I just got off the phone with the people over at 4ws/Rugged Ridge regarding my powder coating on the bumper. I will upload pictures later, but I found some chips and spots on the bumper where the powder coating was thin/smooth (on the insider of the winch mount) and a couple chips that they claim are from installation- one chip is rusting now. Now I installed the bumper in 23 degree weather, but I don't remember chipping the bumper with my install. Even so, would anyone be concerned that the powder coating came off that easily? How strong should a powder coating be? The best they can do for me, is credit 50 dollars to my account. I am just worried that the powdercoating will chip away further and be left with a spotty bumper.

 

figures, the bumper I order has finish issues. Lucky for me I didnt get the winch bumper, Im sure they are more difficult to finish.

x2 on keeping us posted. I wonder if anyone else is having this issue. I know OMIX makes many more bumpers for other model vehicles

 

In addition, I just looked, it looks like rocks from the road are making tiny chips in the powder coating, is this natural?

 

powder coats suck if you live cold climates.mine peeled off like a bad sunburn in one winter. get it coated in some rubber liner sray on stuff, i forget what they call it.

 

I think $50 sounds reasonable for your powdercoating issues. It may not be enough to redo the whole bumper, but it sounds like some good will nonetheless.

 

Dont re-powder cote. it cant take the contract-expansion of living in a frigid enviroment. I lived in Alaska, mine looked like they pulled it off the titanic after 1 season. Ill never own anything p/c again. I dont know why people like it so much. Its totaly overated crap.Krylon is better @ 99 cents a can.

 

dont stand for it! take it off and ship it to me

 

that's a bummer about the PC on your bumper. I was really impressed with the fit finish and quality of the packaging that my Rugged Ridge products came in. Powder coating is a not an exact science, maybe you just got a bad one from the bunch.

 

A lot has to do with the prep work to et it ready for coating.

For comparison...Freinds and my self with Shrockworks powder coat found it to be incredibly tough, and even gouging it with sharp rocks, using p coated sliders for pivot turns against rocks, errant traffic, etc...didn't significan'y hurt it...it never flaked off, a direct grind against a rock can gouge it, but the edges stayed tight, didn't ship up or peel off, etc.

The same gang, and myself that had Calmini (Pure____ products), while we enjoyed the engineering of the products, we noticed the powder coat peeled off like colorforms, horrible durability,, and when cold, cracked and flaked off, when hit with a rock, flaked off, if an edge was gouged, the rest peeled off, etc.

So - Its not Powdercoating that sucks...GOOD powder coating is great, and a rattle can can STILL be used for touch up when I DO gouge it on a rock, etc...but the good stuff stays on. I had to wait a year for a shrock slider gouge to rust enough to hit it with POR15...before a yr, it didn't even change color at the gouge...and I have not had a rig that fits into a garage for decades...so that with a yr of weathering/wheeling.



Summary -

GOOD Powder Coating is great, and DOESN'T fall off.

BAD Powder coating sucks, and falls off....Use POR15 to treat the rust, and the POR15 overcoatings to protect the undercoating fro UV, etc....the POR15 stuff is tough as nails too.

 

Thanks a bunch for the suggestion for treating it! It was really cold when I got it, like 23 degrees, so that may explain what it flaked off so easily.