Rust on roof bordering windshield

[Platinum2]

This can't hurt anything as well. Go to a reputable, independent body shop first. Get a formal written estimate from them, and explicitly ask the shop manager to write down their professional opinion on what caused it and whether it rotted from the inside out.

Take that official paperwork straight to the Ford dealership with you. When you have a professional body shop backing you up stating it's a structural failure/perforation issue, the dealer can't just casually brush you off and claim it's a regular old rock chip that caused the damage.

Dealer isn't going to care what any other body shop thinks. Most dealerships have their own body shops anyway and repairs, if any, will be evaluated and completed in accordance with the vehicle warranty to the extent there is any.

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[BK007]

Dealer isn't going to care what any other body shop thinks. Most dealerships have their own body shops anyway and repairs, if any, will be evaluated and completed in accordance with the vehicle warranty to the extent there is any.

We're both just speculating here. In my area, the opposite is true—most dealerships don't have an in-house body shop and outsource everything. Let's just wait and see what updates the OP brings back.

 

[MikeS1942]

Dealer isn't going to care what any other body shop thinks. Most dealerships have their own body shops anyway and repairs, if any, will be evaluated and completed in accordance with the vehicle warranty to the extent there is any.

I'm finding that to be more and more not the case. At least in my home town most dealers are using private body shops. They just supply the parts to the shops.

 

[Edge Haley]

I'm finding that to be more and more not the case. At least in my home town most dealers are using private body shops. They just supply the parts to the shops.

My dealership is HUGE, has 5 dealerships in 3 or 4 states....and their body shop is a 2 or 3 man operation that is MOSTLY for internal lot damage....No good body shop man would work for a dealership...can't pay the wages for a good paint/body person. Good paint/body guys are out in their own shops.

 

[rileyfuego]

Not sure how to treat this and living on the salt water doesn't help, so looking for a remedy to repair/fix this....

I have this same damn issue — no where near as bad yet — on my ‘24 XL with 28,000 km…. Ford told me the corrosion warranty will only cover if there’s actual holes gone through the metal. I’m looking to find a body shop that is able to fix it properly for me… but that seems far and few between nowadays.

wonder if Ford will recognize this is an issue and fix this for us and maybe offer a piece of PPF for the roof line there? Seems prone to catching stones and taking it right down to the metal

 

[WihakowiSteve]

Just an observation that "might" allay some of the concerns that this is some sort Ford issue. It could well be. No value judgments here, just facts:

~ South Padre Island is bordered on one side by the Gulf of Mexico. The beaches on that side are considered state highways so people cruise along at the edge of the surf in vehicles all day there. I've seen folks actually in the water chasing the waves along the beach.

~ The other side of the Island borders the Laguna Madre and, I quote, "The Laguna Madre is a rarity: one of perhaps six hypersaline (i.e. saltier than the ocean) lagoons in the world." It is incredibly saline. Some sources call it the "saltiest"! On windy days vehicles anywhere near the Laguna are covered with white brine and salt spray.

~ The narrow width of the island is such that no place on the island is more than mile from high tide in the Laguna to high tide in the gulf. In some places that width from "sea to sea" is less than 750' - about 2-1/2 football fields (or approximate 1 soccer pitch!).

~ Texas is renowned for trucks throwing stones off their beds. Most with big signs on the tailgate saying "Not Responsible for Damage Caused by This Vehicle"!

~ There are also lots of unpaved gravel and caliche roads that throw off plenty of aggregate.

So, I have no idea what the OP's driving, parking or vehicle usages are and make no assumptions and have no judgements. But - having any traditional metal vehicle full time on South Padre Island is a tough job for that vehicle to stay rust free! Ford or not.

I take my Mav there pretty much weekly but try to give a good shower - over & under - upon returning home. Our old motorhome, that we used to spend a fair amount of time with on the Island, had tons of surface rust after every trip, felt almost instantaneous. Anything ferrous and exposed suffered.

Just a perspective based on facts,
Steve

 

[Mav4Hogie]

Not sure how to treat this and living on the salt water doesn't help, so looking for a remedy to repair/fix this....

I had the same thing happen to my 2022 lariat. Dealers claims it is caused by rock chips and that it is not paint problem. Except for the fact that I can find the same thing on dozens of mavericks in Ottawa. Not to mention ton nine of the chips in the hood rust. Personally I think there is an issue with whatever primer/rust protection is under the paint. I had it fixed at my own expense and painted and then put ppf on it to avoid it from happening again.

 

[EVH5150]

I can almost guarantee that anyone with this chipping issue above the windshield has some sort of bug deflector/hood guard on their truck. Without one, you're likely getting chips in your windshield. I had a couple of chips in this area that I've since fixed. After my repair, I put a strip of 1/4" or 5/16" flexible black molding along this area that should help to protect it in the future. The black blends in well with the top of the windshield and doesn't produce any additional wind noise. By the way, regarding the post above and chips in the hood rusting, the Maverick's hood is aluminum, so there is no way that it's going to rust.

 

[EVH5150]

I'm pretty sure that this 5/16" was the one that I ended up using. I bought three different sizes to cover all of my bases since it's pretty inexpensive. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKNK28PQ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

 

[MiMav]

I can almost guarantee that anyone with this chipping issue above the windshield has some sort of bug deflector/hood guard on their truck...

I don't have a bug deflector, yet got a small (1/16") chip in the roof edge that quickly rusted and started spreading under the paint. Other vehicles I have had that got stone chips rarely went through the primer and even if it did the rust didn't spread so quickly. There's something uniquely bad about the Maverick roof. I have repaired my roof the best I can and now have covered the edge with:

https://www.amazon.com/XPEL-Door-Edge-Guard-Roll/dp/B00NPMCB0W?th=1

Sadly I have had a roll of this film since I got the truck, but had only applied it to the door edges and the back edge of the hood that can get hit if someone picks up a wiper.

 

[tpollauf]

have you previously replaced the windshield? I had rust like that back on a prior vehicle. People replacing the windshield chipped the paint and did not touchup the paint so rust formed under the rubber windshield gasket.

I've had this exact thing happen to my older 2004 Pontiac Vibe where someone before me, had the windshield replaced and they "scraped the paint" off while removing the old windshield. I did not notice it until the headliner started getting wet when in rained. Yep, rust was so bad that it went through and rain water penetrated the headliner. Had to pull the windshield and repair it. Lucky for me I have "windshield" friends and the whole ordeal cost me around $300. Did the work myself!

 

[gjallen3]

I can almost guarantee that anyone with this chipping issue above the windshield has some sort of bug deflector/hood guard on their truck. Without one, you're likely getting chips in your windshield. I had a couple of chips in this area that I've since fixed. After my repair, I put a strip of 1/4" or 5/16" flexible black molding along this area that should help to protect it in the future. The black blends in well with the top of the windshield and doesn't produce any additional wind noise. By the way, regarding the post above and chips in the hood rusting, the Maverick's hood is aluminum, so there is no way that it's going to rust.

Thank you for your input and I hope to get to the local dealer tomorrow...

So did you go to the dealer? Please update us to what they said.

 

[gjallen3]

I can almost guarantee that anyone with this chipping issue above the windshield has some sort of bug deflector/hood guard on their truck. Without one, you're likely getting chips in your windshield. I had a couple of chips in this area that I've since fixed. After my repair, I put a strip of 1/4" or 5/16" flexible black molding along this area that should help to protect it in the future. The black blends in well with the top of the windshield and doesn't produce any additional wind noise. By the way, regarding the post above and chips in the hood rusting, the Maverick's hood is aluminum, so there is no way that it's going to rust.

Did you apply the strip directly to the windshield or to the paint on the roof line?

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