Under truck inspection what to look for

[anothervr6kid]

Ask the seller for pictures. Most should accommodate. If they don't, I wouldn't want to give them my business.

I bought my last Gen 1 from a Ford dealership in Montana. I asked for specific underside pictures (to look for rust and abuse) and he got them all for me. Price was good and he got my business.

 

[CoronaRaptor]

You want pictures, because you want to make sure that it hasn't been undercoated, you want to check the suspension to see if it is stock or if its been modified properly and not hacked by some lifted vendor POS. Make sure the exhaust is stock or if it's modified, it is to your liking. Make sure the spare is still there. The underneath is just as important as the interior and the exterior. Like others have said, the obvious is looking for leaks and such. Good Luck!

 

[MarkM98]

I actually went and looked at a 2019 Raptor this afternoon at one of the local Ford dealers. They had a 2018 on the lot as well. I looked at both because the 2019 was an 801A truck and the 2018 was an 802A truck. The 2018 had a lot of mods on it. The front shocks were changed out to Fox Factory Race 3.0 internal bypass coil-over reservoir shocks, the rears were stock, but the leaf springs were Deaver Leaf Springs. The front and rear bumpers were ADD, the bed had some sort of sliding rack in it, and it had a retractable bed cover. I forget what brand the wheels were because when I started the truck up I thought it sounded a little off compared to the 2019 so that was a no on that one.

The 2019 was way more stock with 10,000 miles, but as stated above it was an 801A truck. It had Fuel Wheels (the spare matched the rest too) the front bumper had mesh inserts in the openings in front of the wheels. It als had a tri fold bed cover and the bed had a removable bed liner. I couldn’t crawl under the truck to check anything else out where it was parked due to snow. The sales man said the guy that traded this in was going to bring the stock wheels back in. He didn’t have an original window sticker printed out yet, so I don’t know if this truck came with the Bead Lock capable wheels from the factory. Yes it’s dirty, they didn’t clean it yet from it being traded in last night. But that’s ok.

 

[ZookieRap]

You want pictures, because you want to make sure that it hasn't been undercoated, you want to check the suspension to see if it is stock or if its been modified properly and not hacked by some lifted vendor POS. Make sure the exhaust is stock or if it's modified, it is to your liking. Make sure the spare is still there. The underneath is just as important as the interior and the exterior. Like others have said, the obvious is looking for leaks and such. Good Luck!

Lack of knowledge question, but why is an undercoating a bad thing? I live where we get snow and even if we don't get snow we get ice and therefore lots and lots of salt or whatever they use now (mag clor) that seems to be terrible for the underside of any vehicle. Guess I was thinking an undercoating might be a good thing but sounds like I might be wrong?

 

[CoronaRaptor]

Lack of knowledge question, but why is an undercoating a bad thing? I live where we get snow and even if we don't get snow we get ice and therefore lots and lots of salt or whatever they use now (mag clor) that seems to be terrible for the underside of any vehicle. Guess I was thinking an undercoating might be a good thing but sounds like I might be wrong?

If it was undercoated at the factory, before all the bolts etc were put on, I would agree with you 100%, but what most people do to preserve their trucks is coat the underside with Fluid FIlm or Amsoil products every year. I don't have any rust on mine after 11 years, but I am meticulous about pressure washing it every spring and letting it dry and spray fluid film on mine every spring and a really good coat again just before winter hits. I still have rust on my Deaver springs, but they are not falling apart or anything. You can't put undercoating on now that its used as it wont stick to and road film that's on the truck, it will peel and salt and water will get stuck behind the undercoating and it will rust out worse than you can imagine. Some people get really extreme on here, one member recently just took off all of his suspension and sanded the frame and primed and painted it to protect it and then put all new parts on. Good luck. Lots of stuff to look aat on here, you can use the search function or ask us more questions. We like helping.

 

[No Brakes]

Rust **** of this particular genre

 

[ZookieRap]

Wow that's insane. So without much detail as that's not the point of this thread and I can search for other comments but is there something I should plan to do to the underside of this used truck to help protect against the salt/rust or just leave it along and wash it as soon as possible after driving on salted roads?

I see where Corona and a comment in that video said to use Fluid Film but does that have the same problem on a used truck where this wasn't applied day 1 and while rust might not be present, dirt certainly is that might not let it adhere.

 

[CoronaRaptor]

Wow that's insane. So without much detail as that's not the point of this thread and I can search for other comments but is there something I should plan to do to the underside of this used truck to help protect against the salt/rust or just leave it along and wash it as soon as possible after driving on salted roads?

I see where Corona and a comment in that video said to use Fluid Film but does that have the same problem on a used truck where this wasn't applied day 1 and while rust might not be present, dirt certainly is that might not let it adhere.

Fluid Film and other good protectants, don't harden totally, they go on wet, Fluid Film is kind of yellowish (when thick) when first put on and a warning, it does stink for the first 2 - 3 days, like old gym socks, so I don't park it in the garage for a bit. In Canada its about $17 a spray can and I use 2-3 cans in the spring to recoat after pressure washing the old off and any dirt,etc. I also add another can or 2 in the fall before winter. Fluid Film soaks into any dirt on the underside of the vehicle, it even makes your suspension look shinier. Listen, nothing is 100% guaranteed, you have to have some common sense and hard work to keep your vehicle rust free. I drop my spare tire every year and all 4 tires off and clean under there properly with degreaser, etc, apply as much fluid film as possible until it is just about to drip on you. Sometimes you do little touch ups here and there, etc. While I do wash my truck by hand a lot at home, I will go to the car wash and use there pressure wands to spray up in the wheel wells and get all the dirt out inside the box inners and under the bumpers. To some people it sounds like a lot of work and they are probably better off just trading in on a new vehicle every 2 years and not bothering with anything. To each their own. Good luck.

 

[Mister Pinky]

The problem with any solvent based undercoating is that eventually the solvents will evaporate, the coating will dry and flake and allow moisture to get underneath the coating which promotes corrosion.

A product like Fluid Film/Woolwax (Same product, same manufacturer, Woolwax is thicker and more resistant to wash off with less smell) is that it’s not solvent based. FF/WW is based off lanolin which comes from sheep and never dries. It’s forms a tacky coating that salt and moisture is hard pressed to penetrate.

Your best bet, it to take a pressure washer along with a de-icing neutralizer and some soap, and blast the crap out of the undercarriage and whole truck. Then spray or have the product sprayed. You will need a good air compressor to do so.

 

[FordTechOne]

Do you know why they changed the colors of the coolant?

The reason I ask is because I'm getting a new transmission cooler and lines and I had yellow coolant so should I also make sure the use the yellow coolant or does it matter since it will all be new.

Thanks.

Ford switched to Yellow coolant because it is better in extreme cold. If your truck has yellow coolant, that is what the dealer needs to put back in.