05 caravan rusty hood

Subject says it all, almost. Fixing the paint nicks before winter, and
noticed rust bubbles on front edge of hood, inside and outside. Dealer
says SOL- my rust-through warranty (5 yrs/100k) expired 8 days ago.

Anybody have any luck getting Chrysler to kick in part of repair cost
after warranty, since the damage clearly started in warranty? Stupid
design for hood- the way the inside layers come together, there is no
way for it to NOT trap crap in there.

Am I looking at buying a new hood come spring? I know from experience
that there is no point in trying to repair rust in multiple metal
layers- it'll just pop out again in six months.

--
aem sends...

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:27:47 -0500, aemeijers >
wrote:

>Subject says it all, almost. Fixing the paint nicks before winter, and
>noticed rust bubbles on front edge of hood, inside and outside. Dealer
>says SOL- my rust-through warranty (5 yrs/100k) expired 8 days ago.
>
>Anybody have any luck getting Chrysler to kick in part of repair cost
>after warranty, since the damage clearly started in warranty? Stupid
>design for hood- the way the inside layers come together, there is no
>way for it to NOT trap crap in there.
>
>Am I looking at buying a new hood come spring? I know from experience
>that there is no point in trying to repair rust in multiple metal
>layers- it'll just pop out again in six months.

My '04 2500 is rusting all over. Same basic thing, crappy paint (way
too thin) and a total lack of any consideration towards the buyers.
The big question is "How much will this hurt them in the future when
we (who are totally dissatisfied with their vehicles) don't buy from
them, and tell others our sad stories."

As to repairing it, you need to put it on a lift, and look at the
entire chassies. I'd guess your hood is just the beginning of the
story, that there will be substantial rust underneath, too.

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:50:11 -0500, PeterD > wrote:

>On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:27:47 -0500, aemeijers >
>wrote:
>
>>Subject says it all, almost. Fixing the paint nicks before winter, and
>>noticed rust bubbles on front edge of hood, inside and outside. Dealer
>>says SOL- my rust-through warranty (5 yrs/100k) expired 8 days ago.
>>
>>Anybody have any luck getting Chrysler to kick in part of repair cost
>>after warranty, since the damage clearly started in warranty? Stupid
>>design for hood- the way the inside layers come together, there is no
>>way for it to NOT trap crap in there.
>>
>>Am I looking at buying a new hood come spring? I know from experience
>>that there is no point in trying to repair rust in multiple metal
>>layers- it'll just pop out again in six months.
>
>My '04 2500 is rusting all over. Same basic thing, crappy paint (way
>too thin) and a total lack of any consideration towards the buyers.
>The big question is "How much will this hurt them in the future when
>we (who are totally dissatisfied with their vehicles) don't buy from
>them, and tell others our sad stories."
>
>As to repairing it, you need to put it on a lift, and look at the
>entire chassies. I'd guess your hood is just the beginning of the
>story, that there will be substantial rust underneath, too.
The Neons and "cloud cars" all rusted the leading edge of the hood
long before anything else got bad - most of the vans too. Often even
before the fuel lines and brake lines.

I owned two vehicles that the paint started to peel one was a Dodge and one
was a Chevy. The Chevy was fixed under warranty and I had the dodge
repainted by a local body shop after the warranty expired. It seems that
both manufactures had an issue with the paint. Speaking with the local body
shop, he mention the problem was not the paint itself but the primer. The
primer and paint were reacting causing the paint to peel. The problems
started when the manufactures switch to a a low VOC (volitale Organic
compound) type primer and paint.

MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) was used in a lot of paint thinnng and to prepare
surfaces for painting prior to the problem. The US government started a
campaign to reduce MEK use in the US due to it being listed a VOC and it
potential health effects. I hace seen the effects of the US government
wanting to ban the use of MEK. I worked in a chemical plant that had a unit
that produced MEK that was shutdown due to lack of sales after the US
goverment started bannng its use.



Despite the goverments attempt to totally ban the use of MEK, they still
allow its use in manufacturing of products such as resins, plastic and some
others. One of its biggest use prior to the attempt to ban it was in paint
thinners.

Licker wrote:
> I owned two vehicles that the paint started to peel one was a Dodge and one
> was a Chevy. The Chevy was fixed under warranty and I had the dodge
> repainted by a local body shop after the warranty expired. It seems that
> both manufactures had an issue with the paint. Speaking with the local body
(snip)

Uh, it ain't a paint issue. It looks fine, other than typical sloppy
edges. It is a rust issue, coming from inside the seam at leading edge
of hood. A bad design there traps road crud. Nothing short of potting
that whole joint with epoxy would keep the crud from starting rot in there.

--
aem sends...

On Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:45:11 -0500, aemeijers >
wrote:

>Licker wrote:
>> I owned two vehicles that the paint started to peel one was a Dodge and one
>> was a Chevy. The Chevy was fixed under warranty and I had the dodge
>> repainted by a local body shop after the warranty expired. It seems that
>> both manufactures had an issue with the paint. Speaking with the local body
>(snip)
>
>Uh, it ain't a paint issue. It looks fine, other than typical sloppy
>edges. It is a rust issue, coming from inside the seam at leading edge
>of hood. A bad design there traps road crud. Nothing short of potting
>that whole joint with epoxy would keep the crud from starting rot in there.


Actually, if the material in the joint was properly treated, it
wouln't rust in there - and PART of that is a primer issue. They don't
USE an actual primer any more - the metal is just 'electro-koted" -
basically etched, (generally a dip process) and then the part is
electrostatically painted. Nothing gets into the joint area to seal
and protect it, so it rusts from the inside out.

aemeijers wrote:
> Subject says it all, almost. Fixing the paint nicks before winter, and
> noticed rust bubbles on front edge of hood, inside and outside. Dealer
> says SOL- my rust-through warranty (5 yrs/100k) expired 8 days ago.
>
> Anybody have any luck getting Chrysler to kick in part of repair cost
> after warranty, since the damage clearly started in warranty? Stupid
> design for hood- the way the inside layers come together, there is no
> way for it to NOT trap crap in there.
>
> Am I looking at buying a new hood come spring? I know from experience
> that there is no point in trying to repair rust in multiple metal
> layers- it'll just pop out again in six months.
>
> --
> aem sends...

Well, if anyone cares- as expected, Chrysler basically told me 'too
bad', after I wasted a couple of phone calls and another trip to dealer
to have the rust 'evaluated'. Apparently, even if I had noticed the rust
before the cutoff, the 'perforation' warranty only applies if you can
see daylight through the hole. Bubbled paint on both sides of a 2 or 3
layer section, is not considered a perforation.

At this point, since salt season starts in a couple weeks, I guess I'll
let it ride till spring, at which time the front edge of hood will look
like lace. I stopped by a real body shop, and found that I am looking at
$600 or more to have a fresh hood painted and installed. So unless I can
find a non-rusty same color hood in a yard somewhere for less money, I'm
probably gonna be walking bowlegged at some point. Apparently even the
used hoods are expensive, this being a crash part and all, and prone to
rust up north here. Maybe I can find one on vacation down south, if I
drive instead of fly next year.

aem sends.....

On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:02:29 -0500, aemeijers wrote:

> aemeijers wrote:
>> Subject says it all, almost. Fixing the paint nicks before winter, and
>> noticed rust bubbles on front edge of hood, inside and outside. Dealer
>> says SOL- my rust-through warranty (5 yrs/100k) expired 8 days ago.
>>
>> Anybody have any luck getting Chrysler to kick in part of repair cost
>> after warranty, since the damage clearly started in warranty? Stupid
>> design for hood- the way the inside layers come together, there is no
>> way for it to NOT trap crap in there.
>>
>> Am I looking at buying a new hood come spring? I know from experience
>> that there is no point in trying to repair rust in multiple metal
>> layers- it'll just pop out again in six months.
>>
>> --
>> aem sends...
>
> Well, if anyone cares- as expected, Chrysler basically told me 'too
> bad', after I wasted a couple of phone calls and another trip to dealer
> to have the rust 'evaluated'. Apparently, even if I had noticed the rust
> before the cutoff, the 'perforation' warranty only applies if you can
> see daylight through the hole. Bubbled paint on both sides of a 2 or 3
> layer section, is not considered a perforation.
>
> At this point, since salt season starts in a couple weeks, I guess I'll
> let it ride till spring, at which time the front edge of hood will look
> like lace. I stopped by a real body shop, and found that I am looking at
> $600 or more to have a fresh hood painted and installed. So unless I can
> find a non-rusty same color hood in a yard somewhere for less money, I'm
> probably gonna be walking bowlegged at some point. Apparently even the
> used hoods are expensive, this being a crash part and all, and prone to
> rust up north here. Maybe I can find one on vacation down south, if I
> drive instead of fly next year.
>
> aem sends.....

Just spray some gray primer on it and get on with life.


--
"Ubuntu" -- an African word, meaning "Slackware is too hard for me".
"Bother!" said Pooh, as he garotted another passing Liberal.
Usenet Improvement Project: http://twovoyagers.com/improve-usenet.org/

Dan C wrote:
> On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:02:29 -0500, aemeijers wrote:
>
>> aemeijers wrote:
>>> Subject says it all, almost. Fixing the paint nicks before winter, and
>>> noticed rust bubbles on front edge of hood, inside and outside. Dealer
>>> says SOL- my rust-through warranty (5 yrs/100k) expired 8 days ago.
>>>
>>> Anybody have any luck getting Chrysler to kick in part of repair cost
>>> after warranty, since the damage clearly started in warranty? Stupid
>>> design for hood- the way the inside layers come together, there is no
>>> way for it to NOT trap crap in there.
>>>
>>> Am I looking at buying a new hood come spring? I know from experience
>>> that there is no point in trying to repair rust in multiple metal
>>> layers- it'll just pop out again in six months.
>>>
>>> --
>>> aem sends...
>> Well, if anyone cares- as expected, Chrysler basically told me 'too
>> bad', after I wasted a couple of phone calls and another trip to dealer
>> to have the rust 'evaluated'. Apparently, even if I had noticed the rust
>> before the cutoff, the 'perforation' warranty only applies if you can
>> see daylight through the hole. Bubbled paint on both sides of a 2 or 3
>> layer section, is not considered a perforation.
>>
>> At this point, since salt season starts in a couple weeks, I guess I'll
>> let it ride till spring, at which time the front edge of hood will look
>> like lace. I stopped by a real body shop, and found that I am looking at
>> $600 or more to have a fresh hood painted and installed. So unless I can
>> find a non-rusty same color hood in a yard somewhere for less money, I'm
>> probably gonna be walking bowlegged at some point. Apparently even the
>> used hoods are expensive, this being a crash part and all, and prone to
>> rust up north here. Maybe I can find one on vacation down south, if I
>> drive instead of fly next year.
>>
>> aem sends.....
>
> Just spray some gray primer on it and get on with life.
>
>
Primer doesn't fill holes, or stop rust in dead spaces. Bondo doesn't
work either- BTDT on previous vehicles. Pops back out in a couple of
months. Looked on ebay- I can actually order a pre-painted hood
(aftermarket, but supposedly OEM quality) several hundred cheaper than
body shop, if I can find somebody to help me put it on. Not heavy, but
needs somebody on both ends when you line up the bolt holes.

Yeah, I know, it's just a car, but this is the first one I ever paid
more than 10k for(18 months ago), and it only has 50k miles. I was
hoping to keep it presentable looking for another 2-3 years, at least.
And the bad engineering that made the hood rust-prone ****es me off.
Maybe I should have spent the extra 5 grand for a Honda van- my 99
Accord with 105k miles doesn't have a speck of rust.

--
aem sends...

On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:22:29 -0500, aemeijers wrote:

> Dan C wrote:
>> On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:02:29 -0500, aemeijers wrote:
>>
>>> aemeijers wrote:
>>>> Subject says it all, almost. Fixing the paint nicks before winter,
>>>> and noticed rust bubbles on front edge of hood, inside and outside.
>>>> Dealer says SOL- my rust-through warranty (5 yrs/100k) expired 8 days
>>>> ago.
>>>>
>>>> Anybody have any luck getting Chrysler to kick in part of repair cost
>>>> after warranty, since the damage clearly started in warranty? Stupid
>>>> design for hood- the way the inside layers come together, there is no
>>>> way for it to NOT trap crap in there.
>>>>
>>>> Am I looking at buying a new hood come spring? I know from experience
>>>> that there is no point in trying to repair rust in multiple metal
>>>> layers- it'll just pop out again in six months.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> aem sends...
>>> Well, if anyone cares- as expected, Chrysler basically told me 'too
>>> bad', after I wasted a couple of phone calls and another trip to
>>> dealer to have the rust 'evaluated'. Apparently, even if I had noticed
>>> the rust before the cutoff, the 'perforation' warranty only applies if
>>> you can see daylight through the hole. Bubbled paint on both sides of
>>> a 2 or 3 layer section, is not considered a perforation.
>>>
>>> At this point, since salt season starts in a couple weeks, I guess
>>> I'll let it ride till spring, at which time the front edge of hood
>>> will look like lace. I stopped by a real body shop, and found that I
>>> am looking at $600 or more to have a fresh hood painted and installed.
>>> So unless I can find a non-rusty same color hood in a yard somewhere
>>> for less money, I'm probably gonna be walking bowlegged at some point.
>>> Apparently even the used hoods are expensive, this being a crash part
>>> and all, and prone to rust up north here. Maybe I can find one on
>>> vacation down south, if I drive instead of fly next year.
>>>
>>> aem sends.....
>>
>> Just spray some gray primer on it and get on with life.
>>
>>
> Primer doesn't fill holes, or stop rust in dead spaces. Bondo doesn't
> work either-

OK then use primer *and* duct tape. Sheesh.


--
"Ubuntu" -- an African word, meaning "Slackware is too hard for me".
"Bother!" said Pooh, as he garotted another passing Liberal.
Usenet Improvement Project: http://twovoyagers.com/improve-usenet.org/