More Rust

Northwind

New member
Hi all,

I know I may be beating a dead horse here...
I have 4 sprinters, an '03, an '04 and two '06's, all white.

The '03 and '04 have been showing rust since they were just over a year old. I had to have the 03' spot painted when it was three years old. They are getting pretty bad, approaching rust through in areas. Now the two '06 are starting (barely on the road for a year). There are numerous rust specks showing all over the vehicle. I know there have been some posts about the problem.

I have heard suggestions on this forum that lack of wax is the cause. Hogwash. No, I don't wax fleet vehicles. Yes they get washed from time to time. No, it's its not from dings, I have some of those, they're not the ones I'm complaining about. The specks are on every body panel, including the rear,

I have five other vehicles mixed into my fleet, 3 Chevy trucks, one Dodge RAM, one Yukon, from '02 to '08. They are subjected to the same daily routine as the sprinters, with no rust problems. The '02 RAM has scratches all over it, is a plow truck, and carried a salt spreader for 3 years. Even where the scratches are, there is no rust. I'm convinced that the sprinter paint is junk.

I was wondering if anyone was aware of a formal acknowledgment of a problem by the factory or a class action. My dealer says that the guarantee only covers a rust through. The sprinters are expensive, but I'm investing in good mileage and longevity. Not a sound investment if the body rots away before 150K miles.

Thanks
 

mobileoilchange

New member
your rust "specks" are from the brakes
when the brakes wear they eat away at the rotor and pads.
if your "specks" look like cinnamon or pepper its from the brakes.
and the rear of the vehicle get it the worst because of the down draft from the foward motion as you drive.
 

Northwind

New member
I'm pretty sure the specks are a rail dust issue from the factory. Although ugly, the specks don't concern me nearly as much as the structural rust at the edges of body panels, seams, roof gutters, Etc...
 

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