Rust

[Spartacus]

I just bought a 2007 M35x. I live in Houston. The car spent its first two years in the Northeast. Underneath the car, I noticed some rust, mostly on the muffler and exhaust. The body looks great.

We generally do not have much of a problem with rust here in Houston, so I was hoping someone could share their thoughts with me on this. Does existing rust continue to spread, or does it just stop where it is? If it stays like it is, I don't think I really care. Are there some sort of easy steps I can take to make sure it stays confined and that I do not have any problems with it? Is there anything else I should be considering in regard to this?

Thanks.

[M4T5]

Welcome to NICOclub! Hope you decide to stay aboard as you will learn a lot about your car here.I'm not sure if it is a major concern to you or not, but you might be able to have the exhaust components replaced under warranty if you are still under the original manufacturers warranty. I would have to say (dont quote me on it) it should fall under the corrosion coverage warranty thats good for 84mo or 70,000mi.If it bothers you and you would rather have it replaced, take it in and find out. I think rust falls under corrosion coverage. Don't you?Though if you have thought about getting an aftermarket exhaust system, then you might just not worry about it. BTW: I live in Spring, TX. Just north of you!You made the right purchase! I couldn't be happier!....well if I had a better dealer it would make it perfect. Where did you buy it from?

J

[Spartacus]

Thanks for your reply. That's a good idea. I will probably get it checked.

I wonder what a dealers response might reasonably be to a rust claim. I expect most cars would naturally get a little rust if left uninspected for a number of years. At what point would the original manufacturer's warranty kick in and cover repairs to rust on the underside of a car?

I got my car at Clear Lake Infiniti.

Thanks again.

[M4T5]

Not sure what they will say about it. They may call it out as normal wear & tear. It wouldn't hurt to try though. Did you have a good experience at Clear Lake Infiniti? I dealt with Luis Rodriguez, when I was searching for a M45. He and that dealership were all great people. Very polite and courteous. Never pushy and easy to negotiate with. Unfortunately, they could not locate a M45 at the time that matched my preferences. The M45 were in very short supply then (Nov-Dec 2008). I ended up purchasing from North Houston Infiniti. I really had a bad experience with them. I wish I didn't have to buy from them, but they had the M45 I wanted. I am bringing it in to them so they can repair some of the small items they were supposed to do to the car before they delivered it to me that day. They didn't do 75% of what I asked. I let them know how disappointed I was with them and the purchasing process.I have it scheduled to go to them today. I made a list of items I wanted done to my car. It is a bit lengthy, but they should have taken care of me from the start.

J

[marlin29311]

Not sure what they will say about it. They may call it out as normal wear & tear. It wouldn't hurt to try though. Did you have a good experience at Clear Lake Infiniti? I dealt with Luis Rodriguez, when I was searching for a M45. He and that dealership were all great people. Very polite and courteous. Never pushy and easy to negotiate with. Unfortunately, they could not locate a M45 at the time that matched my preferences. The M45 were in very short supply then (Nov-Dec 2008). I ended up purchasing from North Houston Infiniti. I really had a bad experience with them. I wish I didn't have to buy from them, but they had the M45 I wanted. I am bringing it in to them so they can repair some of the small items they were supposed to do to the car before they delivered it to me that day. They didn't do 75% of what I asked. I let them know how disappointed I was with them and the purchasing process.I have it scheduled to go to them today. I made a list of items I wanted done to my car. It is a bit lengthy, but they should have taken care of me from the start.

J

The original warranty on the car has a 7 year/unlimited mile warranty for the corrosion. Provided that the rust is not a result of road wear or chipping (aka a stone chips your paint, and then you get rust in that spot_ it should be covered in it's entirety. I would bring this up to your dealer, as it would seem that this should be covered.

[qship96]

This thread PROVES how few owners read/comprehend their factory warranty booklet.....It clearly limits rust/corrosion to perforation{a hole} in body panels{sheetmetal} only-----not surface rust or rust on components like mufflers,pipes,screws,etc.....it is for sheetmetal body panels only!!!!! READ READ READ!!!!!

[M4T5]

This thread PROVES how few owners read/comprehend their factory warranty booklet.....It clearly limits rust/corrosion to perforation{a hole} in body panels{sheetmetal} only-----not surface rust or rust on components like mufflers,pipes,screws,etc.....it is for sheetmetal body panels only!!!!! READ READ READ!!!!!

So your telling me if the paint starts to bubble up and flake off due to rust build up under the paint, I would have to wait until it rusts all the way through to get it repaired under warranty??? I doubt it! That would be a manufacture issue. Either way, were not talking about that anyways. So, I guess your surface rusted exhaust will have to stay that way unless you want to upgrade to a stainless steel cat-back system.Sorry man....

J

[qship96]

So your telling me if the paint starts to bubble up and flake off due to rust build up under the paint, I would have to wait until it rusts all the way through to get it repaired under warranty??? I doubt it! That would be a manufacture issue. Either way, were not talking about that anyways. So, I guess your surface rusted exhaust will have to stay that way unless you want to upgrade to a stainless steel cat-back system.Sorry man....

J

READ your warranty....it clearly states PERFORATION of sheetmetal....yes, it must be a hole to be covered.

[Spartacus]

The guys at Clear Lake Infiniti have been great. I had a few problems that I noticed right after I bought the car and they got them fixed without any hassles. I was quite impressed with that. Oftentimes what you get is the "that is normal for the car" reply. Even with new cars I have encountered this treatment.

Has anyone else looked under their car at their exhaust system to see if they have any rust? Once again, I do not believe the rust I have is necessarily a problem, and the only reason I even looked was I knew the car came from the Northeast.

[M45Caliber]

it's common on ALL cars that do not have a Stainless steel exhaust (which is 98% of all cars made). You will be fine. If you are freaking out about it go buy some silver Rustoleum that "Neutralizes" rust and just get underneath and spray the SOB - be sure to hose off and wire brush the affected areas first. Seriously, it's nothing to worry about.

I can guarantee the dealer/service manager will just give you a strange look and send you on your way. Enjoy the car - they are great!

[M4T5]

The guys at Clear Lake Infiniti have been great. I had a few problems that I noticed right after I bought the car and they got them fixed without any hassles. I was quite impressed with that. Oftentimes what you get is the "that is normal for the car" reply. Even with new cars I have encountered this treatment.

Has anyone else looked under their car at their exhaust system to see if they have any rust? Once again, I do not believe the rust I have is necessarily a problem, and the only reason I even looked was I knew the car came from the Northeast.

That's good to hear man! North Houston Infiniti is nothing like Clear Lake Infiniti! I just took my car in yesterday with a list of items for them to take care of. The salesman was rude once again when he seen my list I had printed for him to follow. He said, "I don't know if we are going to take care of all of these items you have here. I will leave this on my Sales Managers desk and see what he will do for you."I'm just clueless.... I come there three times, and it takes the third time for them to take my car in and fix the items they were supposed to fix before I took it home the day I purchased it.They are a f*ckin joke! I really wish I purchased from Clear Lake......After I get it back, that will be the last time it goes back there! It will go to Clear Lake Infiniti from then on out.Even the shop technicians dress sloppy. All of them wear there shirts hanging out, there all very dirty, and most of them look like rookie technicians right out of UTI. Also, their shop looks aweful. It looks very dated and unorganized. All of their equipment has chipped off paint and rusting equipment. I WONT BE GOING BACK!

J

[szh]

Do also complain about them to Infiniti Corporate - it will get heard and the Dealership will get put on notice.

I don't know if it will help long-term, but with enough complaints, Infiniti has (on a few occasions) done something to make a dealer get their act together!

Z