I occasionally see very new vehicles with rust and paint issues. Usually they are made in Korea. Has anyone else noticed this? I don't understand how a 2 year old car can have large sections of paint flaked off or rust already forming!
Pictures welcome! 
I see a lot of newer Mazda products with nasty, scaly rust. Particularly the 6.
It's business as usual for Nissan.
Some of the newer Toyotas scare me. They have a lot of origami-like folds and creases and multiple layers all coming together with open ends. That is a recipe for rust if there ever was one.
Finally got to see one of the failure-prone Tacomas on a rack. No wonder they have frame problems. Everyone else uses a C-channel or box section of 1/8" or so steel. Toyota frames have several thin-gauge panels folded as one and welded together. No E36 M3 that is going to fail quickly! Sure maybe it's 15% lighter for the same strength or whatever, but way to destroy your reputation for building decent trucks.
Our 2005 Dodge minivan had significant visible rust by the 5-year mark. And after 50+ years, they still can't make a Jeep that doesn't have front fenders, windshield frames, and frames that don't rust through. Shame on Chrysler!
Mazda for the win (if you call that winning).
The left-front fender of my '03 TDi has started rusting at the top of the wheel arch. Strangely, the right rear quarter that got hit and is all messed up under the bumper cover is still clean.
I've seen quite a few Mazda 3's with serious rust after only a few years on the road.
I see a lot of very rusty focus wagons out and about.
saw a 2005 or so RX8 driven year round where the guy removed the bumper and found a ton of rust.
Have seen quite a few 04-05, maybe newer, Subarus condemned with rotted subframes.
Pre-facelift Mini's like to rust too. Edges of the doors,
E46 BMW's. All over. Rear wheel arches seem to be a particularly popular spot, have seen a couple E90's continuing that trend.
One quite common thing that causes problems for me (working at a dealer) is rear licence plates that bolt on with a nut welded into the hatch/trunklid. Bolt ruts, seizes, then breaks. I'm looking at you Honda, Toyota, VW, Mercedes...
I also saw one of those skinny/tall dodge vans a few years ago that was shockingly rusted out, it was held together entirely by the decorative wrap. I'm guessing the wrap also had something to do with it rusting.
second on the focus, I saw one about a month ago with fist sized holes in it. I was surprized.
Also, where's the cutoff for newer cars? My wife's 2001 G20 is pretty rusty as well.
I have seen pretty nasty rust on newer Dodge Rams. Usually it's a truck that actually gets used as a truck, so it's a bit beat up, I don't see the same level of rust on same-year Chevies or Fords (or Toyotas or Nissans).
Knurled: Unfortunately, based on resale values around here the reputation is unharmed. Tacos and Tundras are STILL massively overpriced (seriously, I was at a local Toyota store a couple years ago picking up some parts for a customer car. On one end was a line Tacos being bought back by Toyota for frame rust, on the other end of the same lot they were asking over $20k for basically the same trucks!!) I think the rust thing is overblown, but I'd still buy a Frontier over a Taco and a Silverado over a Tundra any day of the week.
Rufledt wrote: I also saw one of those skinny/tall dodge vans a few years ago that was shockingly rusted out, it was held together entirely by the decorative wrap. I'm guessing the wrap also had something to do with it rusting.
The sprinters seem -very- rust prone. Especially the rear doors
I would normally say Mazda, and they are very bad. But after helping a friend fix his Focus because the wiper mechanism and the shift tower (on top of his manual transmission) had rusted solid, I say 1G Focus. I had never seen that before or since, and since those two items are high and far from the road salt, I don't get it.
So 1G Ford Focus FTW?????
Rufledt wrote: I also saw one of those skinny/tall dodge vans a few years ago that was shockingly rusted out, it was held together entirely by the decorative wrap. I'm guessing the wrap also had something to do with it rusting.
No, they all do that. Sprinters are absolutely godawful for rust. I think it went something like this:
Dodge: We need to replace the van that we've been more or less making since 1971. Got anything, Mercedes? Mercedes: We have the Sprinter but it rusts fast. Dodge: SOLD!
I think it is somewhere in Mopar's internal mission statement that all vehicles they sell must have horrendous rust problems.
thestig99 wrote: Have seen quite a few 04-05, maybe newer, Subarus condemned with rotted subframes.
Condemn? Hell, that's just a handful of bolts. No big. Have done scadloads of subframes on 2nd-gen Neons (side breaks off, usually right side, instant tow job and separated axle), final-gen Cavalier/Sunfires (upper leg breaks off, usually right side, car usually drives fine), and GM N-bodies from the late 90s (rack mounts break off, car rendered undrivable) and all of those cars are worth a hell of a lot less than any Subaru.
Mazda's seem really good at rusting. I remember a few years ago shopping for a 3 year old mazda5, most of them had rust around the rear fenders. our protege 5 had rust holes through the rear fenders at less than 5 years old.
Knurled wrote:thestig99 wrote: Have seen quite a few 04-05, maybe newer, Subarus condemned with rotted subframes.Condemn? Hell, that's just a handful of bolts. No big. Have done scadloads of subframes on 2nd-gen Neons (side breaks off, usually right side, instant tow job and separated axle), final-gen Cavalier/Sunfires (upper leg breaks off, usually right side, car usually drives fine), and GM N-bodies from the late 90s (rack mounts break off, car rendered undrivable) and all of those cars are worth a hell of a lot less than any Subaru.
Well, maybe condemn is the wrong word. "Fail state inspection". But "rotted subframe" usually starts a long list of repairs that ends in the customer buying a new car instead.
SlickDizzy wrote: I see a lot of newer Mazda products with nasty, scaly rust. Particularly the 6.
Mazda 3's are BRUTAL with rust. I've seen whole wheel arches missing in the back.
the new rams are getting horrible around here at 4 years old.
Knurled wrote:thestig99 wrote: Have seen quite a few 04-05, maybe newer, Subarus condemned with rotted subframes.Condemn? Hell, that's just a handful of bolts. No big. Have done scadloads of subframes on 2nd-gen Neons (side breaks off, usually right side, instant tow job and separated axle), final-gen Cavalier/Sunfires (upper leg breaks off, usually right side, car usually drives fine), and GM N-bodies from the late 90s (rack mounts break off, car rendered undrivable) and all of those cars are worth a hell of a lot less than any Subaru.
+1 Lots of cars have subframes that's break with the right combination of stress and corrosion.
What kind of road salt hell do you people live in?!?
Minnesota.
I saw an E46 with rust..... in Nevada.
Mazda 3+6 are the rustiest newer cars around here. Northern NY
You'll need to log in to post.
