Rust on polar white glk 2013
 

Hello,
I purchased my glk 350 in february 2013...and just discovered that i have rust spots showing on the back of my car. Its polar white and thee are seceral smaller spots right around the license plate.

Hard to imagine you would see rust spots after 1.5 yrs. does this happen to anybody else? Any best practices on how to deal with this?

Thanks

Are they rail rail rust, which is from brake dust which clings to your car's paint?

Hi Dane, i can try to take a picture tomorrow. Basically, there are several individual little dots of rust. It could not be brake dust i dont think, because it is on the trunk door right around the license plate.

It is not surface particles sitting on the paint.My white GLK sometimes picks up stuff that looks like rust but after a good hand wash and some wax it is gone.

it's rail dust buddy. pretty easy to remove with those spray cleaner/wax. :) need a bit of elbow grease but nothing to be worried about. cheers!

Think about putting some Wolfgang sealant or equivalent on your car. I have Polar White and this helps make it easier to get dirt off.

Granted my GLK is a couple of years older (2010 GLK) but I've had my car in twice for rust. The entire rear quarter had to be replaced due to pitting, and the door sills area on the driver side (both driver and passenger) had rust.

Fortunately all was covered under warranty.

Have a 2010 built late 2009 and no rust anywhere. Live in PA where they use mucho salt. From n8nu's comments it looks like there maybe some variation in the sheet metal or the anti-rust dip at the factory.

You can get a product called IronX which removes rail rust. Turns it purple and dissolves it. surprising how much is actually on a vehicle that you cannot see until you spray it - then the purple shows up everywhere, especially behind wheels and on the rear of the vehicle.

^ +1 on the Iron X product, ordered this and planning on a day to clean both white rides. Lots of info online and used by detailers.

+1...over 5 years of year around driving with no rust anywhere (except maybe on the driver side seal plate)...the license plate bolts rust out after a year or so...

Rail dust from railroads - our saga
 

Rail dust comes from the railroad tracks that are near, for example, the Bremen facility in which GLKs are made. It gets in the paint and unless removed, can cause body rust problems down the road.

MB has already clay-barred our 2013 Polar White GLK 350 4 Matic. Their body shop claimed this procedure would remove the rail dust. They were wrong. After 3 months the rail dust "measles" has returned. Our car was purchased new and is always garaged.

I watched several UTUBE videos on IronX. Seems amazing. Should we have the dealer use the Iron X product and see if this cures the problem?

If not should we ask for a new car under the lemon law or have them re-paint the entire car? They have already offered the latter.

We are afraid the re-sale value of the car is ruined since rail dust is now in the MB service records. :smash:

Rail rust is a term used by the industry, but it also results from small particles of steel which come off vehicle brake discs, not just train brakes. Your wheels will contain the most of this rail rust but it is not as visible due to their color as compared to white. You can tell it is not the body rusting if you spray with Iron-X because you will see evidence of it on plastic body panels.

Even if you get rid of it, any time you use your brakes it will produce more particles which stick to the paint. All cars have it. Just consider it another part of your maintenance and don't worry about it. Get some clay and spot treat every wash and get some Iron-X and spray once in ;a while.

Brakes, plastic and Ironx
 

Is IronX safe to use on plastic body panels, eg. the wing at the top rear of the GLK?

Same question for 3M or Ventureshield wrap.

Does this iron brake dust come from the disks or the pads? Do the GLK/C class have a known brake problems with these iron filings?

Thanks GT. Dane. My wife is from Canada and this is her car.

According to the manufacturer it is pH neutral and safe for use on films and plastic. You should be aware that it does remove wax so it is best used before you plan on doing a wax job. I usually do the iron-x, then clay, then wax with Klasse twice a year. In between I spot treat rail rust by claying and rely on the detailer (used as a lube for the clay) for protection.

I assume the iron comes from your steel discs. Good question but I don't know the answer for certain.

rustproofing?
 

Does anyone did or consider doing rustproofing?
In Canada we have very harsh winters, but I was told by a dealer that the warranty will be voided if I will rustproof it.
Why? Apparently MB had a lot of issues with electrics (wires etc.).
And I was told that I don’t have to do it as each metal piece is painted on both sides.
I did grease rustproof on my previous car every two years and it was in good shape after 10 years.
All winter I tried to wash or as a minimum rinsing off dirt and salt as often as I can.
I live in condo and have underground garage.
Any advice?
Thanks!

I just purchase a white glk350 this past thursday and I brought up an issue about rust on the paint of the car and the dealer said to me that mercedes have a 8 year rust warranty if any rust ever come up on your paint.

Read the warranty carefully, As most rust warranties are about rust perforation. I.E. Only once it has ate a hole (perforation) in the body metal does the warranty kick in. Which coincidentally will usually take longer than the warranty period. It's something that all manufactures do. Here is a motor trend test of a M-B and they list the warranty.

Rust or Corrosion Warranty: 4 year / 50,000 miles This warranty covers the vehicle's sheet metal, and protects you from rust and corrosion that are severe enough to cause a hole - surface rust is not covered. However, if you keep your car washed and waxed rust shouldn't be a problem.

I just checked warranty here in Canada and it is 4 years/80K for "Surface Corrosion". I was trying to find similar information on mbusa.com and I couldn't.