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That one Tuesday where everything went wrong on a Ford F-150 in Wichita
Had a 2018 F-150 come in Tuesday with what looked like a simple rear quarter panel ding. Three hours later I found hidden rust running clear up behind the taillight and had to cut out way more metal than I bid for. Customer was not happy about the extra $400 and I ended up eating two hours of labor. Has anyone else dealt with those aluminum Fords hiding rot under the bed caps?
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the_blair1d ago
400 bucks extra for hidden rust on an aluminum bed? That's wild. I've seen rust on steel trucks before but aluminum shouldn't be rotting like that unless water was trapped for years under the cap. Sounds like a real nightmare of a job.
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The blair, you're right that aluminum shouldn't rust like steel but water sitting under bed caps for years creates galvanic corrosion where the aluminum meets steel brackets and hardware. I've had to deal with this exact mess three times now. Best thing you can do is drill a few small drain holes under the bed caps before it becomes a problem. Also get yourself a cheap borescope from Amazon and check behind taillights on every F-150 before quoting. Saves you eating labor later.
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