my Newmar

Ivylog wrote:
Phosphoric acid is the active ingredient in all rust inhibitors and can be bought by the gallon in the paint department of Home Depot. Using a shop cleaning spray gun you can spray the undercarriage (staying upwind) yourself. Driving in a heavy rain is a good way to clean the undercarriage and once dry I would spray the bottom with Fluid Film using the same cleaning gun. You can buy FF by the gallon.

I'm no chemist, but there is a difference between a rust inhibitors and a rust converter.

Phosphoric acid is the active ingredient in all rust inhibitors and can be bought by the gallon in the paint department of Home Depot. Using a shop cleaning spray gun you can spray the undercarriage (staying upwind) yourself. Driving in a heavy rain is a good way to clean the undercarriage and once dry I would spray the bottom with Fluid Film using the same cleaning gun. You can buy FF by the gallon.

Pirate wrote:
They sell a sprayable rust convertable but I can't find any outside reviews for this stuff. Also, MSDS says not to breath vapors so looks like it will need pro install/application and not DIY homeowner.

This is a latex solution, not liquid U235 or your local vitamins, I gave the owners a bit of common sense, in that they would use to proper protection.
We are not all as stupid as the internet would have us believe.

A tyvek suit from Home Depot and a paint mask with goggles should be all you need, it is like the interior latex paint you use to paint houses. It ain't some thing you like to get on ya.

IT is a good idea to scrub the area, I'd use ZEP"s Purple Industrial cleaner and degreaser, Soak it down then a pressure washer get it as clean as possible prior to coating with rust converter.

Be careful The ZEP industrial cleaner is a very strong cleaner, don't breath the fumes, or get it on ya. But it will cut grease and grime better than anything I've seen before.

I would not be happy after seeing this as well. To me, the dealer let it sit too long after the RV delivery with road salt on the chassis. When,or if, they washed the chassis, it appears weeks had already gone by. The dealer should at least cover the cost of a professional rust prevention procedure, possibly a few times over the warranty period. You are currently not a happy Newmar customer, Newmar should at least suggest the dealer cover this cost, or maybe they even share the cost with the dealer. You are both Newmar's & the dealer's customer and have been a good customer for Newmar after owning several other Newmar RV's.
This is what is used to protect the large highway salt trucks in our area from road salt damage:
http://www.rustcheck.com/
I have it applied to my vehicles.
I don't see a locations in your city(only Duluth) , but there are locations is some other northern states.

Tom/Barb wrote:

RustyNewmar wrote:
Dear fellow RV'ers, here is a link to the pictures from underneath our brand new Mountain Air. Please note most of these shots were taken by the dealer prior to us taking delivery !

https://imgur.com/a/7InJw

Thank you, Paul & Kim.

I do not know how much Newmar has to do with how a coach is treated or used after sale. Your pictures show mostly chassis parts that are rusted. It looks like the rust is mostly surface rust, and not a safety issue.
If this were my problem, I would spray the whole chassis with THIS Then keep an eye on it. see more rust, spray it again.

This stuff works well applied with a small garden pump up sprayer.

They sell a sprayable rust convertable but I can't find any outside reviews for this stuff. Also, MSDS says not to breath vapors so looks like it will need pro install/application and not DIY homeowner.

gonesouth wrote:
Bottom Line, The current damage is minor. Next time follow Bruce's rules to limit exposure to salt and brine. He's an experienced Newmar guy and if he feels that extent of precautions is necessary when buying Newmar I'd believe him.

This has nothing to do with being a Newmar, it's anything that is exposed to the brine being used on the roads today. ANY vehicle exposed to the brine will suffer the same.

The OPs MH was clearly driven in a heavy brine, you can see it in the pictures.

In this case so far it's nothing more than surface rust. I honestly wonder how much will clean itself off once driven in normal conditions. Driving in the rain is a wonderful way to wash and flush the underside of a vehicle.

I'm on the road for work, I drive through a bunch of rain. For my vehicles rust hasn't been much of an issue. My wife drives a mile back and forth to work, we've started leasing her car, and brine is a big part of why.

doxiemom11 wrote:
Salt air in the coastal state will cause rust too. Doesn't even have to be driven anywhere.

Very true. I just did a mechanical inspection on a coach that had spent most of its life very close to the Gulf of Mexico. LOTS of rust. Very sad, as it was a nice coach otherwise. Ferrous metal and salt air "don't play nice together".

Salt air in the coastal state will cause rust too. Doesn't even have to be driven anywhere.

Bottom Line, The current damage is minor. Next time follow Bruce's rules to limit exposure to salt and brine. He's an experienced Newmar guy and if he feels that extent of precautions is necessary when buying Newmar I'd believe him.

To remediate this problem, get the underside power washed using fresh water. Then spray with a rust converter product. To decide which one talk to some old tractor or old car guys. They deal with old rusty parts all the time and want their restored unit looking new, so you need their experience to end up in the same place.

I'd then set up a maintenance program to inspect the underside every six months and do another round of rust conversion. If there's too much new rust at six months, shorten the time span. Or go longer if you're ok with the current rate of decay.

What you have isn't serious, but you are a couple of years farther up the curve than you paid for. I'd not recommend your dealer to friends or use them again.I'd also ask the dealer to pay for the treatment.

Tom/Barb wrote:

MountainAir05 wrote:
You also could bead blast it clean, then seal it. Do not use sand.

That's a lot of work, and you will miss some, and it will be back. you miss some, then cover it will continue and covered you won't see it.

wash it as best you can, treat it, watch it. the bottom of the coach chassis takes a beating the covering (what ever you use) will get chipped away, So it is a continual fight to keep it nice.

I'd bet that 99% of the coaches that are 5 years old or better have corrosion, and the owners never looked.

Yes I agree , do the best you can and watch it.