You've GOT to be kidding me! I realize I live in the salt belt, but I have cared for the vehicle accordingly. Car was washed VERY frequently (especially in the winter, after snowfalls), stored in a low-heated garage, and waxed yearly since I purchased March 31st, 2011 (Now at 67k miles). I realize has a 7yr/100k rust warranty, but that's not something I ever wanted to use.





It's "just" surface rust, but I'm furious. I certainly took well above average care of this vehicle and expected it to last a reasonable amount of time.

 

Ouch that looks nasty. How about the wheel wells/quarter panels? I notice the paint in those areas to be quite 'thin' as well.

 

Man, I'm sorry - that looks like crap.
The paint immediately around the area looks pristine, which leads me to believe the problem is occurring with moisture/water settling on the inside.

You'll need to remove the interior plastic panel and look in from there to see if the rust is happening from within. If so... uhm well... I don't know how to say it lightly... But, let's not jinks it.

Please take a pic from within and let's hope for good news.

(Personally, I've noticed alot of our undercarriage suspension bolts are not galvanized, since they are all rusty. Very cheap. )

 

+1 on this. After having removed the hatch panels to install my rearview camera, there is definitely room for water to seep in and drip all the way down to the release button.

 

I'm thinking of getting myself a kit of RUST-OLEUM® NEVERWET® and spraying the inside of the hatchgate area, just to be doubly sure that doesn't happen..

 

This has gotten me all paranoid too... had to keep doing double takes while washing the car last night. Any word from the dealer yet Burton?

 

Oh no

 

What a bummer man. Sorry to see that especially after all the work you put in to prevent this from happening.

 

I just saw on the Mitsubishi site that the O.S. has a 7 year anti corrosion warranty

 

http://www.mitsubishicars.com/outlan...specifications

 

Those pictures are a bit concerning, I'd love to learn more about it.

Edit: Just noticed that burtonrider hasn't been back to this thread since he started it, hope everything is ok there...

 

Sorry! I actually haven't made it to the dealer yet, as this semester has been pretty busy already. Certainly HIGH on my list of things to do soon though!

 

Although only after six winters but I also found a surface rust in the nearby area. My rust spot developed on the left side of the plug covering up the back up camera's position. I have used a dremel to clean up the area as it is difficult to access due to the confined space. primed and painted the area and even covered the spot with multiple coats of black plastidip. I have not taken a before picture but I would urge people leaving in the rust belt to periodically check this area. In my case the rust developed from outside but one should check the back up camera whole whether the plastic cover seals well or allows moisture inside the tailgate. As mentioned earlier surface rust is not covered so I did the fix myself.

 

Been working in the auto industry for many years. We are in a constant battle w/corrosion, mostly due to the aggressive de-icers being used on the roads (Mag Chloride, Calcium Choride to name a couple)
There are places on any car that will trap these chemicals & they will begin to cook the steel members, creating rust damage. Not sure what you could have done diff other than a water wash after every drive in the snow

We use a rust preventative supplied by "The Scharpf Group" (its a soft, self healing wax based undercoat)

 

$hit mate that sucks!