Pls Help! Rust developing & other problems on new 2-month old Crosswind XUV AT 2004

[Skywalker]

kelvin,

I'm wondering if you live near a beach or a sea. That's a normal problem in a brand new car in Guam.

[kelvin]

Skywalker,

Somebody also asked me if I live in Malabon. I live in Marikina. The nearest body of water as far as I know, near our area, is a small creek.

How many months before rust develops on new cars in Guam? You said normal problem, do they just accept that their car will rust even how new? Do you know of any solutions people there do?

[snyc3]

it would be very impossible for you to demand a new replacement. Better talk to your lawyers na. All the reasoning they gave you are "palusot" only... you got a lemon car. Bka repossessed pa yan unit mo. Yun rust developing on your unit could be caused by either living near sea water or using PUMPED water (poso) Since it contains many mineral deposits, it leaves residues which eventually turns into rust when in contact with a bare metal surface. But if the rust is coming from UNDERNEATH the paint, then you have a big problem .it means na yun mismong metal an nag cause nun rust and it can't be just painted or repaired. Yun chemical rust retardant, temporary lang yun. sa outer surface lang yun nag eefect but not thru the metal. Parang yun sakit yan nung Starex b4 na nag bbubble ang paint...

[sugoi_yats]

heto na naman ako...ne.

before we proceed discussing about your problem, maganda ciguro eliminate muna natin ang mga environmental factors that might have contributed to your rusting problem...

so definitely malayo ka sa dagat...so out ang dagat factor...ano nga pala munting business mo pre? wala ka ba sa fertilizer business or anything that has to do with chemicals? ano-anong cargoes nilalagay mo sa car mo? where do you park your car? mey mga planta ba near sa bahay nyo?

just wondering lang...ne..so desu ne...

[kelvin]

snyc3,

I'm already looking for a lawyer. That's part of my to do list. I want to know what I can and can't demand legally and what actions can be taken.

sugoi_yats,

Retail lang, t-shirts at unan. Yun lang mga kinarga dun. Yung unang rust lumabas in 3 weeks from purchase, siguro ng nabasa ng ulan o pede rin na andun na dati pa, di lang napansin. Slightly used at that time, di pa rin nakakargahan ng mga t-shirt at unan. Parking area ay sa bahay lang, may space dun sa garahe. Walang planta malapit sa amin, residential area ito.

[mhelskie]

Living in an area near a sea is not a valid argument if you're talking about a 2 month old "brand new" vehicle. I myself live in Malabon(since childhood) and I had cars while living in Malabon. From my experience with my previously owned cars, hindi ganun kadali kalawangin ang sasakyan mo kahit sabihing malapit ka sa dagat nakatira, pero syempre may difference pag tlagang malayo tirahan mo sa dagat,hangin pa lng maalat na pag asa Malabon ka, pero kung hindi mo nman ilulusong sa baha(or sa dagat hehehe) e okei lng.Ung unang kotse ko lasted me 5 years before ko ibenta, and very minor ang naging rust problems.

Pag gagawi kyo malabon, ingat kayo sa baha, lalo na kung tirik na tirik ang araw at may baha pa din, mag duda na kyo, high tide un! Tubig alat ang lulusungin nyo pag tumuloy kyo

[mazdamazda]

did you review the warranty coverage of your vehicle?

did they mention there anything about replacing the entire vehicle if problems would arise? or does it just mention that they will shoulder the repair the said defect?

AFAIK, it is the latter.

I just reviewed my warranty coverage for the Rav4 and that is what is stated there. the only thing excluded from the warranty are the tires, batteries, and audio equipment. though the warranty for rust-proofing of pick-up beds is lower (1 year only) than the said warranty period (3 years / 100K km). i've already had some things fixed under warranty (shock absorbers, disc brakes, throttle body).

and btw, by buying the vehicle you have agreed to their terms and agreements set forth in the warranty coverage.

imagine on how vehicles would be priced if they would be replaced if problems arise.

[kelvin]

mazdamazda,

Yes, you are correct. The warranty only says that the manufacturer wil repair or replace any defective or malfunctioning part. It also says that the warranty does not cover normal aging, deterioration, or rusting of plated, plastic or rubber parts, upholstery, soft trims.

What you pointed out is the same as what the dealer told me, that the warranty does not cover replacement of the entire unit. That's the reason why a consultation with an experienced lawyer on this matter is a must. That's the only way to know what can and can't be demanded legally and what actions can be taken. DTI records show that we have certain legal rights and a replacement or refund of a car is possible, under certain conditions of course.

I know you just don't replace a car just because a minor problem arises, I understand that. In my case, I had a series of minor problems and 3 major ones (in my personal assessment only), that occurred in just 2 months. I found this not normal for a brand new car. I'm questioning the quality and safety of the car that's why I demanded a unit replacement.

If you were in my shoes, what would you do?

[jkyamog]

I might also pursue that the dealer and manufacturer have proper actions. Since I don't really know how extensive the rust it, not sure what I would like to demand if I am under your shoes.

I might however take some actions by myself. Minsan ganito kasi ako eh. Like I might go into a section of the car that is not seen, and sand away the paint just to check if there is rust in the metal. I sometimes remedy the problem myself even if it was a new car and even if my father used to work for a manufacturer. There are times that I can do the job better than these workers. Ika nga DIY. I guess medyo nasa extreme level ako, considering I used to have the priviledge to pick the workers, how they do it, etc. And even let them do it over and over again until I am satisfied. They can't say no since its my father that has the last say what to do with a vehicle having a service problem. Most of the staff are not payed well, so I can't blame them if they do this out of a living and not something they want/enjoy.

What I can say is, there are only a few real good people on a company. Even at times I know that my father used to even service the problematic vehicle himself, since his staff can't do it. The damn big boss also does not care, what he cares is the profit margins. So there is actually an internal political battle between the service dept of a company with the other dept of the company. Most of the time, service is deemed as a cost center. Although Isuzu before it closed down on the early 80s had good service level. It was genuinely supported by the japanese head office.

I guess I can't really advise you to investigate further by yourself since I think you are not really into cars. I can suggest is to get a good 3rd party to inspect the rust. I doubt that the tranny problem will hold, since it was addressed. You should still continue to pursue your original position of car replacement. I am just suggesting to look an alternative route, since based from the pictures it may not warrant a replacement.

[kelvin]

jkyamog,

Thank you for your inputs, again. Yes, I'm not into cars, computers are my specialty.

Now I understand why you said that new cars are not rust free. I will try to get a good mechanic and let him inspesect the rust. Actually, the one mechanic I initially talked to favored stripping the car bare and dipping the chasis again in rust proofing liquid. That's why I posted it here for comments. But I don't like that solution, I feel they are getting away with a poorly built car.

I really need to consult an experienced lawyer on this one. It is a good thing you see it differently, it gives me additional information to analyze.

Based on your experience with cars, what do you think of the idea of stripping the care bare, removing/treating the rust, dipping it in rust proofing liquid, repainting the car and fixing the leaf spring problem to level the car? Will that make the car stronger than before assuming it is done with care? Or will that weaken the durability of the car? How can I know if the mechanics will really do the entire process and not just hide the problems with paint? The only thing I can think of is I should see the actual stripping of the paint and disassembling of the car. As I said, I don't accept this idea but I want to know it's effect on a brand new car since this was mentioned briefly in one meeting. Thanks.

Pasensya na sa maraming tanong, bago lang talaga ako sa kotse. Kung computers nga lang sana to eh kayang kaya. I used to work in the service department of a company, it is indeed treated as a company cost, a non-income generating group and has very little influence in internal company politics. It is quite ironic because the entire reputation of the company is dependent on the performance of the service department. Oh, I might add, at one time, the service got so bad, it almost destroyed the reputation of the company. That's the only time they again took care and focus on customer service.