Small rust on roof

[chux27]

Hey all,

So a couple of issues with my new car including a stone chip on the front edge of the roof above the windscreen which is rusting. The car has already been back to the dealership (needed a machine Polish, there is yellow paint on the taillight, a stone chip on the bonnet down to bare metal, a broken door seal and ive had random faults on the dash to do with the safety systems), but the dealership seem unwilling to do anything about the rust. What are your thoughts on this? I do love the car and want to keep it, but I'm concerned that the rust could get worse and Im going to end up with a big bill.

 

[James_R]

It's only going to get worse, needs to be taken back down to bare metal to remove, treat, then repaint, not a cheap job. Are the dealership going to go that far? Depends how much money there was in the deal in the first place.

Did you inspect the car prior to handover?

 

[chux27]

I did inspect the car but it was one of those things I just missed. My fault. Unfortunately the dealership arent being that helpful with anything so Im considering giving the car back and getting my money back

 

[Lucas90]

That is annoying, a shame the dealer isn't being helpful. They probably would have just touched it in with a blob of any white paint anyway which wouldn't be ideal.

You could ask around a few body shops to get an idea of cost to put it right then decide what you want to do. I'd be tempted to sort it myself, but not exactly what you want be doing with your new car!

I still get the odd random fault on the dash every now and again... normally to do with front assist. It tends to sort itself out after a minute or so

 

[SRGTD]

One of the first things I buy when I change a car is a touch up paint pen as IMHO it’s a case of when - rather than if - it’ll be needed, as stone chips are an inevitable consequence of owning a car.

Checking for stone chips forms part of my car washing regime and if I spot any new ones, they’re repaired there and then before corrosion has a chance to take hold. I find the best paint pens are those with the small nib type applicator on the top of the cap - a small hollow metal tube a bit like a hypodermic needle. The nib allows for precise paint application to the stone chip area so you don’t end up with an unsightly paint blob that often results from using the (oversized) brush fitted to the inside of the screw cap of many OEM touch up paint pens. I’ve also used Chipex paint repair kits; I found they do take time and practice to get good results but the beauty of the Chipex system is that if you’re not happy with the result of your efforts, it’s easy to remove the paint repair and start again. Whatever paint products are used, good preparation is key to a good end result, especially where there’s corrosion to remove.

@chux27; I’d be reluctant to let the dealer touch it in - they’ll probably just use the ‘paint blob’ method that @Lucas90 refers to in their post. You could get a SMART repair by a company such as Chips Away, or alternatively repair it yourself as I would - IMHO white is one of the easier colours to do minor DIY stone chip repairs.