Picked up my '07 Today but...

MuskyHunter · 11-11-2006, 03:20 PM

I just picked up my 2007 Titan this afternoon and all is well. But one thing is bothering me is that I had the truck rust proofed and they sprayed the finned differential cover. I am thinking about removing the coating, but what solvent do I need to use that is not corrosive to the aluminum cover? Anyone have experience with this?

All in all the '07 feels solid and I haven't really noticed the advantage of the VVT or the additional HP and torque yet, but I only have 27 miles on it. We will see once it starts to get broken in.

**ArmyAviation** · 11-11-2006, 03:30 PM

They sprayed over the dif cover? thats not good, I would make them replace it. If you want to clean it just use a solvent thats petroleum base.

sudden urge · 11-11-2006, 03:32 PM

That was sooooo stupid of them to spray a goog looking cover. That's like spraying a polished exhaust tip imo. I would take it back to them and tell them to remove the spray from the cover at no charge.

AgTitan06 · 11-11-2006, 04:33 PM

make them replace it.

Mr. B · 11-11-2006, 07:55 PM

Rust Proofing ???? are you crazy ...... I thought that scam went away back in the mid 80's ..... I had an '85 Thunderbird "Zebarted" when I bought it and that crap turned into a big hassle later on when it was time to start working on stuff under the car ...... never, ever, ever again will I allow anybody to squirt that crap on a vehicle of mine.

**ArmyAviation** · 11-11-2006, 07:58 PM

you dont need rust proofing its a waste of money. Cars today already have it when its manufactured

sudden urge · 11-11-2006, 08:15 PM

I would of said the same thing about additional rustproofing, but he already had it done. It just gets me mad that they sprayed an aluminum cover with that **** when it would of taken one minute to mask off and cover it before spraying.

Bayou Titan · 11-11-2006, 08:44 PM

I would take a long look at everything else underneath your truck before I took it back to the rustproofing place. Look for linkages, drain holes, and other things that may have been sprayed but shouldn't have.

MuskyHunter · 11-11-2006, 08:51 PM

Well, I got the gunk off the cover using paint thinner and it looks fine. Thanks for the info. That was pretty stupid on Auto Armors part.

Rustproofing probably doesn't make sense in other climates, but I would not think of buying a vehicle without rust proofing because of the amount of salt that are used on our roads between November and April. I didn't have it on my GMC and it literally disinegrated from the underside, even with regular washings. My other vehicles with rust proofing held up well over time.

As far as observations on the '07 over my '05, I have noticed a few differences:

1. The spare is now a steel wheel and not an alloy rim. (sucks)
2. The floor shifter is much quieter when selecting gears and more fluid.
3. Brakes do seem more firm than after the '05 brake fix.
4. Power band seems to be smoother at lower to medium rpm's.
5. Exhaust drone is reduced.
6. Radio reception for the RF system is improved.

The truck came with a bed extender and underseat storage, for which I was not charged for. Not sure if I am going to keep those options.

smokeTXtitan · 11-11-2006, 09:12 PM

ya they scamed you with rust proofing. A con sale. Thats like a protective coating for paint wear scam.

miketan · 11-11-2006, 09:23 PM

That stuff is a huge sales gimmick just like the paint sealant protection some dealers want you to pay extra for. My truck had the paint sealant protection added to the dealer markup list, but I didn't pay for it. I'll bet it probably didn't even have it. Only the base XE's had the paint sealant added to the dealer markup list on the lot.lol!

If this was 1967 or something, I can see getting a car or truck rustproofed. But these days, most vehicles already have a 5-year unlimited mile rust protection warranty.

Spraying over the finned aluminum cover? Ugh! That's SLOPPY work! With that type of workmanship, I bet they didn't even pressure wash and clean the chassis for a clean surface. They need to clean the axle cover for you or get you a new one.

smokeTXtitan · 11-11-2006, 09:24 PM

I don't pay for that crap either. If i did not ask for, I don't want it. Bastards are so crooked.

NorCal 4x4 · 11-11-2006, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bayou Titan

I would take a long look at everything else underneath your truck before I took it back to the rustproofing place. Look for linkages, drain holes, and other things that may have been sprayed but shouldn't have.

Good point!

Check out the rear differential's breather element valve as a starting point.

MuskyHunter · 11-11-2006, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Check out the rear differential's breather element valve as a starting point.

Quote:

I would take a long look at everything else underneath your truck before I took it back to the rustproofing place. Look for linkages, drain holes, and other things that may have been sprayed but shouldn't have.

I plan on checking all of that out tomorrow. I didn't see anything on the breather valves nor on linkage, but will be more thorough tomorrow. Thanks for the recommendations.

MuskyHunter · 11-12-2006, 10:14 AM

I checked over the truck today and the coating was nicely done. Looks like they did mask the vehicle and things like the axle vent valves, suspension, etc are not touched. It just looks like they intentionally sprayed the cover and I will advise them not to to that on future trucks.

Something else I noticed about the drive shaft on the '07. On my '05 flicking my finger against the shaft sounded like a Caloway metal wood hitting a golf ball. On the '07 it is a dead thud. Either they are using a different aluminum alloy or they might have done some acoustic control. That was one of my complaints of the '05 was the whine at 60-65 mph. As I mentioned in another post, I felt the whine was probably a harmonic sound transmitted through the drive shaft from the differential gears.

Thanks for the input for checking the underside. I feel comfortable on the services performed.