MBCClassboy

Can't believe my eyes. Only 6 years old and 62,000 miles on the clock.
This is the bottom of the drivers door. Suddenly there are about 6 of these. Thoughts?

Carsy

That's very disappointing. Hopefully it has not gone right through. Stick a narrow nail in & see.

I would get right on to it with rust killers & you should be able to save the door.

It should not happen with the modern rustproofing.

Do you drive on salted roads?.

An explanation from MB USA would be handy.

MBCClassboy

Salted roads? Oh yeah. I live in Ohio.

I have an appointment on Wednesday to see the dealer.

Cross your fingers.

Sad though. I traded in a '98 A4 that was almost 10 years old with 90k on it and not a single spot of rust. Figured I could do the same here.

I'll keep you guys inforrmed.

Khan28

That's odd. 01 to 04 W203s were prone to rusting but not the facelift versions. You can rustproof all your doors to prevent future rust provided there's not anything else brewing in there. Was your car in any previous collisions? The previous owners rustproofed the doors and some parts of the undercarriage on my 06 and the car is completely rust free.

MBCClassboy

No collisions. I am the original owner.

Only fear now is that the other doors will start. Should have rust proofed them 5 years ago.

Nothing like hindsight.

Carsy

I would spray a good amount of phosphoric acid into the bottom of the door so it penetrated the creases. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust_converterAfter a day or two spray in some fish oil to seal it. The cats may chase you around for a week but it may do the job.

BF_JC230

Car is a 2005, I am only owner.
Vehicle has seen SOME winter use - but has only traveled about 8,000 a year since new.

I have RUST on the inner bottom of the passenger front door - and slight paint bubbles on the exterior. Car is washed and waxed regularly and lives in a garage. (I bike and walk to work year round.)

Contacted my Dealer thinking 10year 100K on Corrosion - and they said nope - just the original warranty coverage!

Disappointed does not even begin to describe how I feel. "The Best or Nothing!" HA!
(I rust "proof" ((undercoat)) all my other cars when new - never thought this would happen with my MB and all their "anti-corrosion" steps before paint!)

My plan is to bust out the DA and Sata Gun soon...

Keep us (me) informed as to what YOUR Dealer says.

MBCClassboy

I think you nailed it with "Disappointed does not even begin to describe how I feel." Until last week, I loved this car.

Basically the dealer told me to go pound salt in the most politically correct way, but there is more.

My discovery of the rust coincided with a scheduled B service and a request to also look as an oil leak under the transmission. My adviser told me that there is an electrical connection on the lower side of the trans that sometimes leaks and is about $175 to fix. Guess what? The bottom of the transmission has a steel pan and mine has corroded and weeping. It is the end of the day here so I won't know any more till tomorrow but a rusty transmission pan? On a 10 year old Ford from the 80's maybe but on a Mercedes? Really? Granted the car sees salted roads but it lives in a heated garage and is washed and polished regularly. Frankly, even with the mileage it has on it, you can’t tell it was ever driven. That is how well I take care of my cars. That being said, this is just not acceptable.

Right now I am inclined to drop this like a cheap Kia and pick up a used 328i X-Drive. At least they come with a 12 year rust warranty.

More to come when I find out.

Boom vang

Parking a car in a heated garage after being driven on salty wet winter roads is actually the worst thing for the car, best to leave it outside in the cold

The fine print on any rust warranty is the key word 'perforation', surface rust is only dealt with in the initial warranty. While surface rust eventually leads to perforation it takes many years to happen and usually outside the 'rust through' warranty period is up

usually surface rust starts with a defect in the paint or stone chip or scratch. Perforation starts from the inside out.

Years of living in a country where rusty cars is the norm, My Acura CL started to rust (blister) on the rear fenders after about 5 years but never developed in to holes by year 8 at which I got rid of the car. I must say the Mercedes so far has been the best of any of my cars when it comes to any sort of rusting

Khan28

Don't these MBs have a similar anti-rust warranty? I remember in 01 it was like 8 years/unlimited kilometers. BTW many people complained of rust on undercarriage parts early on their BMW cars when I was researching them before buying my MB. The body might not rust but they still had rust underneath. It wouldn't make sense to dump your car, just get the rust looked after by a reputable shop since it's in it's early stages and keep the car. You don't know what other problems you might be getting into when you buy another car.

samaritrey

I have never heard of rust on the transmission oil pan it must have been damaged at some point to expose raw metal or the dealer is stupid and it just needs a gasket and a new electrical connector.

Javvy

the electrical connection he is talking about is $15 and can be easily DIYED......search on pilot bushing on here and you will pull up a plethora of information....

javvy

Glyn M Ruck

All Benz cars in SA have a 12 year perforation warranty. W203's are not known for rusting. As some have mentioned some very early cars had an issue but most could be traced to the Brazilian plant.

SA built cars don't rust. Their painting process makes it close to impossible unless it was not rewaxed (internally) after a collision.

BF_JC230

What is the NA(USA) Warranty?!?

But then...PERFORATION...is the fine print - I don't have a hole yet, I have surface bubbles as does the original poster - but I DO HAVE flaking and peeling/raw rust on the bottom edge of the inside of the door.

All water drains are clear - never in an accident (The Dealer did replace the side belt trim due to warping) and always washed and waxed on the bottom inside. I have rebuilt enough door bottoms when I was younger to know to keep this area clean...that is why I am so deflated...last real good detail in August 2013 - NOTHING - Now October and peeling!

Carsy

The question arises on what can be done to treat the rust that is already there & also what can be done to prevent it in the future ?.

Climate & conditions must play a major role .The car being wet & locked up warm to allow condensation for 6 months at a time obviously stretches the limits of protection.

MB USA should be given feed back to lift their game. Has any one done that ?.

I have not had penetrative rust in a car since the 1973 Car of the Year the Leyland P76 now commonly know as the P 38.

MBCClassboy

Ok, latest and greatest.

The heated garage I mentioned is not really heated but kept warm because it is attached to the house and well insulated. It usually does not go below freezing in there though.

The little rust bubbles are on me. The rust warranty for a Benz in the US is the same as the rest of the car, 4 years, and 50,000 miles.

The leak is the selector shaft seal and the dealer wants $1,000 to replace the seal, and do a transmission flush. He suggests replacing the pan due to the surface rust in the folded over joint that is the top edge of the pan so the pan is not leaking, it is just looking funky.

Sorry if I distracted you guys but he distracted me a bit and I vented.

I have come to the conclusion that I do not need to replace this car with a BMW 3 series but I still have to come to grips with the disappointment. I think it is like finding out your wife is cheating on you but in spite of that you still love her and want to find a way to get back on track.

Independent body repair shop, a really good one by the way, wants about $500 per door to cut out the lower piece of steel and fix it so it will last. Given that it is only one door for now I am leaning on doing just that. Hopefully this is a single door fluke. Fingers crossed.

The transmission? No way am I going to pay $1,000 to replace that seal. I will dismantle the thing myself first. Did a little homework during the day and it doesn't sound so tough. Double cross your fingers.

I'll be back, but in the mean time, thanks for all the feedback.

Greg

Glyn M Ruck

I would have it repaired immediately before it can get any worse. Make sure once the job is done that you get either genuine Benz wax protectant sprayed into the bottom of the doors or a product like Valvoline Tectyl.

MBCClassboy

Just a follow up on my emotional rollercoaster with door rust and the dissapointment associated with it.

First of all I got an independent repair shop in town that will do the transmission shaft seal for $500. New seal, trany flush etc. I’ll be scheduling that ASAP as the leak has gotten worse. What was a few drops a day has turned into quite a few drops per day.

The rust? Well I inspected the other doors and the rear doors look perfect. The passenger front door has a very tiny spot at the edge and some bubbles under the screw that holds the door trim on. The driver’s door has bubbles in the inside to match the outside so it will need to be fixed for real. There is a place in town that does excellent work and they will be getting a call.

I know in my state of disappointment over the rust I considered a BMW but I do love this car so off it goes for repair. Note: without the assistance of Mercedes. It is a shame I have to spend hundreds of not thousands of dollars that would have been covered by the likes of Audi, BMW and even VW, all of which have 10 to 12 year corrosion coverage.

Thanks again for your comments.

Greg

Boom vang

the rust you have is surface rust and not perforation and that is the key word, I looked up the warranty's for BMW and Audi, they have a 12 year coverage for perforation which is not corrosion in their eyes. There has to be a hole right through and then you are covered. I am not defending them and I would be just as upset if my car is showing rust bubbles,

Here is BMW and Audi

Glyn M Ruck

The definition of perforation is rust that started inside the door or seam in this case has rusted through the outer skin of the door & created a bubble under the paint. As opposed to paint failure on the outside of the door that has allowed external rusting.

From your pictures this looks like the early stages of perforation rather than paint failure.
As Carsy says try & stick a sharp needle through that bigger bubble.

Good luck!

C280 Sport

I have never seen rust on a 05-07 W203. That is very odd! My 05 has 100k on it and absolutely no rust at all! Lived in New York its entire life. I wash my car weekly. Sorry to hear for your trouble! I am sure you will get it all taken care of soon!

MBCClassboy

Glyn M Ruck, you are correct, this is the start of perforation rust. I have smaller versions of the same thing inside the door sill just on top of the rubber strip on the bottom of the door. I am expecting to have the outside sheet metal removed and a new piece welded in. The shop I am planning to use restored the skin on my '73 911 and it took 2nd place in Concours Class at the German Auto show. Their work is close to flawless.

C280 Sport. May the gods continue to watch over you.

Take care, Greg

Carsy

An inspection of the inner lower door panel by you would be a good idea to see whether MB has rust proofed the car correctly.

Your Concourse Class panel shop should give you a report as to why also.

If yours is a 'one off' there has to be a reason.

If two are rusted do you expect the other two to go ?. Maybe whilst it is in the panel shop more rust proofing should be done.

MBCClassboy

You're absolutely right Carsy. At this point it is all about preventative measures.

Plan on having him look inside the doors and under the side molding.

Off to get the trans fixed tomorrow, then drop it off at the body shop by the end of the week.

I'll let you know what he finds and what plans he has to prevent this from happening any time soon. It is a Porsche Audi body shop but they also do restorations of all sorts. When my 911 was in there 10 years ago he was doing a 356 convertible and a Morgan.