Rust under 2024 Gladiator with 90 miles it, on dealer lot. Pics below.

[gonemad]

...which I didn’t see till I had owned it a week or so while installing rock sliders under it.

I bought it new in July, 2024 from a local dealer here in central NC. It had been on their lot since delivery in January 2024, to that dealership per the window sticker. Part of those 90 miles was driving it over and back to their other store 15-20 miles away where it sat for a while. The remaining mileage on it was not enough to drive the truck to our coastal beaches (much less back). We had no snow or ice events that involved brine on the roads here that I recall in this part of the state this past winter.

After seeing the rust, I went to the dealership on a Sunday morning while they were closed and crawled under nearly every Gladiator on the lot with a bright flashlight, and they all looked nice and new, whereas the underside of mine looked older than the 2017 F150 with 110,000 miles I traded to them.

I took these pics as soon as I saw the rust, and figured I’d show them to the dealership when I go in for the first service, which hasn’t occurred yet. I did send the pics to the salesman, but his comment was “surface rust, blah, blah.” I otherwise love the JT and don't have intention of trying to give it back. I tried that once thirty years ago, and went to the mat with a dealer over another issue. They prevailed upon me to let them try to take care of it (not rust), and it turned out to be one of my favorite vehicles of all time 135,000 miles later, so I’m not giving up on this JT.

The only plausible theory I can come up with is it rode on an auto transport from Toledo when brand new in a 2024 winter snow event that coated the bottom side of the Jeep with salt or brine. Otherwise, I got nothing.

Thoughts?
Thanks in advance.

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[MrJeep]

That stinks but at least it looks like mostly surface rust. I dragged my Gladiator over every rock in NW PA last summer on a wheeling trip and it looked like that in many places. I power washed and then fluid filmed the underside (one can is enough) and it is holding up very well.

 

[AmishMike]

That is annoying. Unfortunately, the paint under these things is crap and they rust rather easy.
People swear by Fluid-Film. I use rust converting primer and rattle can satin black.

 

[jac04]

The only plausible theory I can come up with is it rode on an auto transport from Toledo when brand new in a 2024 winter snow event that coated the bottom side of the Jeep with salt or brine. Otherwise, I got nothing.

I think you are probably correct. It does look like it was exposed to salt and then it sat for a while. Even after the original salt exposure dries, the salt continues to absorb moisture from the air and cause rust - it's the gift that keeps on giving.

My 2021 was built & delivered in summer of 2021. As soon as I got it home, I painted the axle housings, touched up the paint on the frame, and then used CRC HD Corrosion Inhibitor on all those pesky weld areas and wherever things are bolted together. It's been through 3 full New England winters and it looks like new, with no rust at all. That just goes to show you how nasty road salt can be.

 

[Janster]

Piss poor paint job (on the metal & frame, etc) from the factory….. Too thin or non existent. C’mon…... Overspray from an Auto Transport shoudn’t have any effect if the damn thing was painted/coated properly from the factory.

How many miles on it when you bought it? Looks like it did more traveling on the roads than it should’ve for being as new as it was. And….it even looks like someone took an offroad joy ride with it and got a little rock rash (scratched the paint off).

 

[jac04]

And….it even looks like someone took an offroad joy ride with it and got a little rock rash (scratched the paint off).

If you are talking about the bottom of the frame rail, this is a very common area for paint to be scratched off as a result of tie-downs for transport. Lots of reports of paint missing in this area. Mine had it, but I slathered on some brush-on oil-based RustOleum when I got it home.

 

[gonemad]

Piss poor paint job (on the metal & frame, etc) from the factory….. Too thin or non existent. C’mon…... Overspray from an Auto Transport shoudn’t have any effect if the damn thing was painted/coated properly from the factory.

How many miles on it when you bought it? Looks like it did more traveling on the roads than it should’ve for being as new as it was. And….it even looks like someone took an offroad joy ride with it and got a little rock rash (scratched the paint off).

90 miles on the odo when bought.

 

[TinMan2020]

All four corners of the frame on damn near every gladiator on my local lot in Tennessee is missing paint. It’s just a question of whether the rust had set in or not. My gladiator looked like this too. It’s either from them being tied down during transport or jig damage on the assembly line.

Look on the sides of your frame under the bed. I bet you will also find several curved scratches with missing paint there as well.

Its bullshit but common.

 

[TinMan2020]

Here.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/frame-rust.32185/

 

[Pakdoc]

I've used Rust-Bullet for a long long time on my saltwater motors. Originally designed just for this!

 

[ArizonaJeeper]

My Rubis have been blessed to be Arizona cars. Hit the spot rust with rattle can and good for 20 years.

 

[Dave D]

...which I didn’t see till I had owned it a week or so while installing rock sliders under it.

I bought it new in July, 2024 from a local dealer here in central NC. It had been on their lot since delivery in January 2024, to that dealership per the window sticker. Part of those 90 miles was driving it over and back to their other store 15-20 miles away where it sat for a while. The remaining mileage on it was not enough to drive the truck to our coastal beaches (much less back). We had no snow or ice events that involved brine on the roads here that I recall in this part of the state this past winter.

After seeing the rust, I went to the dealership on a Sunday morning while they were closed and crawled under nearly every Gladiator on the lot with a bright flashlight, and they all looked nice and new, whereas the underside of mine looked older than the 2017 F150 with 110,000 miles I traded to them.

I took these pics as soon as I saw the rust, and figured I’d show them to the dealership when I go in for the first service, which hasn’t occurred yet. I did send the pics to the salesman, but his comment was “surface rust, blah, blah.” I otherwise love the JT and don't have intention of trying to give it back. I tried that once thirty years ago, and went to the mat with a dealer over another issue. They prevailed upon me to let them try to take care of it (not rust), and it turned out to be one of my favorite vehicles of all time 135,000 miles later, so I’m not giving up on this JT.

The only plausible theory I can come up with is it rode on an auto transport from Toledo when brand new in a 2024 winter snow event that coated the bottom side of the Jeep with salt or brine. Otherwise, I got nothing.

Thoughts?
Thanks in advance.

Mine is over year old and in its 2nd Canadian winter and therr is almost no rust. A few dots thats it.

 

[BearFootSam]

...which I didn’t see till I had owned it a week or so while installing rock sliders under it.

I bought it new in July, 2024 from a local dealer here in central NC. It had been on their lot since delivery in January 2024, to that dealership per the window sticker. Part of those 90 miles was driving it over and back to their other store 15-20 miles away where it sat for a while. The remaining mileage on it was not enough to drive the truck to our coastal beaches (much less back). We had no snow or ice events that involved brine on the roads here that I recall in this part of the state this past winter.

After seeing the rust, I went to the dealership on a Sunday morning while they were closed and crawled under nearly every Gladiator on the lot with a bright flashlight, and they all looked nice and new, whereas the underside of mine looked older than the 2017 F150 with 110,000 miles I traded to them.

I took these pics as soon as I saw the rust, and figured I’d show them to the dealership when I go in for the first service, which hasn’t occurred yet. I did send the pics to the salesman, but his comment was “surface rust, blah, blah.” I otherwise love the JT and don't have intention of trying to give it back. I tried that once thirty years ago, and went to the mat with a dealer over another issue. They prevailed upon me to let them try to take care of it (not rust), and it turned out to be one of my favorite vehicles of all time 135,000 miles later, so I’m not giving up on this JT.

The only plausible theory I can come up with is it rode on an auto transport from Toledo when brand new in a 2024 winter snow event that coated the bottom side of the Jeep with salt or brine. Otherwise, I got nothing.

Thoughts?
Thanks in advance.

Man, I opened this thread expecting to see the usual hand wringing over what amounts to nothing but in your case this is bad!

I bought out 22' in September 2022 and it lived a mile from the Atlantic for the first month. Then we drove it cross country in snow (& NaCl) where it's spent the past 35k miles living a few miles from the pacific in an extremely rainy climate.

No rust, and all I do is lanolin spray once a year and power washing the undercarriage once a month in the mud season. It's actually impressed me since my previous vehicles were garage kept.

Now there is a theory that garages can be bad due to moisture buildup promoting corrosion. I think you have a claim on your hands, good luck.

 

[BearFootSam]

All four corners of the frame on damn near every gladiator on my local lot in Tennessee is missing paint. It’s just a question of whether the rust had set in or not. My gladiator looked like this too. It’s either from them being tied down during transport or jig damage on the assembly line.

Look on the sides of your frame under the bed. I bet you will also find several curved scratches with missing paint there as well.

Its bullshit but common.

I had a few scuffs on the frame from the factory. I hit them with lanolin a week after I bought it and I've never seen rust develop.
Paint is a sacrificial coating, it fails.

The important thing is to keep the metal protected from atmosphere by some means. If the paint fails you could repaint it but honestly a coating like wool wax will serve the same purpose. It won't last as long along but it's easy to reapply and is less finicky about prep than paint.
Just keep a can where you park and when you do your PMCS from time to time hit any spots that need it.

If you're like me, periodic encounters with logs, rocks and such scuff the undercarriage so it's a perpetual thing. Constantly repainting would be a chore, hence wax etc.

 

[Riverdog]

I've purchased new jeeps and chevys with rust, but living in upstate ny they will all rust to pieces anyways. I dream of retiring in the south west and driving something from the 70s with a desert patina and never having to wash it or put the top on again. And wearing the same clothes every day lmao

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