Rear fenders rusting

[Mayhem]

The other day I was getting stuff out of my car and noticed that the paint looked a little funny on the seam where the rear bumper meets the rear fenders. Right behind the rear wheel well. Looking closer, I realized that that section has started to rust and the paint is starting to peel. Should that happen that quickly? It's starting on the passenger side as well. Currently it's hard to see, because it's in the seam. But given a little bit of time, I can see that whole section starting to rust through. I wash my car several times over the winter to get rid of the salt and stuff. Is this something that could be covered under warranty? Cause my factory warranty is still good till November. I used to have a 91 Honda Accord and they rusted really bad in the same areas.

[southpawboston]

are you the first owner? was that corner ever repainted? it's rare for the original paint to peel and rust; 95% of the time it's caused by damage to the area and improper repainting.

[Mayhem]

yup, I'm the first owner of the car. Never been in an accident and the everything is still factory. I bought the car in November of 2004. The rust spot is still very small. It's only when you look up close that you realize that something is wrong. I've had rust proofing done at Ziebart. If I can locate a digital camera (I actually don't own one), I'll take a picture of the area. I'll probably take the car in this week and get their opinion, cause in my opinion, it shouldn't be happening this quickly.

[Jeff-TheBiz]

Take it to Ziebart. If they rust proofed, it they need to fix it.

Keep us updated please.

[TheProfessor]

What is the size of the oxidation/rust?

[Mayhem]

The size of the rust is quite small and it hasn't perforated the metal yet. It's inside the seam between the rear bumper and the rear fender. I can reach into the wheel well and feel the back of the metal and it's fine. I unfortunately missed one yearly inspection this past winter from Ziebart and that voided my warranty with them. I'll take it to the dealership first and see what they say.

[TheProfessor]

Okay, how small is small? Give me a ball park estimate here.

[Mayhem]

I'd say the rust is about 1 inch along the seam. Here's a crude drawing I made using paint.

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/1318/rustspotxw1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

the area marked in red is where the rust is. The second pic is a sideways view (as if you had your head in the wheel well and look towards the rear. As you can see the rust is along the horizontal seam. The paint along there appears to be almost all gone (you have to sort of pull the bumper downwards slightly to see it) and a small section of paints, perhaps a 1/4 inch by 1/8 of an inch has started to peel away from the body on the outside of the seam. Currently it seems to be surface rust only, so a sand and respray would be needed, but I think the metal is all fine.

[chinsterr]

I have rust spots all over my car from highway driving . Its possible that a little stone did that damage --- ITS POSSIBLE !

dang , that drawing is pretty good lol you must of spend over 20 mins on that thing

[ArManI]

i have the same problem at same spot and bigger rust spot, about half of thumb size :(

[TheFastLane]

that should be covered if you are sitll under warranty...

[TheFastLane]

only if there isn't signs of impact that caused the rust

[TheProfessor]

Doesn't Mazda warranty against rust for five years?

[Flagrum_3]

Doesn't Mazda warranty against rust for five years?

Our 3's are covered for perforation or rust for 5 years but with obvious stipulations: If rust was caused by stone chips, impact damage etc; they won't cover it.
As for taking it to Ziebart, if the rust is not perforated they will not cover it.If the rust was not caused by damage or a chip then you have a claim, but it might be hard to proove as you mentioned the paint is peeling.So obvious next step is to take it to Mazda and keep us posted please.


_3


.

[Jeff-TheBiz]

Our 3's are covered for perforation or rust for 5 years but with obvious stipulations: If rust was caused by stone chips, impact damage etc; they won't cover it.
As for taking it to Ziebart, if the rust is not perforated they will not cover it.If the rust was not caused by damage or a chip then you have a claim, but it might be hard to proove as you mentioned the paint is peeling.So obvious next step is to take it to Mazda and keep us posted please.


Basically what he said.. (minus the . _3) :gone




Perforation: Covers perforated panels (rust through) due to defects in material or workmanship under normal use.



There is more in your Warranty Info book that comes with the car.

Anyone know of this online?

[Flagrum_3]

Basically what he said.. (minus the . _3) :gone



Ha-Ha you still wondering about that hey!! :-)


_3


.

[Mayhem]

So the dealer is going to have their bodyshop take a look at it on Monday. The service advisor looked at it and said that if the rust is from the inside out (not sure what that meant), then it would be covered under warranty, but she'd have to wait until the bodyshop looked at it first. I'll keep you guys posted on what happens.

[mazda lover]

I am no rust proof expert but this could be a classic case of the tar based rust proofing Ziebart uses. Water may have got traped in the seam behind the goo crap they use. For rust proofing go with the oils, Rust Check etc.
Have to ask though does Zeibart use a tar based product? The dealer will do nothing for you, hope I am wrong, and neither will Zeibart. Good luck. My seams look ok, than again I don't drive the car during the winter and always garaged.

[Mayhem]

From what I remember, I think they used an oil-based protection, but I could be wrong. Anyway, we'll see.......i think the spot is small enough that it wouldn't be too expensive to fix. I'll keep my fingers crossed though. I wish I had a garage, that would definitely ease up on the winter beating.

[Flagrum_3]

From what I remember, I think they used an oil-based protection, but I could be wrong. Anyway, we'll see.......i think the spot is small enough that it wouldn't be too expensive to fix. I'll keep my fingers crossed though. I wish I had a garage, that would definitely ease up on the winter beating.

You might want to be there when they check it out, I personally would want them removing the rear bumper and checking all along the seam just to be sure...just a suggestion.
And according to the warranty coverage you are covered for 5 years.

Good Luck


_3


.

[maumau]

shouldnt it be under warrenty

[mazda lover]

shouldnt it be under warrenty

don't think so, but hoping the best..

[Mayhem]

K.....just heard back from the Mazda dealership. It is covered under warranty, so I just have to find a time I can leave it with them for 3 days and they'll fix all the rust at no cost to me. Very good news. Once I get the work done, i'll post here about the results.

[Flagrum_3]

Glad to hear it Mayhem, post some pics if you can too.


_3


.

[mazda lover]

Great news, what a surprise that it is covered under warranty, what dealer?

[Stylus_MZ3]

Im getting mine done at Ontario Mazda...... I hope they do a good job

[Flagrum_3]

mazda3 4u Why is it such a surprise? Your vehicle 'is' covered for 5 years against rust and perforation!

Stylus like I mentioned before you might want to go and see or atleast talk to the people who will be doing the work and ask if they'll be removing the bumper (most likely) because there might be more rust hidden along the seam and you want it done right the first time...You don't want it reappearing a couple of years down the road, that would suck!....just suggesting.


_3


.

[Stylus_MZ3]

mazda3 4u Why is it such a surprise? Your vehicle 'is' covered for 5 years against rust and perforation!

Stylus like I mentioned before you might want to go and see or atleast talk to the people who will be doing the work and ask if they'll be removing the bumper (most likely) because there might be more rust hidden along the seam and you want it done right the first time...You don't want it reappearing a couple of years down the road, that would suck!....just suggesting.


_3


.


Oh ya I'm making sure they do that because they told me they need to work on the car for 2-3 days. So on Wednesday when I go in I'll go over with them in "Detail" where all the rust is on the rear fenders. But from what it seems like they will be taking the rear bumper off. and since my MZ3 is white you can see the rust all around the fender.

Look at the pics below...

[Flagrum_3]

Holy Chit batman, thats pretty bad...and its only 3 years,....that really sucks.Hope it gets fixed right for you mang.


_3


.

[ArManI]

K.....just heard back from the Mazda dealership. It is covered under warranty, so I just have to find a time I can leave it with them for 3 days and they'll fix all the rust at no cost to me. Very good news. Once I get the work done, i'll post here about the results.

great news, i'll go check with my dealer too ( actually i already done, but they refer me to another dealer with bodyshop department which is 20km away, so i left it behind and didnt fix it before winter, and the rust just appears bigger after this winter :( )
another thing, does your car still under warranty?
i'm kinda worried, cuz my 3yr warranty just pasted at 1st april.... hope it is not too late

[Flagrum_3]

great news, i'll go check with my dealer too ( actually i already done, but they refer me to another dealer with bodyshop department which is 20km away, so i left it behind and didnt fix it before winter, and the rust just appears bigger after this winter :( )
another thing, does your car still under warranty?
i'm kinda worried, cuz my 3yr warranty just pasted at 1st april.... hope it is not too late


Relax ArManI, you've got (5) years coverage for the body.


_3


.

[Mayhem]

Wow.....your rust is way worse than mine. I'll have to go look again and make sure I didn't miss any spots before i take mine in on Monday. The dealership I went to is St. Catharines Mazda. Though my dealer did mention to me that I should make sure i got it taken care of before November when my 3 year warranty ran out. Not sure if they're covering this under the rust warranty or not. ArManI, you should take it in and see what they say. Push for the 5 year warranty and let us know.