Rust below outside door hinge

Hi,
We have a 2011- 2350 without a slide.  We have only had the RV for 4 months.  We have recently noticed rust just below the 2 outside door hinges.  We have spoken to Kermit about this problem.  He has assured me that this is a common occurence and not to be concerned about it.  Our concern is that once the rust stain has been cleaned up, it will continue to rust and will again become stained.  We asked about putting a sealant around the hinge.  He said I could put a small line of silicone just under the bottom of the hinge.  That this might prevent the staining.  Has anyone tried this?  Or have you found another way to attack this issue?  Also, what have you used to remove the rust stain?
Thanks in advance for your suggestions-
Roni

Haven't had any rust in the year+ that we've had our 2350, but ...we do live in Arizona.

Kermit felt the problem was that moisture gets under the hinge and will cause the rust stain.  The hinge is attached over an unpainted section. 

I have picked up CLR remover but have not yet used it.  I have also picked up a clear silcone sealant from West Marine.  After the upcoming storm and everything dries out, I will clean off the rust and lay a bead of silicone under both hinges.

Anyone with other suggestions?  Thanks-
Roni

Roni

I checked on the CLR website and they specifically state "DO NOT use CLR on a painted surface".  Here is a link to their customer answer line they might be able to provide a more detailed answer.

http://www.jelmar.com/contactexpert.htm

A good polish/cleaner followed by a good quality wax might be a safer bet.  Also, determine if the door has a clear coat on it.  If a clear coat is present it will affect your polish/cleaner/wax selection.

Barry

Barry,
Now I am really concerned.  I do not want to use anything that would be too caustic.  Kermit mentioned using either something called The Works or the CLR.  He did say to use very little.  My RV has full body paint.  I did try to use a lysol wipe- it did not remove the rust stain.  What type of polish/ cleaner would you suggest?
Thanks, Roni

Roni

Here is my opinion, I would use Meguiar's Scratch X 2.0 to remove the rust stain from your paint.  I have used it in the past to remove scratches and paint swirls on small areas, it works well.

Just as an added test, I just went out to the garage and tried it on a rust stain I have been putting off removing.  Well, no need to put it off any longer.   The stain is gone and the paint is now bright and shiny.

Also, here is the phone number for Meguiar's Customer Care Center 800-347-5700.  They could confirm my choice or may have a better solution.

Barry

Barry,
Thank you so much for your help and suggestions.  I did email CLR with the question about using the product on paint.  I have not yet received an answer.  The more I read about the product, the more I questioned it's use.

I know the Meguiar's products are good.  I will try to find the product locally and I will also call the Customer Care Center.  Thanks for their phone number.

I really appreciate your help and that you went out and tried the product on rust yourself.
I'll report back as to how I do.
Thanks again-
Roni

On my old motor home with only the gel-coat finish, it developed rust stains around hardware that eventually could not be 100% removed.  But at that elderly in it's 20's, I no longer was a perfectionist.

A polishing compound like mentioned above worked best, though I never did try CLR.  That might have done better.  It makes sense to use on gel coat, but not painted surfaces as it might etch the paint.

Update on rust issue-
I was not able to find Macguiar's scratch product locally.  I was able to find the Nu-finish scratch doctor that seemed similar.  I was not able to get all the rust off.  It is a difficult area to access.  During the process of trying to remove the rust, I realized just how much rust there actually is.  It is rusting under the entire bracket that holds both door hinges.  After looking at another Phoenix cruiser, I realized ours does not have a weld at the bottom of the hinge.  Don't know if that makes any difference.
I did speak with Kermit and he agreed to having our RV looked at by a body shop.  We just got back from the body shop.  We do not want to have the door removed.  They suggested applying a rust retardant and a silicone sealant around the entire bracket.  The shop feels this will hopefully keep the rust in check for now.  We will have this done  in about 2 weeks.
I will let you know how it turns out-
Roni
 

I just looked at ours and found a little rust color at the bottom of the upper hinge but none at the lower where it's painted.
From what I can tell, the rust color is coming from the bolt securing the hinge base to and through the side of the PC.
BTW, the hinge is not welded to the door. What you see is sealer that has been applied well enough to look like a weld. If it were welded there would be no way to properly align the door to the PC at installation.

As a side comment:
I noticed 1 of the 2 1/4" bolts at the upper hinge securing it to the door backed out quite a bit. The other was less than finger tight (this is probably what occasionally prevented the dead bolt from engaging properly unless I forcefully slammed the door).

When I removed the 1/4" bolt to install a lock washer between the bolt's head and flat washer, I noticed the installed flat washer was for a 5/16" bolt.
Consequently, I tightened the bolts to insure the door didn't move and then removed them one at a time to install thicker flat and heavy lock washers. NOTE: Tighten the bolts firmly but do not over tighten as they will probably strip the threads and you'll be up the proverbial creek.

Another side comment:
Sealing around the hinge plate may stop the rust color from spreading but it will not stop the rust causing it. I believe a stainless steel carriage bolt with rubber seal between the hinge plate and door would do a better job at that. However, that would probably require removal and reinstallation of the door and associated hardware.

I too have a very very small sign of rust there too.  I keep mine in the garage most of the time and I believe that is why it is soo small. I will have to keep my eye on it.

DJM