black tape they put around a window frame of a house before the window goes in? Thanks for the heads up. That'll be fun to do in the snow.😤😭
Yes the six inch seal tape would never come off. See how many look like their on but the wind blows then back and fills the rockers with salt all winter long :)
I found tape like that on my 2005 dodge Ram a few years ago so I pulled it all off and blew a bunch of ATF oil inside the rockers and replaced the tape with gurilla tape. That stuff sticks like crazy. Luckily my rockers are doing great. I also drilled some big holes from the inside of the truck box so I can wash out the inside of my wheel wells. I blow ATF oil in there too a couple times a year. So far i have been able to prevent rust showing on the outside of the vehicle. There is some surface rust underneath but I soak it with oil every year.... Seems to be working.. fingers crossed! Lots of salt on the roads here for about 7 months of the year
Well there ya go ... just when you thought rust issues were no longer and issue. Thanks heavens for Ford, trying to keep the body shops in business!!! Have a good week buddy!!!
Yes it's a great idea on paper for Ford and great idea for the body shops. You would not believe the amount of crap that I had to clean out , it was actually quite funny as I kept washing it out and it kept coming out . HAHA
Yes, my 2010 F-150 rocker panels are shot. The paint started to peel at 55000 km, on bottom of doors and rockers. The dealer told me it was because of sand and gravel, I told them at that time it was mostly highway miles. Story short i got a rusty old truck now and it 's my last ford.
Well mines worth about what it would cost a shop to fix it so I will just drive on. The new alluminum bodies are much better and overall the trucks drive train is good but I'm looking at replacing my other truck , a 2002 silverado with a new one instead of another F150.
I just bought a used 2013 F-150 and I was looking for drain holes to spray in Fluid Film when I found this tape over the holes in the back of the rocker. I thought the previous owner had slapped that on and almost tore it off. BTW, I’m still looking for any drain holes in the rocker panel. Who thought it was a good idea to leave an open cavity with no drain.
Absolute design flaw. Same reason why the bed sides rot out. Ford uses a foam insulation/adhesive to bond the wheel well to the bed side. My 8 year old truck is already showing rot. I suspect even if you throughly rinsed out the top of the wheel wells they’ll still rot just due to how much moisture that stuff can hold. Just repaired my bed sides and ripped all of the foam out that I could. Still some I can’t reach at the top but atleast the lower portions aren’t holding moisture anymore
It’s insane, huge holes on the inside of the rockers, weep holes get plugged and salt and snow get crammed up in the rockers. Apparently new trucks left the lot with missing tape or pieces peeled up. I only noticed it when my cab corners started started bubbling up from the inside, totally rotten through
i can vouch they did this in 2013 as well. thing that saved me i think is i bought the truck and immediately moved south. glad to see the fluid film in the background. i fill my rockers with that stuff!
I have fixed my share of Rusty rocker panels in my lifetime and you're right that's the stupidest thing they could have ever done those Engineers must have had their heads in their butts
Had me scared a minute, got a 14 150 in October, had great maintenance records being a lease to a local contractor, thought I saw rust bubbles other day, turns out it's the same rubber/vinal compound my Dad's 81 Fairmont had applied along the rockers, doors and fenders. The holes are still taped up but ready to go. All the salt they use in St Louis is ridiculous these days for 1 inch of snow. Am going to get foam outa then treat wheel wells and rockers to I think and use gorilla tape over holes that should have plugs, that is rediciulous, and replace brake light gasket that looks weak, hopefully I dodged a bullet, normally I get hit by them.
Acetone is great stuff just don't wipe license plate with it, no more sticker lol. Mix it with tranny fluid for stuck bolts, it's then called panther piss. Use it as you need it cause it evaporates. Ordered some 3M cavity wax after much browsing, that make different length wands with 360° nozzles for coverage for my rockers and cab corners. Gonna do my doors to.
I have a 2011 Ford F150 XLT 4 x 4 Crew cab with only 170000 km that need both rocker panels replaced to meet road safety inspection. Shame on Ford. This is my 1st and likely my last Ford vehicle. Don't get em started on the manifold replacement and front end rebuild on this truck at only 6 yrs old.
Yeah lol been there also had to replace my cam phasers. Exhaust manifolds and I had to do the rocker panels cab corners and rear wheel arches on my 2009 f150 super crew xlt with low miles on it
@@SteveRobReviews I have a 04 chevy Avalanche with 300,000 miles on it it still runs great. Ive replaced the rocker panels once though and there already toast on it again.
Every pinch, every fold, every tube… the more they engineer the reduction of metal and increase of structural integrity with less metal, the more pinches and folds and tubes with holes in them you get… spray atf in the holes, or pack them with grease… but corrosive chemicals (it’s way worse than salt yet everyone says salt… ) will still seep into the low points of those folds, pinches and tubes with holes in them… and the car manufacturers love that you don’t see cars over 25 years old on the road anymore hardly at all
The old ones had rubber plugs inserted the best thing for that even though it sounds strange is the new flex seal tape that stuff will never come off I used to to fix a water line leak that runs off my water pump to the water tank which is under high pressure also putting a hose clamp over it and it is still dry and has not leaked since and I fixed this around 3 months ago
Funny they you think Chevy or dodge rust any less, lol. Live in Michigan and we have all trucks of all makes rusted out at wheel wells and rockers. It's just how it goes. Only change is to undercoat and protect
@@joe1071 hey how you doing that's what I'm saying my truck was fully under coated with rhino low rhino guard there wasn't much of didn't have as far as undergo undercoating it's just very discouraging now I see it's starting to rest of the box
@@nicholasperri6005 from what I understand an undercoat like that can trap in moisture and rust continues and possibly accelerates. Gotta do an undercoat that neutralizes the rust and stops from spreading. Supposedly fluid film can neutralize the rust and keep it from spreading as well
Doesn't matter if those big holes are sealed up or not, there's still multiple drain holes at the bottom that salt will get into regardless of the upper hole. I'll even go off on a whim and say it's better to leave them unsealed, that way water can get in there and flush all the salt and shit out. Otherwise it'll hold moisture. At least without the tape it can breathe and flush out.
Interesting but Ford would not have spent the cost putting them on if they were not required . At least under coating the area helps either way. Cheers
I did look underside but they looked intact for the first 4-5 years and then it was the hole in the rocker that had me take another look and so many just fell off or were ready to fall off . Oh well new technology eh :)
Thanks for the helpful video STEVE ROB, I have the same problem on my 2013. Should I replace the patches with more tape like you said or leave them open so moisture and junk can get out? I guessed I'm confused about the purpose of them. Holes make it seem like there would be better drainage.
I cleaned out all the dirt first washed it out let it dry and sprayed some undercoating before putting on the tape to cover it up and prayed for the best :)
They definitely dropped the ball on that. The earlier models didnt have the tape and that's why they rotted out so bad. I'm gonna clean the rockers on my 2011 and use some sheet metal and seam sealer to close them off for good.
1974 Dad bought a new 74 Chevy Vega wagon front fenders had a rectangle box open top spot welded to top of underside of front fender, that was close to door opening .. water came down front windshield posts into box with no drain hole . Chevy said box was added fender support . With in 1 1/2 years top of fender rusted out and could drop golf ball into H2O box. Chevy would give you new fenders but dealer had to paint and install for 500$$$$.pair. Dad sold Chevy salesman furniture . So he gave Dad fenders in boxes on Friday night . We put new fenders on. Drilled drain holes in boxes and gave rusty fenders back to dealer Monday night. . Later in 98 Dad got a Chevy Venture wipers went under hood .Dad lived in Cleveland Ohio snow belt Guess what happens when snow gets between windshield and underside of hood and freezes. You have to dig out frozen wipers. Chevy changed design less than 2 years later so wipers not concealed under hood . Dad had a friend who's mom past away in 1990's in Florida. She left him her 1980's Caddy Fleetwood . He drove it back to N. E. Ohio got cold in half way home . Caddy deleted heater on southern cars. It was Early November. Always interesting how cars are designed . Late model Chevy HHR. You have to take front fender off to change headlight bulb. Lastly 1966 Lincoln Continental 4 door had lead weights on bracket behind front tire and front door??? Why did they add weight with a big V8.
I have a 2009 F150 with only 72,000 miles and both my driver side and passenger side rocker panel is rotted out and need to repair soon.Thanks for sharing ur video it’s a bad design of rocker panels with such huge holes..
What are those holes designed for? Would it be worth welding metal patches (tacking them) to cover the holes and coating them, or are they useful access points for anything?
The holes are there for production as they dip the trucks in a solvent to clean the truck body then dip it in a primer before the trucks are painted so the holes are there for better access and drainage. A plastic plug would have lasted longer than them patches . Cheers Matt
@@SteveRobReviews Ahh, gotcha. Summer's coming around, and I plan on doing some body work.. Glad I came across this video, otherwise I would have never known! My local scrap yard may have some sheet metal I can use for patches instead of taping them. May last a tad longer with my use :) Appreciate it!
Thanks Matt , they quoted me $1500 to replace the rocker on one side so I patched it using some alluminum flashing with pop rivets but flushed out all the dirt in the rockers first , they were packed with dirt 😅
All that came to mind while watching this.....remember the old commercials where they said "Ford has a better idea" ? I just bit my tongue! Cheers Steve.
Great idea on paper and a great experiment too but sadly it just did not stick as long as I would have wanted. Most were missing for a long time by the dirt on the surface but there were two that stood the test of time and they were the smallest patches too. Oh well !!
Those are humongous holes. Why would Ford think phosphate covered duct tape could replace sheet metal? Hell even plastic plugs would have been better. Now me and every other guy driving America’s Best Selling Full Size Pickup, knows their cab is a ticking time bomb. It’s frustrating that my 20,000 dollar 2012 F150 is rusting out while guys are still driving around in late 90s and early 2000s trucks with rocker panels and corner cabs in tact.
Cab corner/rocker panel rust has been a problem for quite a while. I can really only speak for late 90s and my 06 f150 though. Late 90s ford's had a weird absorbent foam on the panel that would hold moisture. My truck has 235k miles just starting to rust on the corner. Haven't looked into it yet but I stuck my hand in the back corner and felt moisture. Will be pulling it apart soon to see what I can do before it gets bad. A lot of the trucks you're speaking of have been repaired tho fyi. Unfortunately none of this new (well maybe the cause is but the result is the same
That explains my 2004 heritage and my old 1999 model I crawled under both of mine and it's just like yours holes in both models I'm gonna fill mine full of roof cement as soon as I plug those damn holes up thanks buddy
I have a’14 n nothing changed n rotten rockers so I get to try n save The rest is very lovable about the truck sure wish someone would have been on the ball with the efen tape !!
@@SteveRobReviews yep mine is heading that way. Thought it might be worth doing but pronto !! Definitely look at the taped over holes a job for flex tape ? lol
Just found mine rusted through in one corner today...same issue. The holes were uncovered. Talk about bummed out... otherwise my truck is in great shape.
I notice that plugs from my VW fit well to block the holes in my f150 used part 1K0 899 185 and part N 905 088 and for the 2 square holes I used plugs from and old patio table. 😂
Most of the new vehicles have holes and pockets like that. Trucks and cars. Many are worse however in that the companies inject foam into areas that trap moisture. The foam makes the body sound "solid" when you close the doors or hit a panel to see how strong they are.
Hey Steve I Think It Fits With How Things Are Made These Days. They Want That Problem Down The Road So You Will Buy Another Vehicle. (Planned Or Engineered For Failure)
John the goal to reduce weight and use thinner metal and plastic has given us better mileage but it does have some challenges along the way. Vehicles today are not built to last 20 years at all.
hey chris on mine i used a giant syringe and a long hose filled with rust neutralizer and poured it in all the holes it acually came oozing out of the seems made a giant mess butt time will tell if it worked ...
Had my 2010 inspected last September and the station told me, no sticker next year because my rockers will be completely gone.Well you should see them now after another New England winter. Just made the last payment and now I need new rockers.
Cars and trucks didn't start rusting out until all the manufacturers tried to seal out the weather. Go back to 30scand 40s cars trucks. You could wash out the mud and salt. It all dried out because it wasn't seal from air hitting it. My 41 Car isn't rusty at all on fenders
that's right, mostly, and back then, (even up to the 60's?) they used FULL-length cold-rolled steel frame rails, instead of these 3 or 4 or more sections of frame parts welded together, (without proper drainage), on all of our pickup-trucks today.
You should see my 2014 F150 Fx4. It is not just snow and ice that will destroy you vehicle panels. Both rear corners and part of the driveside rear door need replaced. On a 2014 mind you. These trucks were not cheap, but as it turns out, they were cheaply made.
I just sunk 8 grand into a new suspension bigger wheels and tires and the exhaust system ( exhaust manifolds and turbos included). Once the body is back in great shape. I plan on using it as a toy hauler. 53C heavy towing package 19,300 lbs GCVW package. On a 6 inch lift and 35s..
I just noticed a rust spot on my rocker, started poking and both my rockers are completely rotted out. Poke holes in it with my fingers. 2014 f150 as well
2006 F-150 Supercrew, 320,000 Ontario Canada, both rear wheel wells rotted out $1800, front fenders where the bottom meets the frame, rotting, currently attempting to fix. Cab corners look like their festering, rockers...oh boy, I’m lucky my running boards are still hanging on. FORD after 10 years= Found Only Rust Deposits
You got a good one there Steve....10 years...that all the trucks are supposed to be on the road for....your almost there....Ford could have done a better job of this but hey....most people don`t keep them that long... especially here in the rust belt....they could make it better but it would last too long....It`s all about creating jobs.... too bad for the guys in Oshawa...I guess they must have seen this coming....CHEERS
I have to think all the trucks are built the same and only good for 10 years at most. Yes the oshawa closing is no surprise at all as GM has slowly reduced the people over the years . When I left in 2007 there were 10,000 and today 2600. Times change and we have to change with it as well.
You seen the gallon can of Fluid film I had on my bench so I used that to spray inside the rockers before taping then shut . I don't care for any of the real thin oils used as in my experience they seem to not be as good as the thicker undercoatings like fluid film or rust check {coat and protect.} Spraying something is a lot better than nothing so long as you do it often it's a great help reducing corrosion.
When you started talking about it, I knew exactly what you were talking about. I have an ‘06, with the same exact thing. My first thought was “Who’s the idiot that designed this?!?”. I have to repair both rockers. I’m covering the holes before undercoating.
My ‘09 has no mechanical problems, but the rockers and cab corners rusted out on both sides. I bought this truck new to last 300K miles, but now it is rusting so bad I don’t think I can stop it. I’m only at 120K miles. This design is shameful for a 100 year old company.
If I saw that on my car I'd spray a whole lot of rust converter in the holes before I sealed them up..Looks like the lower rocker seams are already going to the rust gods.
Hey steve i had a 2010 also theres also another hidden spot that packs full of dirt and leaves. Its right in front of both front driver and passenger side doors. if u crawl underneath and pull back the wheel well liner at the bottom closest to your door and stick your hand in there it may be full of leaves or dirt atleast. it was on my truck because i had to leave it outside but the reason it gets in there is cause leaves fall and break up on that plastic screen below your windshield and fall right behind your quarter panels and theres no way for it to get out i had to clean mine out about once a year hope this helps make a vid on it if ya want hopefully i described how to find this spot easy enough i like my fords but they have some flaws.
a used 2008 I thought someone had removed plastic or rubber plugs and put duct tape.So it was a factory job no wonder they are rusred and almost every other one you see.Thats quality job1
Interesting, I suggest you spray the inner rocker thru the holes and prevent a lot of greif dealing with the rust. Hopefully your patches say on better.
Steve, I know that 9 years may seem fast, but living in Michigan that is not bad if one puts miles on during the winter on salted roads. I agree that the tape deal is mickey mouse and could have been done better. But to put things in perspective, in 1965 my dad bought a new Dodge pickup and by 1968 the frond fenders were rusted out and there were holes in the pickup box sidewalls. In 1968 he replaced the Dodge with a 1969 3/4 ton he ordered and by 1974 the cab corners were rusted out; a little better but still a long way from 9 years old. In 1974, I bought my first new car which was a 74 Olds Cutlass and by 1976 the rear quarter around the wheel wells had holes rusted them on both sides of the car. In 74 the warranty was 12 months 12 miles engine and drivetrain and I think anything body related was 90 days. I will say crossovers I own, 08 Ford, 09 Chevy and 10 Dodge all have bodies that seem to be holding up well and none have under 100K miles, in fact the 08 Ford had 250K miles.
Most bodies have duel sided galvanized body panels as to years back . I flushed out a lot of trash thru the rocker hole 😅 If them patches stuck the rockers would be fine. I rustproofed the the best i could but over all the truck is well built. Cheers
I used it in my spray gun to coat the inside of the rockers. I got it at princess auto 4 years ago 3- gallons for $25 a can on discount . It's expensive stuff and i wouldn't pay the $75 they want regularly or more. I like the fluid film coat and protect a lot better.
Same on my vehicle. Body shop repairs were $5,000. Another flaw is that if you have a moonroof the drain lines run directly down the back pillars of the cab and into the rocker panel. Extremely bad design that Ford takes no credit for flaw or responsibility. Just wrong. Affects 2009-14 F150 models
@@SteveRobReviews... I see your box with Fluid Film. A great product for stop rust on a car😊 my Toyota pickup is soaked in Fluid Film oil. No rust there. The old Excursion is next😎🇧🇻
Yes it's a great idea if the patched stayed on . I treated the inside of the rockers them taped them back up. If I noticed this before I would have treated the rockers a long time ago. Jay you would not believe the dirt that I flushed out , it was just plugged solid . I do a lot of gravel road driving and it was full of gravel LOL
@@SteveRobReviews Hey Steve. I recently bought a 2014 F150 and my rockers look a lot like yours. I have 75k miles on mine and the tape was still adhered. Once it warms up, I'm going to remove the tape so I can nail the insides of the rockers with fluid film. How were you able to flush the dirt out? If I shoot compressed air in the rockers, where will the dirt escape? Through the holes?
@@SteveRobReviews Hi Steve, thanks for the fast reply! I was under my truck looking for where these drain holes are located for the rockers but wasn't able to find anything. I know there are drain holes for the doors, but can't seem to find drain holes for the rockers. If you could help me pinpoint where the drain holes are located I would greatly appreciate it.
@Nathan Eck Mine is a 2010 so it may be different , its a steel body and I think they went alluminum in 2015. Look on yours if it's the same as mine at the bottom lip you will see the opening.
LOL, chase holes lol, rubber plugs would be the way. By the way, I heard some Fords are made or were made in Canada. When I was buying the alarm for my E250 the person asked me what type of Key I had, apparently in my year and up the older/standard key fords were made in US and the programmable key fords were made in CA. did you hear this?
Your 2010 F150 looks mint compared to mine Steve.Never oiled mine,which I should have,and 280000 kms in Quebec and Ontario..maybe I'll do better next one.
No shit went under the F150 the whole closet to the cab corner wide ass open and would explain why they rotted out so fast. Will go up further pull all that off if any and fuild film the shit out of it and replace the tape with something better. Thank you for the tip!
NO DRAIN HOLES NEED TO BE DRILLED. I stuck a garden hose in front hole to see where water drained and there are drain orifices already there just big enough for dirty water. Thought I'd mention it before anyone went crazy with a drill.
Don't buy a Dodge or Chevy because they both rust out equally as much I have seen horror stories. If the maker of this video wishes to contact me I can show you another flaw in the Ford F-150 design that makes the cab corners rot out horribly. All you have to do is stick your head over the rear wheel look forward to the back side of the cab and you will see a triangular shaped hole that you can put your pinky finger in. If you spray something in there it runs right out of the bottom of the cab corner. So that means all of the water at the rear tire sprays goes right in that hole. I have sealed them up on my previous trucks.
2012 Raptor, its spent its life in the north with 78k. It's got rusted rockers at the bottom, I'm gonna have to hit it with some sort of inhibitor to convert it and hope to slow it down. This is stupid. Im disappointed in Ford.
That reminds me of when I worked in the shop making drill bits. Some of the black oxide drills had shiny spots on the land near the tip so they had some guys with Sharpie markers coloring them in. Haaa!
I had a Ranger they are worse. It had an opening right behind the front wheel for dirt to go right in. I had to clean out 15 lb. of road sand to do my rocker panels.
My 2010 F-150 has been garage kept and washed regularly especially in the winter to keep salt off of it. My rockers are rusting out significantly on BOTH sides with large holes appearing on the crew cab where it meets the bed. The weather stripping is losing metal to adhere to. I’m the owner of this truck. 170k miles. I’ve maintained it very well and it runs great. I think it’s absolutely RIDICULOUS that the engine will last longer than the body will!!! Thank you for this informative video. Shame on Ford for screwing us like this!
If I pay a body shop to fix both rockers it's almost the price of my 11 year old truck if I tried to sell it today 🤷♂️
Check your sun roof drains. They drain into the rear cab corners
@@bradleysteeves7891 ok. I’ll look into this. I’m not sure how to do that, but you can see a line of demarcation in the ceiling of the back of the cab. Appreciate your help.
Just had my 2013 fail it’s safety due to rusty holes in the rockers. Then I went underneath to check and saw the taped up holes and thought it was the undercoating company who did something stupid like this. But you just proved it was Fords best engineers who thought of this design! Wow!!
Thanks for the vid. Thumbs up
Kevin it seems both of us were surprised to say the least at seeing a bunch of tape 😂😂 Cheers
How do you think they keep you from keeping your truck for ever? they have to make sure your truck or car falls apart so they can rip you off by selling new one.
Nice Video. I am dealing with rocker rust now. I cleaned them up with a wire brush. I bought a gallon of Total Boat rust converter($29) to spray on and inside the rockers. Did two coats. Then painted with metal primer and top coat. Lastly will dump in some used gear oil from my outboard lower unit. I will also do the same thing to the doors. The window seal fails and you get water in the bottom of the door. Remove the rubber grommet at the bottom of the door for access.
Majority comes from the third brake light leaking and allowing water in and they rot from the inside out. There was a tsb put out at one point for it.
Yes I had to fix that after the headliner was all stained.
Maybe you already covered this in another video, but another potential area of rust is the bottom of the doors. Debris falls down through the window opening and plugs the drain holes along the bottom of the door. I discovered this when I heard water sloshing around in one of my doors and found dirt plugging the drain holes. I check them regularly now to make sure the holes are clear to drain.
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Designed and built for Wall Street.. Mine is a 2012 and bought new.. the first thing I did was Rustuleum paint undercarriage and I put silver duck tape over all those holes and painted over them.. Today I was under it and cleaning winter salt out with air hose and painting and that tape is still good !!
Thats a great idea and wish I did the same. 👍
That could be part of your problem, but if you have a sunroof Ford ran a drain hose down the inside corner of your cab. Allowing the cab corners and rockers rotting out.the drain hose did not exit the truck; they are about 10” short allowing the cab corners and rockers filing up with water.
No sunroof but my exterior light at the top of the cab did leak big time before I noticed it . The headliner is ruined , oh well 🤷♂️ Cheers Michael
I have the exact same problem!!!
Not 10 inches short. You can dig in that hole and pop the hoses out on the back side of the cab corner
My GMC came out of Canada about 3 years ago...now the rust is really starting to show :( cheers brother
I think they build the trucks so light today compared to my old 67 chev pickup the fenders had to be 1/16" thick LOL
i have seen examples of body parts that trap water and dirt inside them for years.the common problem is there is no drainage at the lowest point of these parts. i remember cutting into a camero quarterpanel that actually leaked water as i did so
Just to add my rotted rockers and cab corners to the group, 2010 98K miles . Rockers have been gone since '18. Of course weekly washes at the carwash (yes paid for the extra wash for the frame and wheels) . $2,000 + for replacement. Truck owes me nothing but I'm waiting for it to fold in half when I hit a bump.
Working under the truck is nasty stuff but it sure makes you feel better knowing you extended the life of that dude.
Wyatt it looked like a tiny orange spot and got bigger and bigger :) yes it's all fixed . Cheers
I'd use peel and seal for roof repairs. It sticks like crazy(kind of rubbery/tar like and can get with aluminum foil type coating on outside.
That's a great idea 👍
great video Steve, wait to call a spade a spade. You know another funny thing is they also have a drain tube running out into the cab corner that (I guess) is a drain for the third tail light or rear window, but the thing just drains down into the cab corner with no way for the water to get right out. Would have laughed my ass off except that I discovered it only after having to fix the rust.
Wow it cant get any better than that 😂😅
I have the same problem but I’m going to use a rust proofing but I’d like to find rubber plugs that would fit to close the holes after finishing
Good high tack tape works well , many say the gorilla tape is good. Cheers Dave 👍
Nice find.
There is also a fold in the rear rocker to cab corner you can stick your baby finger in there.. mine is a 13 and spray it with oil every fall. Looks OK so far.
I shoot oil in those holes where I can and most places drill hole and plug them when undercoating.
If you don't spray them also up inside the box panel the top rusts above well and up where plastic box cap meets paint.
Your on top of it , wish I seen this long ago to prevent it . Cheers
What part our F150 is the box panel? Apologies i’m having this issue with rust. I have at least 6 confirmed places water has made its way into my cab. Of course it all ends up where the wires are located on each side of the truck cab under the plastic foot panels.
3rd brake/xm satellite, top roof moldings, front windshield clips, body seams/pinch welds/adhesive foam missing.
What product do y’all suggest for either I rust removal/reformer? And should I use a product such as fluid film on it after or use before or at all? Open to suggestions and feedback. Any idea if ok to use near electrical wires? Sorry, I live in Florida and hurricane season is picking up.
@@Sheeeeeeeeeeeeiiitt Fluid film is a good product to use.
Just put you arm up between rear tire and bumper and spray above the wheel arches and in front of rear tires between rear of cab and tires you can reach up there. That is the box panels.
Same with rockers that is the part where you step over, there are plugs and the moulding you can remove to get access to holes to spray into. It will creep around also and run into creases once it's in there.
Any holes from the factory I just spray directly into them and some guys drill new ones and plug them after.
Hope this helps.
@@jpowell9343 thanks for the feedback. Yup all of those places you mentioned are in serious need of attention. Thankfully no holes yet but certainly concerning. Thanks again
Just did my 14 with 3m cavity wax with wands, works great, putting my finger in there felt sheet metal was curving up before hitting the lowest point in corner, I'll check that again, wanted to get a good coat at very bottom of it, has really small rust spot or chip gotta tend to. If need be could probably use 3rd brake light hole, some small hose and pour atf or something down to the lowest point where rust always starts, thanks for pointing that out. Caught my rockers and wheel wells in time, gonna do doors too, seals shrink a bit and leak water in.
Had to share this with my OSHA Ironworker instructor today, he just got a 13 and if nobody tells you about it you'll have a nice rusty truck!!! The last rear rocker hole has an access hole to the outer side of the cab corners that must also be waxed or...I used 3M cavity wax with the 360° spray wands, pricey but worth it then used rubber gorilla tape. And the doors have access holes with grommets just for this, go figure and don't forget your brake light gasket, they leak to, Amazon has good ones. As for the foam in the wheel wells that's getting tore out to I decided, then coated again, holds enough moisture to cause rust, tore some out and tested it in glass of water. Fabbed and welded up one corner and a small spot over the wheel so I should be good till one of us wears out completely 🤔, it's a 14 btw.
I am getting ready to clean my rockers out today... any Tips? I live in Pennsylvania where they use a lot of salt on the roads. My 2011 rockers and cab corners are starting to rust and bubble. Most of those holes were opened up, tape falling off..... what a horrible design flaw... I am sure its packed full of wet salty sludge
@noah543210 Let it dry out then use some rust proof spray to slow down the rust.
Just checked. And yes my 2013 has those band-aids. Why wouldn`t they use something like the black tape they put around a window frame of a house before the window goes in? Thanks for the heads up. That'll be fun to do in the snow.😤😭
Yes the six inch seal tape would never come off. See how many look like their on but the wind blows then back and fills the rockers with salt all winter long :)
I found tape like that on my 2005 dodge Ram a few years ago so I pulled it all off and blew a bunch of ATF oil inside the rockers and replaced the tape with gurilla tape. That stuff sticks like crazy. Luckily my rockers are doing great. I also drilled some big holes from the inside of the truck box so I can wash out the inside of my wheel wells. I blow ATF oil in there too a couple times a year. So far i have been able to prevent rust showing on the outside of the vehicle. There is some surface rust underneath but I soak it with oil every year.... Seems to be working.. fingers crossed! Lots of salt on the roads here for about 7 months of the year
Good ideas , yes flushing out all that salt and dirt then coating it is the way to go 👍
Well there ya go ... just when you thought rust issues were no longer and issue. Thanks heavens for Ford, trying to keep the body shops in business!!! Have a good week buddy!!!
Yes it's a great idea on paper for Ford and great idea for the body shops. You would not believe the amount of crap that I had to clean out , it was actually quite funny as I kept washing it out and it kept coming out . HAHA
Samething happen to my 2002 f-150, i couldnt figure out why the rocker panels started to rust ro bad and fall apart
Yes, my 2010 F-150 rocker panels are shot. The paint started to peel at 55000 km, on bottom of doors and rockers. The dealer told me it was because of sand and gravel, I told them at that time it was mostly highway miles. Story short i got a rusty old truck now and it 's my last ford.
Well mines worth about what it would cost a shop to fix it so I will just drive on. The new alluminum bodies are much better and overall the trucks drive train is good but I'm looking at replacing my other truck , a 2002 silverado with a new one instead of another F150.
I just bought a used 2013 F-150 and I was looking for drain holes to spray in Fluid Film when I found this tape over the holes in the back of the rocker. I thought the previous owner had slapped that on and almost tore it off. BTW, I’m still looking for any drain holes in the rocker panel. Who thought it was a good idea to leave an open cavity with no drain.
@user-xk4vt9ye8j There are drain holes but they plug up fast if dirt gets in there.
Absolute design flaw. Same reason why the bed sides rot out. Ford uses a foam insulation/adhesive to bond the wheel well to the bed side. My 8 year old truck is already showing rot. I suspect even if you throughly rinsed out the top of the wheel wells they’ll still rot just due to how much moisture that stuff can hold. Just repaired my bed sides and ripped all of the foam out that I could. Still some I can’t reach at the top but atleast the lower portions aren’t holding moisture anymore
I have that on mine…I’ll have to replace mine as well…I might find some old plastic to screw on or something if this idea does not work
It’s insane, huge holes on the inside of the rockers, weep holes get plugged and salt and snow get crammed up in the rockers. Apparently new trucks left the lot with missing tape or pieces peeled up. I only noticed it when my cab corners started started bubbling up from the inside, totally rotten through
i can vouch they did this in 2013 as well. thing that saved me i think is i bought the truck and immediately moved south. glad to see the fluid film in the background. i fill my rockers with that stuff!
Good idea !!!
Fluid film?
Tonya Withano if you don’t know you need to catch up! Fluid film is the best rust preventative you can buy. I love it!
I have fixed my share of Rusty rocker panels in my lifetime and you're right that's the stupidest thing they could have ever done those Engineers must have had their heads in their butts
James the duct tape was comical at least. 😅😅
Had me scared a minute, got a 14 150 in October, had great maintenance records being a lease to a local contractor, thought I saw rust bubbles other day, turns out it's the same rubber/vinal compound my Dad's 81 Fairmont had applied along the rockers, doors and fenders. The holes are still taped up but ready to go. All the salt they use in St Louis is ridiculous these days for 1 inch of snow. Am going to get foam outa then treat wheel wells and rockers to I think and use gorilla tape over holes that should have plugs, that is rediciulous, and replace brake light gasket that looks weak, hopefully I dodged a bullet, normally I get hit by them.
Good ideas on preventing it from rusting out . Cheers Gene
Acetone is great stuff just don't wipe license plate with it, no more sticker lol. Mix it with tranny fluid for stuck bolts, it's then called panther piss. Use it as you need it cause it evaporates. Ordered some 3M cavity wax after much browsing, that make different length wands with 360° nozzles for coverage for my rockers and cab corners. Gonna do my doors to.
Having the leaky 3rd brake light is rotting my cab corners so i checked underneath and i found one of these flat on the bottom side.
Yes , same as mine , it stained the headliner badly, too.
My 2011 f150 has the same issue. Not rotted away, luckily it's still easily repairable.
I patched mine up and poured the fluid film to it before covering up the holes and its holding up so far.
I have a 2011 Ford F150 XLT 4 x 4 Crew cab with only 170000 km that need both rocker panels replaced to meet road safety inspection. Shame on Ford. This is my 1st and likely my last Ford vehicle. Don't get em started on the manifold replacement and front end rebuild on this truck at only 6 yrs old.
Yep my exhaust manifold on the passenger side sounds like a locomotive on start up , my next will be back to a silverado. Cheers Bruce
Yeah lol been there also had to replace my cam phasers. Exhaust manifolds and I had to do the rocker panels cab corners and rear wheel arches on my 2009 f150 super crew xlt with low miles on it
@@SteveRobReviews I have a 04 chevy Avalanche with 300,000 miles on it it still runs great. Ive replaced the rocker panels once though and there already toast on it again.
@@Xraycrayon ruclips.net/video/ENhWXjKgn_I/видео.html
Every pinch, every fold, every tube… the more they engineer the reduction of metal and increase of structural integrity with less metal, the more pinches and folds and tubes with holes in them you get… spray atf in the holes, or pack them with grease… but corrosive chemicals (it’s way worse than salt yet everyone says salt… ) will still seep into the low points of those folds, pinches and tubes with holes in them… and the car manufacturers love that you don’t see cars over 25 years old on the road anymore hardly at all
The old ones had rubber plugs inserted the best thing for that even though it sounds strange is the new flex seal tape that stuff will never come off I used to to fix a water line leak that runs off my water pump to the water tank which is under high pressure also putting a hose clamp over it and it is still dry and has not leaked since and I fixed this around 3 months ago
That's a great idea , better than fords idea . Cheers
Just found this out yesterday actually makes me want to buy another kind of truck Chevy or Dodge I'm going to look at next thank you Ford
Funny they you think Chevy or dodge rust any less, lol. Live in Michigan and we have all trucks of all makes rusted out at wheel wells and rockers. It's just how it goes. Only change is to undercoat and protect
@@joe1071 hey how you doing that's what I'm saying my truck was fully under coated with rhino low rhino guard there wasn't much of didn't have as far as undergo undercoating it's just very discouraging now I see it's starting to rest of the box
@@nicholasperri6005 from what I understand an undercoat like that can trap in moisture and rust continues and possibly accelerates. Gotta do an undercoat that neutralizes the rust and stops from spreading. Supposedly fluid film can neutralize the rust and keep it from spreading as well
Doesn't matter if those big holes are sealed up or not, there's still multiple drain holes at the bottom that salt will get into regardless of the upper hole. I'll even go off on a whim and say it's better to leave them unsealed, that way water can get in there and flush all the salt and shit out. Otherwise it'll hold moisture. At least without the tape it can breathe and flush out.
Interesting but Ford would not have spent the cost putting them on if they were not required . At least under coating the area helps either way. Cheers
I poured used oil in mine rockers 2011 larit left tape off for the reasons you mentioned
I have seen patches like that. I am sure all the holes are convenience for the build. Can't believe it took you this long to find that!
I did look underside but they looked intact for the first 4-5 years and then it was the hole in the rocker that had me take another look and so many just fell off or were ready to fall off . Oh well new technology eh :)
Thanks for the helpful video STEVE ROB, I have the same problem on my 2013. Should I replace the patches with more tape like you said or leave them open so moisture and junk can get out? I guessed I'm confused about the purpose of them. Holes make it seem like there would be better drainage.
I cleaned out all the dirt first washed it out let it dry and sprayed some undercoating before putting on the tape to cover it up and prayed for the best :)
STEVE ROB REVIEWS tried it out tonight! Thanks so much
They definitely dropped the ball on that. The earlier models didnt have the tape and that's why they rotted out so bad. I'm gonna clean the rockers on my 2011 and use some sheet metal and seam sealer to close them off for good.
Doesn't surprise me at all ! I seen a lot of crazy things on the line at Chrysler back in the day! Nice video Steve !
Thanks Lynn and this was another good idea on paper but in practice needs a rethink.
Yes, you would think the engineers would have used plugs for the holes and then used a sealant tape over them, I guess it’s all about saving money. 😀👍
Terry it's all about doing it fast on the line and hoping for the best maybe . LOL
i have a 2007 ford crew the cab corners are gone ....but i dont have the problem you have.my bicth thoe is the frame fix 4 times
I think a product like blueskin or any sort of adhesive membrane. But best would be to tack sheetmetal over the holes after filling with undercoat.
Good idea Mike , I like it.
My 2007 lariat supercrew both rockers look terrible that explains it.
1974 Dad bought a new 74 Chevy Vega wagon front fenders had a rectangle box open top spot welded to top of underside of front fender, that was close to door opening .. water came down front windshield posts into box with no drain hole . Chevy said box was added fender support . With in 1 1/2 years top of fender rusted out and could drop golf ball into H2O box. Chevy would give you new fenders but dealer had to paint and install for 500$$$$.pair. Dad sold Chevy salesman furniture . So he gave Dad fenders in boxes on Friday night . We put new fenders on. Drilled drain holes in boxes and gave rusty fenders back to dealer Monday night. . Later in 98 Dad got a Chevy Venture wipers went under hood .Dad lived in Cleveland Ohio snow belt Guess what happens when snow gets between windshield and underside of hood and freezes. You have to dig out frozen wipers. Chevy changed design less than 2 years later so wipers not concealed under hood . Dad had a friend who's mom past away in 1990's in Florida. She left him her 1980's Caddy Fleetwood . He drove it back to N. E. Ohio got cold in half way home . Caddy deleted heater on southern cars. It was Early November. Always interesting how cars are designed . Late model Chevy HHR. You have to take front fender off to change headlight bulb. Lastly 1966 Lincoln Continental 4 door had lead weights on bracket behind front tire and front door??? Why did they add weight with a big V8.
I have a 2009 F150 with only 72,000 miles and both my driver side and passenger side rocker panel is rotted out and need to repair soon.Thanks for sharing ur video it’s a bad design of rocker panels with such huge holes..
Don't forget the leaking rear upper brake light that leaks right into the rockers.
Neil can you give me more info on this? The brake light above the cab leaks?
What are those holes designed for? Would it be worth welding metal patches (tacking them) to cover the holes and coating them, or are they useful access points for anything?
The holes are there for production as they dip the trucks in a solvent to clean the truck body then dip it in a primer before the trucks are painted so the holes are there for better access and drainage. A plastic plug would have lasted longer than them patches . Cheers Matt
@@SteveRobReviews Ahh, gotcha. Summer's coming around, and I plan on doing some body work.. Glad I came across this video, otherwise I would have never known! My local scrap yard may have some sheet metal I can use for patches instead of taping them. May last a tad longer with my use :) Appreciate it!
Thanks Matt , they quoted me $1500 to replace the rocker on one side so I patched it using some alluminum flashing with pop rivets but flushed out all the dirt in the rockers first , they were packed with dirt 😅
All that came to mind while watching this.....remember the old commercials where they said "Ford has a better idea" ? I just bit my tongue! Cheers Steve.
Great idea on paper and a great experiment too but sadly it just did not stick as long as I would have wanted. Most were missing for a long time by the dirt on the surface but there were two that stood the test of time and they were the smallest patches too. Oh well !!
Those are humongous holes. Why would Ford think phosphate covered duct tape could replace sheet metal? Hell even plastic plugs would have been better. Now me and every other guy driving America’s Best Selling Full Size Pickup, knows their cab is a ticking time bomb. It’s frustrating that my 20,000 dollar 2012 F150 is rusting out while guys are still driving around in late 90s and early 2000s trucks with rocker panels and corner cabs in tact.
Not one of ford's better ideas . Yes plastic plugs would have been better.
Cab corner/rocker panel rust has been a problem for quite a while. I can really only speak for late 90s and my 06 f150 though. Late 90s ford's had a weird absorbent foam on the panel that would hold moisture. My truck has 235k miles just starting to rust on the corner. Haven't looked into it yet but I stuck my hand in the back corner and felt moisture. Will be pulling it apart soon to see what I can do before it gets bad. A lot of the trucks you're speaking of have been repaired tho fyi. Unfortunately none of this new (well maybe the cause is but the result is the same
That explains my 2004 heritage and my old 1999 model I crawled under both of mine and it's just like yours holes in both models I'm gonna fill mine full of roof cement as soon as I plug those damn holes up thanks buddy
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I have a’14 n nothing changed n rotten rockers so I get to try n save The rest is very lovable about the truck sure wish someone would have been on the ball with the efen tape !!
My truck runs great but the rust on my rockers to get fixed is 3/4 of the price of selling it so I'm just patching it up the best I can. Cheers Scott
@@SteveRobReviews yep mine is heading that way. Thought it might be worth doing but pronto !! Definitely look at the taped over holes a job for flex tape ? lol
Just found mine rusted through in one corner today...same issue. The holes were uncovered. Talk about bummed out... otherwise my truck is in great shape.
I notice that plugs from my VW fit well to block the holes in my f150 used part 1K0 899 185 and part N 905 088 and for the 2 square holes I used plugs from and old patio table. 😂
Most of the new vehicles have holes and pockets like that. Trucks and cars. Many are worse however in that the companies inject foam into areas that trap moisture. The foam makes the body sound "solid" when you close the doors or hit a panel to see how strong they are.
Good point as I have seen all the foam as well.
Hey Steve I Think It Fits With How Things Are Made These Days. They Want That Problem Down The Road So You Will Buy Another Vehicle. (Planned Or Engineered For Failure)
John the goal to reduce weight and use thinner metal and plastic has given us better mileage but it does have some challenges along the way. Vehicles today are not built to last 20 years at all.
How do they look now? I need to replace mine and want to prevent them from rotting out again
I fixed mine myself and sprayed thru all the holes a lot of rust proofing then sealed up the holes.
STEVE ROB REVIEWS how long ago and how are they holding up?
Its been from this video date over the winter . I also used rocker guard so I did not use paint just primer. Looks great . 👍
STEVE ROB REVIEWS thank you! Will look into doing this for mine
hey chris on mine i used a giant syringe and a long hose filled with rust neutralizer and poured it in all the holes it acually came oozing out of the seems made a giant mess butt time will tell if it worked ...
You should see how bad the rockee panels are on my 2015 GMC 1500
I could imagine , the salt gets to all the brands.
Had my 2010 inspected last September and the station told me, no sticker next year because my rockers will be completely gone.Well you should see them now after another New England winter. Just made the last payment and now I need new rockers.
That sucks , seems to be a common thing especially if all the tape patches have fell off.
@@SteveRobReviews The real kicker is I have had it professionally fluid filmed the last four Septembers.
@@markduquette9335 Wow thats crazy . Im afraid to look under my truck now 😅
Cars and trucks didn't start rusting out until all the manufacturers tried to seal out the weather. Go back to 30scand 40s cars trucks. You could wash out the mud and salt. It all dried out because it wasn't seal from air hitting it. My 41 Car isn't rusty at all on fenders
that's right, mostly, and back then, (even up to the 60's?) they used FULL-length cold-rolled steel frame rails, instead of these 3 or 4 or more sections of frame parts welded together, (without proper drainage), on all of our pickup-trucks today.
*i see older comments saying same. Criminal. The vehicle manufacturers do that on purpose. Planned obolselence. Force you to buy new one faster.*
.
You should see my 2014 F150 Fx4. It is not just snow and ice that will destroy you vehicle panels.
Both rear corners and part of the driveside rear door need replaced.
On a 2014 mind you. These trucks were not cheap, but as it turns out, they were cheaply made.
Rick the body on my F150 is the same but the driveline seems to be pretty good.
I just sunk 8 grand into a new suspension bigger wheels and tires and the exhaust system ( exhaust manifolds and turbos included). Once the body is back in great shape.
I plan on using it as a toy hauler. 53C heavy towing package 19,300 lbs GCVW package.
On a 6 inch lift and 35s..
@@rickknowles423 Nice 👍
I just noticed a rust spot on my rocker, started poking and both my rockers are completely rotted out. Poke holes in it with my fingers. 2014 f150 as well
2006 F-150 Supercrew, 320,000 Ontario Canada, both rear wheel wells rotted out $1800, front fenders where the bottom meets the frame, rotting, currently attempting to fix. Cab corners look like their festering, rockers...oh boy, I’m lucky my running boards are still hanging on. FORD after 10 years= Found Only Rust Deposits
Wow Andrew that would make for a great GM commercial. 🤣🤣
You got a good one there Steve....10 years...that all the trucks are supposed to be on the road for....your almost there....Ford could have done a better job of this but hey....most people don`t keep them that long... especially here in the rust belt....they could make it better but it would last too long....It`s all about creating jobs.... too bad for the guys in Oshawa...I guess they must have seen this coming....CHEERS
I have to think all the trucks are built the same and only good for 10 years at most. Yes the oshawa closing is no surprise at all as GM has slowly reduced the people over the years . When I left in 2007 there were 10,000 and today 2600. Times change and we have to change with it as well.
steve what do you think is better fluid film or krown spray cans?
You seen the gallon can of Fluid film I had on my bench so I used that to spray inside the rockers before taping then shut . I don't care for any of the real thin oils used as in my experience they seem to not be as good as the thicker undercoatings like fluid film or rust check {coat and protect.} Spraying something is a lot better than nothing so long as you do it often it's a great help reducing corrosion.
When you started talking about it, I knew exactly what you were talking about. I have an ‘06, with the same exact thing. My first thought was “Who’s the idiot that designed this?!?”. I have to repair both rockers. I’m covering the holes before undercoating.
It's a great idea if it worked but them patches just didn't do a good job at all. I will need $2K to get each side fixed.
STEVE ROB REVIEWS $2k?!?
Yep about 2K
My ‘09 has no mechanical problems, but the rockers and cab corners rusted out on both sides. I bought this truck new to last 300K miles, but now it is rusting so bad I don’t think I can stop it. I’m only at 120K miles. This design is shameful for a 100 year old company.
What a shame as the fix is worth more than the truck. Just drive on I guess .
If I saw that on my car I'd spray a whole lot of rust converter in the holes before I sealed them up..Looks like the lower rocker seams are already going to the rust gods.
Yes I sprayed it like crazy in there with the big can of fluid film I had on my bench. Ya they are rusting pretty good I imagine.
Hey steve i had a 2010 also theres also another hidden spot that packs full of dirt and leaves. Its right in front of both front driver and passenger side doors. if u crawl underneath and pull back the wheel well liner at the bottom closest to your door and stick your hand in there it may be full of leaves or dirt atleast. it was on my truck because i had to leave it outside but the reason it gets in there is cause leaves fall and break up on that plastic screen below your windshield and fall right behind your quarter panels and theres no way for it to get out i had to clean mine out about once a year hope this helps make a vid on it if ya want hopefully i described how to find this spot easy enough i like my fords but they have some flaws.
Yes I wash that spot out three times a year from the bottom - haha ya thats a bad spot that will take out the whole rocker fender area . Cheers bud.
@@SteveRobReviews good glad u knew about it
a used 2008 I thought someone had removed plastic or rubber plugs and put duct tape.So it was a factory job no wonder they are rusred and almost every other one you see.Thats quality job1
👍👍 for quality :)
My 2018 dodge ram has the same thing. I had to remove them to install my running boards.
Interesting, I suggest you spray the inner rocker thru the holes and prevent a lot of greif dealing with the rust. Hopefully your patches say on better.
@@SteveRobReviews I am definitely going to take your advice. My patches are just like duct tape
Steve, I know that 9 years may seem fast, but living in Michigan that is not bad if one puts miles on during the winter on salted roads. I agree that the tape deal is mickey mouse and could have been done better. But to put things in perspective, in 1965 my dad bought a new Dodge pickup and by 1968 the frond fenders were rusted out and there were holes in the pickup box sidewalls. In 1968 he replaced the Dodge with a 1969 3/4 ton he ordered and by 1974 the cab corners were rusted out; a little better but still a long way from 9 years old. In 1974, I bought my first new car which was a 74 Olds Cutlass and by 1976 the rear quarter around the wheel wells had holes rusted them on both sides of the car. In 74 the warranty was 12 months 12 miles engine and drivetrain and I think anything body related was 90 days. I will say crossovers I own, 08 Ford, 09 Chevy and 10 Dodge all have bodies that seem to be holding up well and none have under 100K miles, in fact the 08 Ford had 250K miles.
Most bodies have duel sided galvanized body panels as to years back . I flushed out a lot of trash thru the rocker hole 😅 If them patches stuck the rockers would be fine. I rustproofed the the best i could but over all the truck is well built. Cheers
Understand your frustration. If only they had used something better that would have costs a few cents per truck you would likely have no rust.
You forgot to mention the Fluid Film cans on the workbench in the back of you....do you get the gallons on Amazon
I used it in my spray gun to coat the inside of the rockers. I got it at princess auto 4 years ago 3- gallons for $25 a can on discount . It's expensive stuff and i wouldn't pay the $75 they want regularly or more. I like the fluid film coat and protect a lot better.
Same on my vehicle. Body shop repairs were $5,000. Another flaw is that if you have a moonroof the drain lines run directly down the back pillars of the cab and into the rocker panel. Extremely bad design that Ford takes no credit for flaw or responsibility. Just wrong. Affects 2009-14 F150 models
Ouch that's expensive. Ford went to all alluminum for a good reason !!!
Nice video😎👍 I just filled my old Ford Excursion rockers completly with building foam... 😝
That will keep the dirt out that's for sure :) Thanks Biff
@@SteveRobReviews... I see your box with Fluid Film. A great product for stop rust on a car😊 my Toyota pickup is soaked in Fluid Film oil. No rust there. The old Excursion is next😎🇧🇻
Yes it's awesome stuff bit pricey up here $80 a gallon.
Do u have website where I can get this rocker for 2013 f150
Sorry , I haven't looked into it. I'm just driving on .
My 2014 cab corner is starting to rot. Body shop told me it will cost about $1000 to fix. I might just cut it out and put a fiberglass patch in.
Sure , seems about $950 less to fix yourself. 👍
That's crazy! I guess those big holes would make it easier to treat the inside of the rockers ;)
Yes it's a great idea if the patched stayed on . I treated the inside of the rockers them taped them back up. If I noticed this before I would have treated the rockers a long time ago. Jay you would not believe the dirt that I flushed out , it was just plugged solid . I do a lot of gravel road driving and it was full of gravel LOL
@@SteveRobReviews Hey Steve. I recently bought a 2014 F150 and my rockers look a lot like yours. I have 75k miles on mine and the tape was still adhered. Once it warms up, I'm going to remove the tape so I can nail the insides of the rockers with fluid film. How were you able to flush the dirt out? If I shoot compressed air in the rockers, where will the dirt escape? Through the holes?
@@nathaneck4629 Hi Nathan
I used my garden hose to flush out the rockers , there are drain holes to let the water out.
@@SteveRobReviews Hi Steve, thanks for the fast reply! I was under my truck looking for where these drain holes are located for the rockers but wasn't able to find anything. I know there are drain holes for the doors, but can't seem to find drain holes for the rockers. If you could help me pinpoint where the drain holes are located I would greatly appreciate it.
@Nathan Eck Mine is a 2010 so it may be different , its a steel body and I think they went alluminum in 2015. Look on yours if it's the same as mine at the bottom lip you will see the opening.
My F150 2010 Rockers and cab corners are gone ! Sad 😢
Yes sir Scott , sad is right.
mine as well.. it sucks rest of the truck is great
Another source at least in my case my 06 supercrew 3rd brake light was leaking allowing the water in and it has nowhere to go until it rots thru
Mine leaked too and left a nasty water stain on the headliner.
LOL, chase holes lol, rubber plugs would be the way. By the way, I heard some Fords are made or were made in Canada. When I was buying the alarm for my E250 the person asked me what type of Key I had, apparently in my year and up the older/standard key fords were made in US and the programmable key fords were made in CA. did you hear this?
Yes plastic plugs seem better. No Ford vans made up here or trucks . The Ford Edge is the only one built on Oakville Ontario.
Key type: More likely still an option on the E350. Or fleet build vs consumer market build.
That could be, nowadays no reason for anything other than money.
My buddy's 2004 Chevy 1500 rusted out the same way.Rockers totally rusted out.Not just Ford
My 2002 silverado cab corners rusted out but not the rockers. Yes every manufacturer has its rust challenges.
Paper thin sheet metal frames are junk, all these new vehicle are junk, and you can pay ridiculous prices for them
Bought my last Ford truck. Owned three and they all rust in the same places.
Ford builds a great truck but the rusting was a problem, all alluminum now. I bought a 2021 silverado , love it .
To improve this could a guy cut out some sheet metal inserts and weld them in?
Welding may be causing more of a problem but using adhesive is fine or some pieces of plastic glued in place seems to be popular too.
Your 2010 F150 looks mint compared to mine Steve.Never oiled mine,which I should have,and 280000 kms in Quebec and Ontario..maybe I'll do better next one.
Ken the yearly oiling sure does make a difference as a new truck is about $50K min.
No shit went under the F150 the whole closet to the cab corner wide ass open and would explain why they rotted out so fast. Will go up further pull all that off if any and fuild film the shit out of it and replace the tape with something better. Thank you for the tip!
HAHAHA ya I said the same thing when I looked underside. Cheers Jeff
I live in desert sw but am drilling drain holes anyway. 2013 stx. 35000 miles no rust. Even with tape on, it accumulated a layer of dust
Good idea and spray it well too.👍
NO DRAIN HOLES NEED TO BE DRILLED. I stuck a garden hose in front hole to see where water drained and there are drain orifices already there just big enough for dirty water. Thought I'd mention it before anyone went crazy with a drill.
Don't buy a Dodge or Chevy because they both rust out equally as much I have seen horror stories. If the maker of this video wishes to contact me I can show you another flaw in the Ford F-150 design that makes the cab corners rot
out horribly. All you have to do is stick your head over the rear wheel look forward to the back side of the cab and you will see a triangular shaped hole that you can put your pinky finger in. If you spray something in there it runs right out of the bottom of the cab corner. So that means all of the water at the rear tire sprays goes right in that hole. I have sealed them up on my previous trucks.
I pulled the tape off sprayed fluid film in the rockers then covered the holes with flex seal tape it’s very sticky.
Thats a perfect idea and I like the flex seal tape idea . Cheers Josh
I like that idea better then aluminum tape, steel and aluminum react bad
I have a 2011 f150 total rotted on the rear rockers both sides! $38,000 8 years ago. Should be recalled!!
Ouch , same as mine . These patches did not prevent any rusting as my rockers were full of dirt.
Wow . A good underbody wash with a power washer then undercoating does wonders .
2012 Raptor, its spent its life in the north with 78k. It's got rusted rockers at the bottom, I'm gonna have to hit it with some sort of inhibitor to convert it and hope to slow it down. This is stupid. Im disappointed in Ford.
Ford with their better ideas sure didn't have a good one with the duct tape :)
My 2010 extended cab rusted out on both sides. 90000 miles. Shop wanted $5500 to fix it. Traded it off for a 2020 f150.
Wow steve, very interesting well done Top marks for you, like the Guinness shirt
Thanks and Guinness is an irish beer I bet ya already knew that
2008 f150 lariat - had to replace both rocker panels and both end caps
Yep dirt buildup I think is as bad as salt cause ittl b mud at some point.
Well this explains why my 09 that looks beautiful has holy rockers.
I bet your going to take a look underneath :) Cheers Ronald
That reminds me of when I worked in the shop making drill bits. Some of the black oxide drills had shiny spots on the land near the tip so they had some guys with Sharpie markers coloring them in. Haaa!
To me it's just too cheesy of an idea but hey they thought it was a good idea. Cheers bud.
Once it makes it passed warranty period Ford don't care they want you to dish out another 40k for the new aluminium corroding model.
How do we prevent the corrosion?
Tonya Withano fluid film
@@mmatson7142 thank you very much!
I had a Ranger they are worse. It had an opening right behind the front wheel for dirt to go right in. I had to clean out 15 lb. of road sand to do my rocker panels.
WOW , seems like they design them to attract dirt instead of repeating it LOL