Rust? Any special assistance from Mazda?

[P5w3kids]

A few months back I noticed that my 2003 Protege5 was rusting around the rear wheel openings and along the inside of the drivers door, where the inner and outer panel are welded together.

Conducting the TrueDelta Car Reliability Survey, I've been receiving multiple reports of such rust with both the Protege and the Mazda3. As far as I can tell, neither model has sufficient rust protection for areas where the roads are salted.

People still remember how Hondas used to rust back in the 1970s and 1980s.

Now I'm wondering if Mazda's rep is going to take a similar hit.

The rust warranty lasts for five years--so it ended a year ago today for me. Called the dealer I bought the car from, and another I've taken it to for some service, and they essentially said I'm SOL.

Has anyone gotten out of warranty assistance from Mazda for this problem?

 

[ucMP3]

A few months back I noticed that my 2003 Protege5 was rusting around the rear wheel openings and along the inside of the drivers door, where the inner and outer panel are welded together.

Conducting the TrueDelta Car Reliability Survey, I've been receiving multiple reports of such rust with both the Protege and the Mazda3. As far as I can tell, neither model has sufficient rust protection for areas where the roads are salted.

People still remember how Hondas used to rust back in the 1970s and 1980s.

Now I'm wondering if Mazda's rep is going to take a similar hit.

The rust warranty lasts for five years--so it ended a year ago today for me. Called the dealer I bought the car from, and another I've taken it to for some service, and they essentially said I'm SOL.

Has anyone gotten out of warranty assistance from Mazda for this problem?

They said you're SOL, because you're SOL. I highly doubt that rust is covered outside of warranty by Mazda. Or any other car company for that matter. Please someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[P5w3kids]

Toyota has been buying back thousands of 10-year-old pickups whose frames rusted through, for crazy high prices. Years ago, Honda replaced body panels that had rusted through even though the warranty was long over.

But these are definitely the exception, not the rule.

It's a matter of how much a company cares about its reputation. If Mazda gets a reputation for cars that often rust soon after the warranty ends, it'll hurt.