[68ragtop]

I am detailing my 2003 Silverado that am putting up for sale soon. I have owned it since new. The truck has 87K miles on it, No dings, dents or scratches. Being a car guy, I have kept it in the garage 95% of the time & car washes regularly. looking underneath it today, I noticed some bubbling on the rockers & was absolutely shocked when I pushed on a bad spot & my fingers went right through! This is unbelievable too me. no other panels have any showing of rust anywhere, doors seams, etc. I did a little googling to find out these trucks are chronic with rusting rockers. I have always taken such good care of this vehicle as it cost me over $40K nearly ten years ago.

I now have a new silverado sitting in my garage now, & this makes my want to sell that truck too. I realize the 2003 is aging, but honestly I have seen vehicles 3 years old in worse condition than how I have kept this one. Even the clear coat on the wheels is in near perfect condition.

I was planing on putting it for sale on craigslist this weekend, & now I need to look into replacing the entire rockers. Something stinks with this...... & it isn't going to be cheap to fix.... I am not happy.

[sleepy]

Most likely from rock chips. The paint is so hard you can have a chip and not see it until the rust bubbles the paint. To bad you didn't catch it under the 5 year no rust/ 7 year no rust-through warranty.

[68ragtop]

It looks to be rusting from the inside out. Bubbles & cracks in the paint with no chips or surface rust. & only towards the rear. Near the front (where there are stone chips) No rust yet. This part of the truck is so hidden, that I never saw it coming.

[goatless]

Could be worse, you could have a Dodge...
I see a ton of 2002 and newer Dodge trucks around here with rust through on the bed sides above the wheels. I just Googled "Dodge Ram rust" to see if it was only certain years and the results turned up guys with trucks as new as 2012 complaining about rust issues.

[salem1912]

Originally Posted by goatless

Could be worse, you could have a Dodge...
I see a ton of 2002 and newer Dodge trucks around here with rust through on the bed sides above the wheels. I just Googled "Dodge Ram rust" to see if it was only certain years and the results turned up guys with trucks as new as 2012 complaining about rust issues.

I have a '04 Dodge and that's where it rusting (bad) both sides. Where the 1/4 panel and inter wheelhouse meet they have foam type Insulation sprayed in trapping moisture.

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by goatless

Could be worse, you could have a Dodge...
I see a ton of 2002 and newer Dodge trucks around here with rust through on the bed sides above the wheels. I just Googled "Dodge Ram rust" to see if it was only certain years and the results turned up guys with trucks as new as 2012 complaining about rust issues.

I see quite a few Dodge's around here that have that issue. I always do a double take when I see a truck that new with rust.

Fact is many cars/trucks have issues like that. I had a 2000 Expedition that had serious rust issues inside both rear doors by 2006. Since the interior door seam was the part crumbling and it didn't rust through the door panel, not covered by Ford warranty.

My wife had a 2005 Altima that had a hole in the floor the size of a softball by 2012. A known issue not covered by Nissan because it was after the seven year warranty when it was discovered. Got rid of the car right after that.

[hslager69]

Originally Posted by goatless

Could be worse, you could have a Dodge...
I see a ton of 2002 and newer Dodge trucks around here with rust through on the bed sides above the wheels. I just Googled "Dodge Ram rust" to see if it was only certain years and the results turned up guys with trucks as new as 2012 complaining about rust issues.

I own a 2008 dodge ram,After seeing other Rams rusting above the rear wheels i make sure mine is cleaned and oiled their twice a year ! there is an inner shield with a few holes in it that allows dirt to become trapped ,clean it out and spray fluid film in there. Working so far.

[Formulabruce]

the rockers trap moisture, need to be drilled from the rear when new and a couple holes in bottom and oiled every other year, do the new one, now
happened to my Dads, but his garage was damp as he** . he bitched anyways said it was indoors...

[77 Canamman]

If you live in a salty, moist area, this stuff doesn't last forever, even with excellent care! My Jeep Cherokee just started to rust after 14 years, but the only rust is on a couple of the doors, and they unbolt. I found a nice set at the local junkyard that are the same color still wearing factory applied paint, so the rot will be gone.

[Motor Daddy]

What my 99 Silverado looked like when I sold it:



Yes, that's old tape covering the rear portion. Hey, it got me an inspection sticker.

[Mr_GTO]

Originally Posted by 68ragtop

I am detailing my 2003 Silverado that am putting up for sale soon. I have owned it since new. The truck has 87K miles on it, No dings, dents or scratches. Being a car guy, I have kept it in the garage 95% of the time & car washes regularly. looking underneath it today, I noticed some bubbling on the rockers & was absolutely shocked when I pushed on a bad spot & my fingers went right through! This is unbelievable too me. no other panels have any showing of rust anywhere, doors seams, etc. I did a little googling to find out these trucks are chronic with rusting rockers. I have always taken such good care of this vehicle as it cost me over $40K nearly ten years ago.

I now have a new silverado sitting in my garage now, & this makes my want to sell that truck too. I realize the 2003 is aging, but honestly I have seen vehicles 3 years old in worse condition than how I have kept this one. Even the clear coat on the wheels is in near perfect condition.

I was planing on putting it for sale on craigslist this weekend, & now I need to look into replacing the entire rockers. Something stinks with this...... & it isn't going to be cheap to fix.... I am not happy.

Check with the dealer. I thought the warranty on rust through was 10yrs/100K miles but that might have changed with the old GM going through bankruptcy. Worth a shot though.

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by 68ragtop

I am detailing my 2003 Silverado that am putting up for sale soon. I have owned it since new. The truck has 87K miles on it, No dings, dents or scratches. Being a car guy, I have kept it in the garage 95% of the time & car washes regularly. looking underneath it today, I noticed some bubbling on the rockers & was absolutely shocked when I pushed on a bad spot & my fingers went right through! This is unbelievable too me. no other panels have any showing of rust anywhere, doors seams, etc. I did a little googling to find out these trucks are chronic with rusting rockers. I have always taken such good care of this vehicle as it cost me over $40K nearly ten years ago.

I now have a new silverado sitting in my garage now, & this makes my want to sell that truck too. I realize the 2003 is aging, but honestly I have seen vehicles 3 years old in worse condition than how I have kept this one. Even the clear coat on the wheels is in near perfect condition.

I was planing on putting it for sale on craigslist this weekend, & now I need to look into replacing the entire rockers. Something stinks with this...... & it isn't going to be cheap to fix.... I am not happy.

I wouldn't fix it. Spend money to fix it only with the possibility to get it back on the sale? Nah.

[77 Canamman]

Originally Posted by Old Blue 66

I wouldn't fix it. Spend money to fix it only with the possibility to get it back on the sale? Nah.

Agreed. Does not make sense at all!

[68ragtop]

Originally Posted by 77 Canamman

Agreed. Does not make sense at all!

Thing is, this truck is not a beater at all & its worth putting money into Yes, it's 10 years old but its very nice other than the rockers. It's never even received a door ding in the ten years I have owned it. It's a 2500HD Duramax LT with 85K on it. I ordered it new every with option. leather interior shows no wear & everything works perfect. KBB private party value is 18,000-19,000 which seems too high to me. Before seeing the rust I had hoped to ask $16000 for it. I know I would not pay that kind of money for anything that is starting to rust. I feel like it just turned into $12K truck. Maybe I am wrong? If I can get it fixed for under 2K I feel like I could recoup that. But maybe I should just see what the real market is on the truck & ask a couple grand less. Getting sick of it just sitting in the garage waiting for me to do something with it.

[73 bird]

Can't blame the snow or salted roads here. We got around 3 inches of snow this past winter and we rarely get more than a few inches a year. My 02 is rusting below both rear doors and my friend's 01 that he bought new and has always been in this area has 2 big holes in both rockers. Both also have the clear coat and paint coming off the hood and top. Still like the truck and my 14 year old son wants it so I will probably patch it up and have it painted this summer and keep it around a few more years. No problems with my 96 F250, 99 E350 work van or 98 F700 dump truck.

[68ragtop]

Originally Posted by 73 bird

Can't blame the snow or salted roads here. We got around 3 inches of snow this past winter and we rarely get more than a few inches a year

While I think the Salt doesn't help anything, I also don't think its the salt. I think our humid climate hurts them, but its just a crap design IMO. I took my borescope & slid it into the hole in the rocker. Its a mess in there, no question the rust started on the inside & is working its way out. I'll see if I can take some pictures, its quite surprising in a bad way.

[pggto]

I have a 2003 GMC 1500, yep the rockers are starting to fall apart, the bottom of the doors are also rusting at the seams. my truck spends most of its time garaged but did have to sit out this winter. Pretty disappointing.

[65blackplate]

prety common around here too i have seen 04-05's rusted out and over the rear wheels too is another weak spot. actually i was talking to a friend last week and showed me his 07 (newer style truck) that is rusting above the rear wheel opening on BOTH sides

[GTOnly70]

Another great reason to live in Texas.

[400 4spd.]

Originally Posted by 68ragtop

I am detailing my 2003 Silverado that am putting up for sale soon. I have owned it since new. The truck has 87K miles on it, No dings, dents or scratches. Being a car guy, I have kept it in the garage 95% of the time & car washes regularly. looking underneath it today, I noticed some bubbling on the rockers & was absolutely shocked when I pushed on a bad spot & my fingers went right through! This is unbelievable too me. no other panels have any showing of rust anywhere, doors seams, etc. I did a little googling to find out these trucks are chronic with rusting rockers. I have always taken such good care of this vehicle as it cost me over $40K nearly ten years ago.

I now have a new silverado sitting in my garage now, & this makes my want to sell that truck too. I realize the 2003 is aging, but honestly I have seen vehicles 3 years old in worse condition than how I have kept this one. Even the clear coat on the wheels is in near perfect condition.

I was planing on putting it for sale on craigslist this weekend, & now I need to look into replacing the entire rockers. Something stinks with this...... & it isn't going to be cheap to fix.... I am not happy.

My son has a 2001 Z71 that has the same problem, rotted from the inside out. It has running boards that hid the problem when he bought it last fall. It grew fast. Tomorrow I'm going to price a new rocker for it, and I have to put a piece in the lower rt. rear door where it's swollen out.