Need tips on how to treat rust

[GreyP5]

As soon as all the snow was gone, I gave my vehicle a look over. I noticed that on the inner rear fenders, it's starting to rust up. I touched it up where I could see it, but I couldn't fix (too hard to access) the fender right above the wheel. Is this something that the dealer can fix, or should I go to a paint shop or something along those lines?

 

[BadKarma]

Doubtful that the dealer will fix surface rust. I took my P5 in to have them look at some bubbling above the left-rear wheel well, and they refused to do anything about it saying that it would have to be "Sheet Metal Perforation" before it would be covered.

 

[GreyP5]

Doubtful that the dealer will fix surface rust. I took my P5 in to have them look at some bubbling above the left-rear wheel well, and they refused to do anything about it saying that it would have to be "Sheet Metal Perforation" before it would be covered.

I noticed a bit of bubbling on the rear fender as well. Is the rust perforation warranty good for 5 years? I feel bad just waiting for it to rust away.

 

[BadKarma]

Yeah, I know how you feel. Hoping to get mine fixed up before the summer... Seeing it just bugs me more and more.

If I recall correctly, the warranty is good for 5 years and unlimited km's.

 

[silverpro5]

i read somewhere on this forum that all the panels are warrantied for surface rust for 5 yrs

try a search, or check out the protegeFAQ

 

[a1cypher]

I've also noticed some rust on my 02 protege. I have to say, its very upsetting (especially since I just bought it).

I've got some rust on the fender near both rear wheel wells, which seems to be common. Another place I've noticed a touch of bubbling paint is on the tailgate near the Protege5 chrome badge (I'd suggest checking there on your car if you havent already).

I'm glad to hear that the rust may be covered by warranty. I'll have to check my papers to figure that out, and maybe bring it in to the dealership to see what reason they'll give me for not fixing it (I'm sure they'll find one). =)

 

[Kansei]

bubbling paint = not surface rust.. and yes, I've had it repaired under warranty.

I have to try again now because it's happening again.. in the same place.. so they clearly didn't fix it properly.

 

[BadKarma]

bubbling paint = not surface rust.. and yes, I've had it repaired under warranty.

I have to try again now because it's happening again.. in the same place.. so they clearly didn't fix it properly.

Maybe I've encountered a shady dealer, but the service manager I spoke to said, "It has to be an actual hole in the metal to be covered under warranty." Have yet to speak to a regional rep regarding the rust...

 

[Kansei]

Yeah, shady dealer. My dealership denied the work too, I actually had to have my lawyer write them a letter to get them to even look at the car.. regional rep came by and said it is definitely covered.

The rear fender is an awful design, I'm surprised it doesn't rust even more than it already does for us.

Don't expect the warranty work to hold up, it's good enough to maybe get you by until the warranty is over so that it isn't their problem anymore (pow)

I'm thinking of having a body shop actually repair the rust (i.e. sand the rust on the inside instead of just repainting the outside like the crap dealer shop did), roll my fenders, and fix all the bubbling paint.

The rust that Mazda doesn't have to cover is when the sideskirt rubs the paint off on the lip of the rear fender (as it has on my car over and over. Since they were in there anyway fixing the other rust, they covered it for my car. They even pulled the sideskirts and installed a thin rubber gasket between the sideskirts and the body. Sadly that wasn't enough though, it's chipped again.

 

[GreyP5]

I guess my dealer's pretty good. I brought my car in to get it serviced today, and while I was there, I showed the manager the paint bubbling. He verified it, checked the warranty, and OK'd the service centre to get it worked on as soon as they had an opening (23rd of this month). No hesitation and no quiestions asked.