Front Runner Slimline II Rack Corrosion

[WeissExplorers]

In the spring of 2024 I installed the Slimline II rack on our LC J120 and added attachments later on. After only 2 1/2 years and two winter seasons it looks like crap. Not only are the aluminium parts corroding below the coating, also the powder coated steel attachments are corroding. Even at positions where there is no scratch or damage to the coating, you'll find corrosion.

I am wondering if any one else has similar experiences with Front Runner? I've filed a complaint with the dealer, since I don't think corrosion this widespread is normal after two winters — especially on parts with no apparent mechanical damage at all. I'll report back on how that goes. What I'd really like to know is whether this is a batch issue or the general standard. Has anyone here had a Slimline II through several salted winters without the coating lifting? And if anyone has had a warranty claim on corrosion accepted or rejected, I'd be interested in how that was handled. The bracket for the LED bar is stainless steel with a corroding weld seam. That's another issue and not Front Runner related.

More detail on what's actually happening under the coating, and why all three materials are affected, is in a write-up I did on my blog.

Cheers

Sebastian

 

[RalphJeepGuy]

yeah man those aluminum racks can get gnarly quick depending where you live. ohio salt in winter will eat em up fast. i'd hit it with some good sealant or coating before it gets worse. seen guys use that ospho stuff or just wrap problem areas in protective tape. honestly easier to just keep it clean and dry when you can. mine collects water in the channels and that's asking for trouble

 

[MOAK]

Hmmm- my first Frontrunner rack was purchased and mounted atop our 80/450 series back in 2013 just after they became available in the U.S. I bought a second used one in 2019 for our expo trailer. 5 or six years in, a bit of paint had flicked off of the cast aluminum corners. I thought nothing of it, cleaned them up and repainted them. Other than that, the racks performed flawlessly for the 11 years I owned them. The rack for the trailer, was the same. I sold all that set up a year and a half ago as we were putting everything together for full time travel. I bought a Frontrunner rack for our F350 last summer with hesitation because Dometic had recently bought out Frontrunner. The cast aluminum corners are now polypropylene, which may or may not be better. So far, the rack is doing quite well only a year in. However, your experience with Frontrunner by Dometic justifies my hesitation. Years ago we bought a Tepui top of the line RTT, unfortunately just after Thule bought them out. It seems any time a quality mom & pop shop gets bought up by a large corporation the quality control falls off a cliff. There is a 5 year warranty on the rack. Good luck with that.

 

[WeissExplorers]

Hmmm- my first Frontrunner rack was purchased and mounted atop our 80/450 series back in 2013 just after they became available in the U.S. I bought a second used one in 2019 for our expo trailer. 5 or six years in, a bit of paint had flicked off of the cast aluminum corners. I thought nothing of it, cleaned them up and repainted them. Other than that, the racks performed flawlessly for the 11 years I owned them. The rack for the trailer, was the same. I sold all that set up a year and a half ago as we were putting everything together for full time travel. I bought a Frontrunner rack for our F350 last summer with hesitation because Dometic had recently bought out Frontrunner. The cast aluminum corners are now polypropylene, which may or may not be better. So far, the rack is doing quite well only a year in. However, your experience with Frontrunner by Dometic justifies my hesitation. Years ago we bought a Tepui top of the line RTT, unfortunately just after Thule bought them out. It seems any time a quality mom & pop shop gets bought up by a large corporation the quality control falls off a cliff. There is a 5 year warranty on the rack. Good luck with that.

I can only agree and thats exactly what I experience. However, I also have a Dometic Fridge and so far it works great, no problems at all.

Thanks, we will see how it goes with the warranty claim.