Rust warranty?

[NegativeOne]

So yesterday I removed the factory STi spoiler to see how hard it would be to swap out. Anyways, there's rust in multiple spots on the decklid, some almost all the way through. It's an 04 with just under 40K. I took it to Conti today and they gave me story that rocks and debris can get under the spoiler of the STi and they scratch the paint surface, allowing moisture in causing the rust, thus voiding the rust warranty...what do you think?

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[ridestreet84]

carbon fiber trunk no rust

[Kiwi Fella]

Remove the wing, cut out rust... fill in holes and go wingless

[inkpreza]

imo that is a manufacturing defect, the factory put the wing on and should be thier responsibility. i would be a little po'd myself,hell it's only an 04

[AKSubie]

Originally Posted by inkpreza

imo that is a manufacturing defect, the factory put the wing on and should be thier responsibility. i would be a little po'd myself,hell it's only an 04

Agree!

[Mavrik]

at some point you need to accept responsibility for your vehicle.

[missiceblast]

Originally Posted by Mavrik

at some point you need to accept responsibility for your vehicle.

I'm with ya there, I used to hear about this all the time from customers, in reality even though it's an STi wing installed at teh factory, (don't know about subaru per se) but it can be seen as an aftermarket accessory and seeings how you are out of warranty i don't think they'd blink twice about not covering it. Also, being in a wet cliamte is not the responsibility of the warranty, which could have contributed to it as well, they wouldn't cover rust due to salt on the road, so i don't see why they would over rust on a trunk... Like the guys inferred, skip being frustrated by it not being covered, cut out the rust, fill it and paints!!!!!! (W/o the wings looks cleaner in my opinion!)

[AKSubie]

Mav and Venus, I agree people need to start accepting responsibility for their cars, however a car with a warranty against rust and imperfections. (as I do believe Subie does have) should be able to cover rust on vehicles that are only 3 years old, provided it wasnt initiated by a scratch/chip/keying/yada yada. As how my Dakota was covered for imperfections on the bed.

To be Devils advocate however (or negative) NegativeOne, in removing the wing you in effect modified the car from factory specs, and could potentially not be covered due to Subaru never intending the wing to come off.

Rust on a 4 year old car seems rather rare and a problem, curious how many other STi wings have rust under them.

If small amount, I'd say just sand and treat it and reinstall wing or go wingless.

[Mavrik]

manufacture rust warranty usually covers defects in paint resulting in rust developing under it. If your car gets a rock chip and it rusts away the paint around it, its not covered. If water, rocks, dirt and other things built up behind panels, under spoiler attachment points and so forth is also not covered. Keeping your car clean is the responsibility of the owner and your car is in the elements. The manufacture is not responsible for environmental issues that can and will happen to your car.

[Racer Dubya]

Originally Posted by Venustas

=in reality even though it's an STi wing installed at teh factory, (don't know about subaru per se) but it can be seen as an aftermarket accessory and seeings how you are out of warranty i don't think they'd blink twice about not covering it. Also, being in a wet cliamte is not the responsibility of the warranty, which could have contributed to it as well, they wouldn't cover rust due to salt on the road, so i don't see why they would over rust on a trunk... :

STI wing is not aftermarket... it is part of the STI.

Rust through warranty is longer then the initial warranty (I think 10years). However most manufacturers require actual "rust through" and most owners do not want to wait for it to get there.

You can't say that AK has more rain or that AZ is so hot that the sun cracks paint etc. If that is the case then what state is the warranty based on.

No offense intended to Subaru of America but I have to say that on more then one occassion I have been given a "knee jerk" reaction of "that's not covered under warranty" only to have it covered down the road.

With that said... I am happy with the warranty service I have received from Conti and the crew.

[AKSubie]

Originally Posted by Mavrik

manufacture rust warranty usually covers defects in paint resulting in rust developing under it. If your car gets a rock chip and it rusts away the paint around it, its not covered. If water, rocks, dirt and other things built up behind panels, under spoiler attachment points and so forth is also not covered. Keeping your car clean is the responsibility of the owner and your car is in the elements. The manufacture is not responsible for environmental issues that can and will happen to your car.

And I agree with you to a point. BUT... how is an owner of an STi to know there is rust (or water and rocks for that matter) under the wing, when there is no way to clean/wash/dry/inspect said area under the wing?

[Mavrik]

I power wash the trunk of my STi every time I wash the car. When I installed my mud flaps, I found dirt in behind the plastic side skirt. I wouldn't hold subaru responsible for any rust that builds up between panels. Actually I wouldn't hold any manufacture responsible. Stuff like this will happen. I'm from a province that uses salt in the winter. Rust on cars is everywhere underneith things. This happens.

[SQUAD_907]

Originally Posted by Mavrik

manufacture rust warranty usually covers defects in paint resulting in rust developing under it. If your car gets a rock chip and it rusts away the paint around it, its not covered. If water, rocks, dirt and other things built up behind panels, under spoiler attachment points and so forth is also not covered. Keeping your car clean is the responsibility of the owner and your car is in the elements. The manufacture is not responsible for environmental issues that can and will happen to your car.

i can recall someone getting warranty paint job for some rock chips...hmmmmm

[Mavrik]

Originally Posted by SQUAD_907

i can recall someone getting warranty paint job for some rock chips...hmmmmm

Hope got a paint repair covered due to a miss alignment of the rear trunk lid resulting in it wearing the paint off the bumper and causing the clear coat to bubble. I don't recall ( but have a bad memory ) of anyone getting rock chips covered.

[SQUAD_907]

give soa a call and see what they can do for u...doesn't hurt call and try at this point...

[AK SloPok]

"at some point you need to accept responsibility for your vehicle."

Are you serious?

At some point Subaru should have put a gasket in between two painted surfaces thus not creating the issue. Below is the factory statement re paint warranty. I would venture to guess there is NOTHING in the owners manual stating you MUST clean the base of the wing. And FWIT Japan has much more rain then AK.

Rust Perforation Limited Warranty
Rust perforation coverage for all vehicles is five years regardless of mileage. Since all Subaru vehicles are built to resist corrosion, the use of additional rust-inhibiting materials is not necessary and is not a requirement for coverage under this warranty.

[Mavrik]

yes I am serious.

[Arctic Assassian]

As far as I can gather, rocks had perforated the paint, not rust. And I don't imagine that the rust has eaten all the way through(the definition of perforate) the trunk. You've had your answer from continental, you've had your answer from members here, that work at continental, and you now have mine... take it somewhere, have it sealed, get some rubber matting, cut out a shape to match the wing mount, and presto, rock blocking gasket. OR you call SOA and try to get them to fix it. All you can do is what you do.

[missiceblast]

Originally Posted by Ralph Swan

You can't say that AK has more rain or that AZ is so hot that the sun cracks paint etc. If that is the case then what state is the warranty based on.

I think you missed my point, warranty doesn't care what climate you are in, or can help the conditions you are in. If dirt got under the spoiler and mix that with water, and it helped contribute to the rust, that's not the fault of the warranty, i'm not saying it doesn't suck, but that is how warranty works...

[EvolvedAK]

Originally Posted by AK SloPok

I would venture to guess there is NOTHING in the owners manual stating you MUST clean the base of the wing.

No their isn't. It's common sense to clean it. I did acually the same thing as Phil does with a power wash & soap.

Shouldn't have to say anything of washing under the base. What should they say next in the manual? You need to wash your car so it doesnt look dirty?


-It is alaska... much more dirt and grim up here than in the lower 48s. Have to constantly wash the car.

[Jaylyons1]

I power wash in between mine also, on both of the cars I had. Both were fine when the wing was removed.

[Big-Sexy907]

Power washing is not a permanent fix to the problem though. Perhaps this is something Subaru forgot to address in the design stages of the car, it happens.

I was wondering though, if rocks and debris scratch the paint and cause rust what is a person expected to do... not drive the car to keep the rust coverage in check?

[prometheum]

Originally Posted by brian_i

No their isn't. It's common sense to clean it. I did acually the same thing as Phil does with a power wash & soap.

Shouldn't have to say anything of washing under the base. What should they say next in the manual? You need to wash your car so it doesnt look dirty?


-It is alaska... much more dirt and grim up here than in the lower 48s. Have to constantly wash the car.

thats pretty unreasonable you can wash your car and detail it all you want and have the area between the spoiler and the trunk be covered in dirt and you would never see it because ITS UNDER A PART THAT IS NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN OFF.

[AKLGT]

Originally Posted by AK SloPok

"at some point you need to accept responsibility for your vehicle."

Are you serious?

At some point Subaru should have put a gasket in between two painted surfaces thus not creating the issue. Below is the factory statement re paint warranty. I would venture to guess there is NOTHING in the owners manual stating you MUST clean the base of the wing. And FWIT Japan has much more rain then AK.

Rust Perforation Limited Warranty
Rust perforation coverage for all vehicles is five years regardless of mileage. Since all Subaru vehicles are built to resist corrosion, the use of additional rust-inhibiting materials is not necessary and is not a requirement for coverage under this warranty.

wear and tear is normal. however, is the trunk corroded and rusted through? no, therefore it is not covered under warranty. PLUS, keep in mind, how is SOA to know that something was not done, spoiler removed, tampered with, etc to cause rusting? is the OP the original owner??? my guess, is no. the original owner may have done something, been in an accident, etc and had the trunk/wing replaced.

if we have to put a label on every tiny detail of a car so the owner/user will know how to operate it, perhaps that owner shouldn't have the car/vehicle if they are too stupid to use common sense?? that's like the guy who tried to sue the manufacturer of a motorhome because he put the vehicle on "cruise control" and then sat down in the rear to read a book because he thought it meant "auto pilot." guess what, now we have labels and warnings to remind people that cruise control still requires steering and driver input.

my trunk lid was covered because the factory paint was bad. only part of it, there was another area of the trunk that was not covered because it was scraped and allowed debris inside the scrape to cause the paint to peel up. other areas of the car are also bubbling up, but because the car was in a previous front end collision over a year ago, those parts would be denied warranty.

[Getagrip]

The horse is dead. Quit beating it.