I noticed some surface rust on my rear diff cover. There is no salt on the roads here either and my truck is only a 2005. I am going to clean it and paint it and see how that goes.

 

Mine is rusted too. The nature of the beast.

 

I must be lucky, I've been through two New England winters with my 2007, & today when the truck was upon the lift to get the BFG's rotated & the rear diff was lowered as the wheel came off of the ground, my rear Diff still looks brand new!...............

 

Mine's starting to get rusty and it sits in the garage most the time.

 

I don't think people understand that ...

 

Ford doesn't really paint the axles or any of the suspension parts well. They "very" lightly mist them with almost a black primer. Some how this must be their major plan of saving money. They have been doing it forever.

Just get some sandpaper and sand it and wipe it down with rubbing alcohol. Then get some paint and spray it down. Light coats will look better than thick coats of paint.

It's a shame ford doesn't seem to care about painting the undercarriage to last.

 

I dont' know what you guys are expecting. A undercarriage covering is not required or needed.

The rust itself is actually a protectant. Once that initial layer forms, the rusting process essentially stops because the rust prevents oxygen from reaching bare metal and forming the oxide. Removing the top layer is actually more harmful unless you completely seal the metal from ever rusting again.

I've seen plenty of 1960's+ vehicles with unpainted frames that are 100% structurally sound. Body panels don't hold up as well because they are so much thinner and therefore have metal that can be lost to the oxidation. Certain factors like road salt multiply the problem as we all know.

I guess you can always buy the "Undercarriage Protection Kit" that dealerships like to sell. A little secret info for you. It's just a really thick black spray paint. Kinda like Manual150 mentioned in his post on the 1st page. Only for about $2k (typical price out here in Hawaii)

 

Maghytec FTW.