CaliRust Sliders

I have these sliders with the Rhino lining and it works really well. I dont have any rust and the lining provides a really nice grip so your feet dont slip off. I have scratched them in a few spots as I do actually use them for their intended purpose, and it was a clean scrape that didnt banana peel back any part of the lining. I just did some rust prevention clean up and touched it up with rattle can raptor lining and it matches pretty closely, just slightly more glossy but it doesnt really matter since its the underside and their not for looks anyway.

 

Anyone saying that your wheel, tire, suspension, mud flaps, etc are to blame are forgetting what forum they are on. You obviously know these are contributing factors, but, and I don’t know how many times I have to say it, THESE ARE FROM AN OFF-ROAD BRAND AND SPECIFICALLY MARKETED TO SETUPS LIKE YOURS. It’s a silly argument and it’s annoying.

 

With my very minimal experience of powder coating, the substrate has to be textured so the finish has more surface area to grip onto. I'd scrape away a 'good' section and check the tube. If smooth, they did a shit prep job. Even paint primer will hardly stick. I've had Kem Kromik fail because I got lazy before.

For my projects I use the cheap, outdoor HF blaster with coal slag. Then after cleaning and degreasing, it helps to off-gas the parts with a bake before applying powder. When done correctly the coating should survive impacts. There are test standards for this but I'm not versed, nor going to look them up. Industrial lines use them and I think it's something similar to a hardness test. Also, unsure of the powder's base material (they really shouldn't have gotten this wrong), but urethane and polyester are the best bet for outdoor applications.

All that can go out the window if you use them as sliders. Nothing will survive that other than continually coating POR15 or touching up with paint/bed liner/whatever.

I'd pull them and have them properly prepped and shot with new powder before throwing in the towel.

 

It's not at all a "silly argument." If you throw sand and salt at 70mph+ at your paint, lining, or powdercoat, it's going to fail. Most serious offroaders are NOT going for the MASSIVE poke look, but Instagram has changed things.

Will the sliders stop quarter panel damage? Yes.
Are they immune to the effects or wear and erosion? No.
Do you increase the rate of wear by placing them in the direct path of sand and salt? Absofuckinglutely.

I have Caliraised sliders. Mine are powder coated. I have had to touch them up several times due to scrapes and dings on rocks, road salt, sand, etc. My wheels are further inside the wheel wells that the OPs. I live in a state where it snows heavily and we apply salt/sand to the roads liberally.

You can literally see the damage pattern on the OP's picture showing that the powder coat is being worn away by the abrasiveness of sand and salt from ON ROAD driving, and not OFFROAD driving.

 

To put it another way:

You push the tires out that far and it increases debris that flies up and on to the side of the vehicle.

If you install sliders the sliders become the sacrificial lamb, but they protect your paint.

If you drive in an environment where they salt the road, you need to be VERY quick to cover up the inevitable dings and damage that will naturally appear on any coated surface as a result of just driving down the road. If you don't, corrosive materials will collect behind the coating. A small rust patch will grow quickly, as it will push away the coated surfaces around it and allow more and more corrosive materials to collect in ever larger quantities between the bare steel and the coating. Corrosive materials, like salts, attract and preserve moisture. Moisture causes rust.

Expecting a powdercoated surface to last without maintenance in this type of environment is "silly."

 

naval jelly, wire brush to get most of the rust then next day rustoluem rattle can. note you may need to chip/remove some of the powdercoat around the rust areas to get the hidden rust

 

No one is expecting powder coat to last in that type of environment, so you’re going off on a rant for no reason. He expected his powder coat to last for longer than 3 SUMMER months. He also never said his set up was the best for protecting his powder coat, which is my point. People on here saying that he shouldn’t have any poke with those sliders are making a silly argument because he wasn’t saying poke was GOOD for the sliders and the brand that makes them wouldn’t tell people not to have any poke because those are the exact people that buy their product. He simply wanted his coat to last more than 3 months, of which the roads were not sand or salted. He reached out to the company and they told him to kick rocks. He just wanted info on if / how he can fix the issue.

that’s my entire point. He’s getting 30+ posts about why he’s to blame for the coat chipping, rather than what to do about it. His set up was not the cause for the issue, if it was happening immediately after purchasing the sliders. On top of that, people are literally telling him he shouldn’t have that setup if he doesn’t want rusty sliders. THAT is silly. Just give him advice on how to fix his sliders, if you’ve (proverbial you) got any, or move on. This forum has turned into an Instagram comment section the past couple years and it’s annoying

 

I'm not seeing pictures of "3 summer months." I'm seeing pictures of 18 months with no maintenance. No one is saying he shoulnd't have any poke - what everyone is saying, and rightfully so, is that this contributes heavily to the wear on any coated surface. Add abrasives and corrosives to the mix and you expectedly get what the OP is sharing. Wait for 18 months and I'm surprised it's not worse than it is.

I'm thankful that these companies deny unfounded warranty claims, otherwise the cost for those of us who did regularly and properly maintain our equipment would go up.

 

I bet you’re real fun at parties, huh?

He made the claim after 3 summer months of driving. They did nothing. That was 15 months ago. read the thread before you act like you have some sort of authority to speak on it.

 

Were you there for that call/email/PM? No? So you know just as much as me, which is that we're looking at a pair of sliders that have clearly been neglected for a long period of time. I mean, the idea that the OP called at 3 months and was told they were not going to be covered, and yet still waited another 15 months before complaining or trying to fix the problem kind of makes it worse.

I'm great at parties. I have a lot of quality booze, I've got a good sense of humor, and I'm pretty honest and fair about nearly everything. I have better taste in hats, too.

 

Okay, now we’re assuming OP is lying. You’re exactly the type of person I assumed you were

 

Nope, I'm saying we have one side of the story and clear evidence of a failure to properly maintain. It doesn't matter at this point if he called them at 3 days - they were right to deny coverage after the product was installed. What do you expect - that they have them sent back on their dime, re-coat, and ship them back? I bet you're one heck of a Karen when they put tomatoes on the burger when you clearly asked for no tomatoes.

Most of us would have just cleaned and rattle canned and not waited 15 months before complaining about a vendor on the forums that the rest of us apparently forgot what they were for.

Durr.

 

Yep. This all sounds exactly like something “that guy” would say. I love that you got all spun up because, 2 days ago, I said people feeling the need to point out that OPs set up is a problem are “silly”… so then you went full John Wick, except zero skill or intelligence, and filled the thread with absolute nonsense…kinda makes you the biggest “Karen” I’ve ever seen

 

You're a class-act, cowboy. I love your "I know you are but what am I" arguments. Definitely a higher intellect. I'm beat, you win. Hope they get that burger right for ya.

Also I'm not sure how a comment you made this morning was...2 days ago. Take that hat off, give your brain some oxygen.

 

Last word

 

wow, this turned into a circus real fast. Appreciate the advice from those that gave it.

 

Just to be clear I didn't wait 15 months, Cali was notified immediately when it was clear the powder coat was failing. I didn't ask money back, or for a warranty claim, simply inquired as to who does the their powder coating and how long it should last as 3 months (at that time) seemed pretty pathetic. This thread was not a complaint, just asking some fellow truck lovers what their advice was.

 

But I mean you still love ME, right? ​

 

Boy this thread took a turn

 

yeah was surprised when I checked in today!

 

Sorry to hear this happened. I've had my sliders almost 3 years. They are powder coated and holding up fine. I'm in the South though with little salt. Once a year I take some Rust-Oleum bed liner and apply it to the chipped spots with a Q tip. It takes me about an hour.

If you think they are worth saving, I would pay to have them sandblasted then try one of the products mentioned like Steelit.