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You gotta time it right if you want a vehicle made in Detroit to not arrive "salted." May to October is good.recklessly driven through salt-treated roads to freeze out on an off-site lot for the duration of a harsh Michigan winter
For the sake of argument… i don’t think they are entirely wrong. I believe the white chalky appearance is essentially the result of oxidation… a precursor to corrosion. Exposed aluminum has an affinity for oxygen which reacts to form the aluminum oxide. Yes it looks like $hit but it does stabilize and will help stop further corrosion to some extent. Salt however attacks the oxide and will worsen it… causing corrosion. More specifically, chlorides (i.e. sodium chloride) or sulfides attack the oxide… Likewise, trying to clean it off or even scratching it will cause it to again form the oxidation… like immediately. Only way to stop it is to clean and immediately coat… and you are basically stuck with paint, powder coat, or anodizing… at least two of which are fairly problematic at the point we are with these all now being installed. I too am curious to see where this will go with Ford… Also interesting looking at all of the posts is that some folks had some amount of coating that is clearly compromised. Others, myself included, ended up with bare aluminum… currently oxidized but not progressing… until winter lol.Went to the dealer today to have my scratched rear window replaced. Asked them to look at the shocks since I was there. I was told it was oxidation and they would not do anything about it. They said they have a brand new one on the lot with 40 miles on it that looks the same. They are wrong of course. Its 100% corrosion. Most likely from road salt, but at least I got it documented.
Thanks,
Tone
I am not a metallurgist so I cannot say that you are wrong. However, I think it's important to note that this metal is already anodized black. It is my understanding that anodized aluminum is not readily subject to oxidation. However it is subject to corrosion and it does appear that the truck was driven in road salt. Either way it's documented now. I will most likely get in there with a wire brush, some cleaning materials, and some paint and end up trying to take care of it myself.For the sake of argument… i don’t think they are entirely wrong. I believe the white chalky appearance is essentially the result of oxidation… a precursor to corrosion. Exposed aluminum has an affinity for oxygen which reacts to form the aluminum oxide. Yes it looks like $hit but it does stabilize and will help stop further corrosion to some extent. Salt however attacks the oxide and will worsen it… causing corrosion. More specifically, chlorides (i.e. sodium chloride) or sulfides attack the oxide… Likewise, trying to clean it off or even scratching it will cause it to again form the oxidation… like immediately. Only way to stop it is to clean and immediately coat… and you are basically stuck with paint, powder coat, or anodizing… at least two of which are fairly problematic at the point we are with these all now being installed. I too am curious to see where this will go with Ford… Also interesting looking at all of the posts is that some folks had some amount of coating that is clearly compromised. Others, myself included, ended up with bare aluminum… currently oxidized but not progressing… until winter lol.
Edit: Also not discounting the possibility of galvanic issues as others have speculated… again, will be interesting to see how this plays out with Ford. Good on you for documenting… we all need to document with dealers as opportunities present for service, etc.
Corrosion is oxidization. What we are seeing here is pretty extreme though.Went to the dealer today to have my scratched rear window replaced. Asked them to look at the shocks since I was there. I was told it was oxidation and they would not do anything about it. They said they have a brand new one on the lot with 40 miles on it that looks the same. They are wrong of course. Its 100% corrosion. Most likely from road salt, but at least I got it documented.
Thanks,
Tone
anodized aluminum is significantly better in salt spray, but not impermeable. But you pretty much have to live right next to the ocean to hit that level of exposure that you *might* see some minor pitting over many years. However, if you take a stainless steel bolt and put it in an anodized part then subject it to salt spray you will see corrosion much quicker. If I had one of these I’d take a multimeter and check to see if there’s a voltage difference between the solenoid housing and a solid ground point on the vehicle just to cross that off or pinpoint something.I am not a metallurgist so I cannot say that you are wrong. However, I think it's important to note that this metal is already anodized black. It is my understanding that anodized aluminum is not readily subject to oxidation. However it is subject to corrosion and it does appear that the truck was driven in road salt. Either way it's documented now. I will most likely get in there with a wire brush, some cleaning materials, and some paint and end up trying to take care of it myself.
Thanks,
Tone
Yeah i went back and looked at your pics and agree yours appear to have been anodized. Check mine out earlier in post… dual valve, definitely no anodizing. If you do try coating… post some pics of what you end up doing.I am not a metallurgist so I cannot say that you are wrong. However, I think it's important to note that this metal is already anodized black. It is my understanding that anodized aluminum is not readily subject to oxidation. However it is subject to corrosion and it does appear that the truck was driven in road salt. Either way it's documented now. I will most likely get in there with a wire brush, some cleaning materials, and some paint and end up trying to take care of it myself.
Thanks,
Tone
Agree 100%. This was a massive mistake, not a design feature.I find it curious that the new dual live valve shocks on the 2024 37 & R have uncoated solenoids with immediate corrosion (from every source and photo that I've seen of production trucks, including my own 37), but the non-dual live valve solenoids (on 2024 and previous Gen 3's) are anodized black. That's specifically what leads me to believe this is a bigger QC issue than is being admitted or reported.
If you look back at media photos of the dual live valve shocks, the solenoids appear to have clear anodizing and no corrosion.
I'm hesitant to touch my stock suspension until there is an official announcement/resolution from Ford and Fox (I have a full set of Eibach springs ready to go on).