c32used

I understand this car is like six years old but sort of confused why even a little rust spot would occur to a well maintained car...meaning its washed weekly and buffed once a year

e1000

wow it looks like the paint is actually bubbling too. The License plate area isn't designed very well. The tray is just a plastic piece that sits over the metal and it traps water. All that road salt in IL dosen't help either.

loungn14

That sux...but then again we do live in saltville so par for the coarse...

c32used

yes you are right its a little rust bubble I believe I found another areas similar to that....it suxs

DarkXerox

Isn't there a rust-through warranty that covers our cars for a relatively long time?

GDawgC220

I believe the rust warranty has to perforate through the panel for them to warranty it.

Both my parents' car have rust. '99 ML430, rear right door has three huge rust bubbles. '01 S500 with rust bubbles on all 4 doors and trunk.

DarkXerox

So there literally has to be a hole in the panel? Jeez, I'm glad it doesn't snow here and they don't salt the roads. Makes me never want to buy a used car from a snow area either haha.

GDawgC220

I believe that's the case. Gotta be pretty close to a hole, like if you touch it, it's gonna go through haha.

c32used

Thats what I was thinking.
Amazing selling a car that costs to much and it rusts early...kind of reminds me of the old Hondas and Toyotas

TemjinX2

yeah cars are like people, they like temperate climates...

My 14yr old integra had no rust spots from being in socal for all those yrs.

GDawgC220

Hahaha. My parents' other car, '97 A6, has no rust and it's parked outside 24/7!

e1000

The midwest is really bad. Even if your car dosen't rust, you still get little tiny rust residue from off of the roads.

hkycoldrct

Where's the rust? I'm in CA and had rust on both sides on each front door. Turns out there was a known issue with the paint bubbling and rusting due to the weather trim (retaining water) on the lower side of both doors. The was/is a TSB out - I had mine repaired by the dealer N/C.

c32used

Interesting...

hkycoldrct

2005030003 050501 Campaign - Lower Door Seal Modification

stef64

My '02 C32 has large rust holes in all four doors. MB says it's my problem and they won't cover it.

320 dreamer

it was my understanding the rust warrenty for m/b was 10 yrs. if you have rust and the dealer wont address the issue ask to contact the regional rep.

GDawgC220

MB's corrosion warranty is 4 years/50k miles, pretty sad. Most other car manufacturers (BMW, Audi, Volvo, etc) have 12 year/unlimited mileage corrosion warranty.

Some have gotten lucky and have had MBUSA provide some sort of goodwill for repair, like 50% of the bill, etc.

Newzchspy

I'd say "abuse."

loudandheard

Well, since you don't have a rust spot on the outside or a mark through the paint, it seems that you may have a problem on the inside of your trunk lid. You may be retaining water in between the license plate holder or it might be coming in through the middle brake light. I would check and see if there is any moisture in those spots. Sucks, but not the best place for cars.

02C32guy

Every MB I've ever owned has had this affliction.

eclipsed

No sign at all this spring when I polished it. Pretty big spot now bad seal on gas door area. Bottom of trunk lid. and rear quartre in front of tire.

GDawgC220

Keep in mind that MB did not fully galvanize panels until about 2004, which greatly helps in preventing corrosion from happening so soon. Before they used the galvanizing process, it was some sort of wax based protection (can't recall the specifics right now), which obviously didn't do a great job for those cars living in salt areas during the Winter time.

I see a lot of w202s, w210s, w220s and w163s in the New England area with rust on them

gkstar

In Canada at least, warranty on paint/rust is apparently 10 years, as long as there is no stone chip or scratch involved.

Last Spring I noticed small rust bubbles at the bottom of all four doors on my 03 C32. In contrast, my 94 Eagle Vision (seen so many harsh Winters) has rust on one door and nowhere else. Galvanized body makes a huge difference.

Anyway, MB sent me to a body shop for these spots to be repaired under warranty. It took 2 months until I got the warranty approval, but guess what - MB replaced all four doors at no cost to me (10k+ job) and without me asking for that. Really pleased with how they handled it as any repair on these specific location would only slow down the rust process. That was a good service for sure.

Newzchspy

+1, my car is an 04 which has spent its entire life up north and does not suffer any of the older C32 body afflictions.

I still say with Vic's car it was abuse Bad gas will do that as well