Alfa UK bodywork warranty

[159_kid]

Just noticed a long line of rust developing at the bottom of the driver's door of my MY2007 159. It look as though its coming from the inside and important guessing ostensibly due to water sitting in the bottom of the door. Does nylne know what the AUK warranty period is on bodywork and if this will be covered? Im astonished that a car under 4 years old is showing signs of rust.

[True Gaucho]

The "anti-perforation" warranty (ie/ anti-corrosion warranty) is eight years, although I'm sure there will be conditions attached to this. Hope you get it sorted

[159_kid]

haven't been able to speak with ARUK but spoke to my local dealer who advised I need to take the car to them to be inspected and they will then report their findings to ARUK who will advise if this is a warranty claim or not.

I can see why not as there is no damage on the door ??? Anyone had the pleasure of claiming against the alfa corrosion warranty

[159_kid]

Took it to alfa dealers in blackbirn who straight away asked if i'd had the 3 yr bodywork inspection. On answering no the service receptionist dismissed my issue and said aruk wouldnt touch my claim! Wonderful customer service and such a positive attitude. I can see im going hAve to fight the reluctance of aruk to uphold their waranties. There is no paint damage only rust which is coming from the inside out. If the blackburn dealer remain unhelpful the i'll try bauer in manchester. I would of expected ar to be all over corrosion issues given their poor history with corrosion.
I even considered getting rid of my beloved 159 yesterday but i'll see how this issue pans out before i make any rash decisions.

[Squadrone Rosso]

Inspection? Didn't think that applied anymore

[159_kid]

I hope so rosso. Ill dig out my service book and check the wording. The dealer i took it to havent long been an alfa franchise just fiat. They dont fill me with confidence and even quoted the fiat warranty which doesnt cover bodywork only under body metal, subframe and the like.
Very poor product knowledge in my opinion.

[michaelb]

It won't help you I know but Alfa are not alone in this. A fellow Citroën C6 owner has similarly been told to take a hike by Citroën UK when he brought the bubbling B-pillar on his C6 to their attention.

I've just paid £50 to have mine (three years old) inspected, and stamped, at a main dealer just in case.

[Le Man]

To try and inject a little factual content into this post, we sent the photographs of your 159 to Alfa Romeo who have recommended that we call you back and take further shots of the insides of the doors for their consideration. Sorry to spoil a good gripe with facts and all, but thats where we're up to. The service advisor who "took no time to dismiss your issue" is trying to contact you by phone to arrange this. On the point of poor corrosion history, all Alfa Romeo bodies have been cataphorectically primed since April 1981 hence the Z for Zinc at the start of the VIN numbers

[Ralf S.]

Aye.. but they didn't do the floors of the 145/155.. Just the bits that bolt on.. rather than those which need a welder to fix. Go figure..

Having said that, the only rust I had anywhere (except on the floors) of my Alfas has been to the bottom of the passenger door of my old Permanator 33-S ... and that was a few years after a moron in a Sierra tried to drive through it.

The door was repaired with a new skin.. which was therefore welded to the door inner frame "post-production" rather than during manufacture, so there was an inherent disturbance to the factory coatings.. paint, primer, zinc or whatever.

You can tell if your door has been re-skinned, since the weld between the skin and the frame is going to look "welded" rather than "pressed together" .. or at the very least "different" to the other doors. If your door has been repaired, then it's probably the reason for the rust... and unless it was a factory dealer who did it, AR is bound to throw your claim out.

I'd be surprised if the factory finished door would have rusted.. they tend to all be finished with the same process, so you'd think if there was a poor finish that all 159's would be suffering.


Ralf S.

[cue2]

Originally Posted by 159_kid

Just noticed a long line of rust developing at the bottom of the driver's door of my MY2007 159. It look as though its coming from the inside and important guessing ostensibly due to water sitting in the bottom of the door. Does nylne know what the AUK warranty period is on bodywork and if this will be covered? Im astonished that a car under 4 years old is showing signs of rust.

FYI the definition of ostensibly:"Apparently or purportedly, but perhaps not actually"
is this what you meant?
Also,have you had the car from new,so do you know if the door has been reskinned.Is the membrane intact?
Good luck as this should not happen at that age of car

[159_kid]

Originally Posted by cue2

FYI the definition of ostensibly:"Apparently or purportedly, but perhaps not actually"
is this what you meant?
Also,have you had the car from new,so do you know if the door has been reskinned.Is the membrane intact?
Good luck as this should not happen at that age of car

Dont you hate predictive txt on mobiles!!! Not sure what i meant there???
Not had the car from new.. Just the last 12 months and as far as im aware the door hasn't been reskinned Been contacted today by the service adviser and advised they want to remove the door card and inspect the internals ... Im very pleased but dont want to get too excited just yet. I read through the service book and didnt come across any need to have a body inspection in order to validate the corrosion warranty.

[159_kid]

Originally Posted by Le Man

To try and inject a little factual content into this post, we sent the photographs of your 159 to Alfa Romeo who have recommended that we call you back and take further shots of the insides of the doors for their consideration. Sorry to spoil a good gripe with facts and all, but thats where we're up to. The service advisor who "took no time to dismiss your issue" is trying to contact you by phone to arrange this. On the point of poor corrosion history, all Alfa Romeo bodies have been cataphorectically primed since April 1981 hence the Z for Zinc at the start of the VIN numbers

Have i upset someone? I have no gripe and my posts only contain facts and my opinion based upon these facts. Im sure the service advisor in question would not deny the fact they indeed did quote the fiat warranty but ensured i was made aware. This is the reason i presumed your dealership has not been an alfa franchise for long. Are you commenting on behalf of the dealership or are your observations / comments based on personal opinion?

[PR]

156 GTAs are plagued with rust issues on the front wings. I took mine in at around 5 years old. I had owned from 11 months old (previous owner being Fiat / Alfa UK).


The rust was inspected by local dealer and confirmed as "covered by warranty". However, the 3rd year inspection stamp had not been stamped. I had the 3rd year service carried out outside the dealer network, as Alfa had helpfully culled my local dealer, so would have been a 120 mile round trip. All of this was put to them. The result....Not covered!

[GTA_Nigel]

Yup, there have been issues with the 8 year warranty on 156 GTAs. If there is a 3 year three year bodywork inspection for the 159, you must have that stamp to stand a chance, if you don't have that you will likely be rejected. I checked the 159 brochire, and it is 3 years for paintwork defects and 8 years anti-perforation, same as mine.

I tried to claim under the 8 year rule for wheel arch rust. The service at the three year interval (before I owned it) was carried out by a main dealer but they did not stamp the bodywork inspection and thus Alfa said I was not covered. Also, according to my discussions with ARUK, perforation means there must be a hole in the bodywork, not just surface rust. I had rust coming through from the rear of the wheel arches and bubbling through the paint, my argument was that it had clearly perforated the paint. They said no, perforation means a hole.

However, after a lot of discussion, ARUK did make a goodwill contribution towards the repair, so in the end they were reasonable and something was better than nothing for me.

Cheers,

Nigel

[Ralf S.]

That still sounds pretty poor though.

Rust coming through the paint must be a "perforation".

Even if it isn't, are they suggesting that you should just leave it for another few months until it becomes perforation? Is that the only time they'll fix it, when there's more to repair?? (Numb!!).

The dealers or ARUK are rather missing the point. The warranty is supposed to cover rust issues that is not just some bit of surface "discolouration" where the paint has been worn away (think 156 windscreen frame). Perforation is the best word that describes that rust that comes through the paint... but they seem to be taking the word way too literally.

It's a pity nobody uses more common sense and gets with the spirit of the warranty. I can't imagine the Alfa bosses getting together round a table one day and having the great idea to treat rust issues for free... but only if it's an actual hole and not something that will turn into a hole if we leave it long enough...

Of course, if they don't want all the rust hassle.. they could just use a bit more galvanising and protection for the sake of a couple of Euros...?

Ralf S.

[michaelb]

Originally Posted by Le Man

all Alfa Romeo bodies have been cataphorectically primed since April 1981 hence the Z for Zinc at the start of the VIN numbers

I don't doubt they have been but I think you are wrong on the Z. My Ducati's VIN is ZDM and my Piaggio's (plastic twist n' go) is ZAP. I've seen Maseratis with ZAM. My Lancia Y10 was ZAA (for Autobianchi). I think all Italian VINs are prefixed Z - I can't imagine they are all zinc dipped.

[PR]

Indeed, ZA- ZR is Italian...

Vehicle Identification Number - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Le Man]

Don't know what you were doing in April 1981, but I was selling Alfa Romeos. Trust me about the Z

[GTA_Nigel]

Originally Posted by Ralf S.

That still sounds pretty poor though.

Rust coming through the paint must be a "perforation".

LOL, you don't want to see the dictionary definitions and semantic arguments that I sent them to support exactly that assertion! But no, perforation means a hole, simple as that.

Originally Posted by Ralf S.

The dealers or ARUK are rather missing the point. The warranty is supposed to cover rust issues that is not just some bit of surface "discolouration" where the paint has been worn away (think 156 windscreen frame). Perforation is the best word that describes that rust that comes through the paint... but they seem to be taking the word way too literally.

No, like most warranties, it is there to give you the impression that when you buy the car you are covered against problems. It's only when you actually have a problem that you actually read the small print and find out there is a get out clause (namely the 3 year bodywork inspection) or it doesn't actually cover what you assumed it would (because you never bothered to read the small print as you were so excited to buy the car and the nice salesman told you about the 8 year paintwork warranty so that you needn't fear Alfas rusting any more.....).

Cheers,

Nigel

[DavidWhitton]

Originally Posted by Le Man

To try and inject a little factual content into this post, we sent the photographs of your 159 to Alfa Romeo who have recommended that we call you back and take further shots of the insides of the doors for their consideration. Sorry to spoil a good gripe with facts and all, but thats where we're up to. The service advisor who "took no time to dismiss your issue" is trying to contact you by phone to arrange this. On the point of poor corrosion history, all Alfa Romeo bodies have been cataphorectically primed since April 1981 hence the Z for Zinc at the start of the VIN numbers

I would like to correct the factual point mentioned above, the Z in the VIN Number actually relates to the country of production which in this case Z = Italy, hence Alfa are ZAR and Fiat ZFA, not the fact that they are zinc coated.

Lots of love from Dave and Dax (at Benfield)

[DavidWhitton]

Decoding Your VIN | Auto Insurance Tips

For proof

[Roswell]

Originally Posted by DavidWhitton

Lots of love from Dave and Dax (at Benfield)

So you two finally got a room eh?

[badgers_nadgers]

Originally Posted by Ralf S.

That still sounds pretty poor though.

Rust coming through the paint must be a "perforation".

Even if it isn't, are they suggesting that you should just leave it for another few months until it becomes perforation? Is that the only time they'll fix it, when there's more to repair?? (Numb!!).

The dealers or ARUK are rather missing the point. The warranty is supposed to cover rust issues that is not just some bit of surface "discolouration" where the paint has been worn away (think 156 windscreen frame). Perforation is the best word that describes that rust that comes through the paint... but they seem to be taking the word way too literally.

It's a pity nobody uses more common sense and gets with the spirit of the warranty. I can't imagine the Alfa bosses getting together round a table one day and having the great idea to treat rust issues for free... but only if it's an actual hole and not something that will turn into a hole if we leave it long enough...

Of course, if they don't want all the rust hassle.. they could just use a bit more galvanising and protection for the sake of a couple of Euros...?

Ralf S.

They don't need to galvanise to save euros. They just have a non existent warranty instead.

[Benfield Alfa]

Now Now play nicely !!

[davidjwbailey]

Originally Posted by DavidWhitton

Decoding Your VIN | Auto Insurance Tips

For proof

priceless