Not Happy with GM right now... (light rant)

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daves87rs

daves87rs

Joined
Feb 23, 2009
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Michigan
*sigh*


I can't believe it that it happened already.....


Today, I took my my 2006 Cobalt to the car wash. As I dried underneath the doors, I noticed something that surprised me: I decent amount of rust bubbling underneath the driver's side door. (2dr car) What the heck?


I expected this on our Cavalier. (Hers is rusting just a bit, even though I wash it as much as I can) Most GM cars rust out before they stop running anyways. But not the Balt. Granted, I'm not the first owner (the other owner took "ok" care of it), there should not be rust on the car before it hits 4 years old. Even her cav lasted longer than that!

I'm going to take it to the dealership this week, and see what they can do.


I'm just so disappointed right now.
 
Ford Baby!!

I don't know what it is but I have had 3 GM cars and they were all Junk. I'm a ford truck Guy, but I won't touch another GM vehicle. IMO Ford is just as american as GM is. They (GM)is the reason the automotive market is in shambles.....Ok I'm done with my rant to.

Thats any inexpensive econo Car. I believe you get what you pay for
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: 2003f7
My mothers 03 Fore Escape had a rust hole behind the right rear tire last year at only 40,000 miles!!


7 years in WI, Can't believe it
33.gif
 
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Originally Posted By: Ragin_Diesel
Ford Baby!!

I don't know what it is but I have had 3 GM cars and they were all Junk. I'm a ford truck Guy, but I won't touch another GM vehicle. IMO Ford is just as american as GM is. They (GM)is the reason the automotive market is in shambles.....Ok I'm done with my rant to.

Thats any inexpensive econo Car. I believe you get what you pay for



Not so much true. My Cav (2004) has NO rust being in MI almost 6 years now. Buddy's 05 Civic still looks great. Co worker's 04 Focus has no rust, and she hardly washes it at all!


While I realize that MI winters are hard on any car, I expect at least 5-6 years before I see rust!


My wife's Cavalier will be hitting it's 7th MI winter, and the rocker panels have no rust on them! (just a little under two of the doors).I try to wash my cars as much as possible during the winter to keep the salt off...
 
Might as well blame GM for world hunger and poverty too. I've had good experiences but it seems that this site is on the hate GM bandwagon. I'm sure the next time someone has a flat tire in their GM car it will be GM's fault and there will be another 100 post thread on how terrible they are.
 
Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Originally Posted By: Ragin_Diesel
Ford Baby!!

I don't know what it is but I have had 3 GM cars and they were all Junk. I'm a ford truck Guy, but I won't touch another GM vehicle. IMO Ford is just as american as GM is. They (GM)is the reason the automotive market is in shambles.....Ok I'm done with my rant to.

Thats any inexpensive econo Car. I believe you get what you pay for



Not so much true. My Cav (2004) has NO rust being in MI almost 6 years now. Buddy's 05 Civic still looks great. Co worker's 04 Focus has no rust, and she hardly washes it at all!


While I realize that MI winters are hard on any car, I expect at least 5-6 years before I see rust!


My wife's Cavalier will be hitting it's 7th MI winter, and the rocker panels have no rust on them! (just a little under two of the doors).I try to wash my cars as much as possible during the winter to keep the salt off...


I've seen plenty of the beloved Acura '04-'08 TLs with plenty rust in those regions. Imagine that, an import with rust just like lowly GM.
 
Originally Posted By: BuickGN
Might as well blame GM for world hunger and poverty too. I've had good experiences but it seems that this site is on the hate GM bandwagon. I'm sure the next time someone has a flat tire in their GM car it will be GM's fault and there will be another 100 post thread on how terrible they are.



I'm not so much blaming them, I'm just mad at them and disappointed, that's all. I expected more out of my Cobalt. For all I know, it might have just been bad luck. Who knows? I'm just not happy with it...
21.gif



I'd still consider a GM car (will be looking at the Cruze/next gen Aveo), but they will have to earn my business this time, as I plan on shopping around...The Polo, Next gen Focus, Mazda 3, are just a few on the cars I will be looking at...


Besides, My other two GM cars are serving me quite well.
19.gif
 
Originally Posted By: BuickGN
Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Originally Posted By: Ragin_Diesel
Ford Baby!!

I don't know what it is but I have had 3 GM cars and they were all Junk. I'm a ford truck Guy, but I won't touch another GM vehicle. IMO Ford is just as american as GM is. They (GM)is the reason the automotive market is in shambles.....Ok I'm done with my rant to.

Thats any inexpensive econo Car. I believe you get what you pay for



Not so much true. My Cav (2004) has NO rust being in MI almost 6 years now. Buddy's 05 Civic still looks great. Co worker's 04 Focus has no rust, and she hardly washes it at all!


While I realize that MI winters are hard on any car, I expect at least 5-6 years before I see rust!


My wife's Cavalier will be hitting it's 7th MI winter, and the rocker panels have no rust on them! (just a little under two of the doors).I try to wash my cars as much as possible during the winter to keep the salt off...


I've seen plenty of the beloved Acura '04-'08 TLs with plenty rust in those regions. Imagine that, an import with rust just like lowly GM.



Now that's interesting....
 
Originally Posted By: rudolphna
My 97 cavalier which lived in northern ohio on lake erie for the first 12 years of its life, with now 128,250 miles. No sign of rust at all.



Wow! Was anything done to keep it that way?
 
So....let's get this straight...you live in Michigan, where the roads have much salt in the winter, and after 4 years of this, you're upset with GM because your car has a rust spot? Sounds like you should be upset with where you live! I grew up in WI and understand rust well...now that I live where it does not snow, you can find / buy a vehicle of any age, without concern of rust. It's not an issue.

Up north, I've seen cars of all makes with rust on them after a few years - Mercedes, BMW, Honda, Ford, GM, Toyota, you name it. If you live where there's salt on the roads, your car will very likely rust.

Did you have it rustproofed, a treatment done when it was new? Most cars do not have extensive rustproofing from the factory, I don't care who makes it. There are aftermarket systems that are sprayed on and they work quite well. There used to be one called Ziebart, but I have no idea if it's still around...certainly there are similar ones now.

Plain and simple, if you have a scratch from a rock or from anything, no matter how small, in a spot where there should be paint, and you expose it to a Michigan winter, it will rust.

If the car runs well and you like it, it's a good car. Get the rust spot repaired and get a rust-proofing done.

And would everybody quit blaming GM for the demise of everything? lol...
 
Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Originally Posted By: BuickGN
Might as well blame GM for world hunger and poverty too. I've had good experiences but it seems that this site is on the hate GM bandwagon. I'm sure the next time someone has a flat tire in their GM car it will be GM's fault and there will be another 100 post thread on how terrible they are.



I'm not so much blaming them, I'm just mad at them and disappointed, that's all. I expected more out of my Cobalt. For all I know, it might have just been bad luck. Who knows? I'm just not happy with it...
21.gif



I'd still consider a GM car (will be looking at the Cruze/next gen Aveo), but they will have to earn my business this time, as I plan on shopping around...The Polo, Next gen Focus, Mazda 3, are just a few on the cars I will be looking at...


Besides, My other two GM cars are serving me quite well.
19.gif



I wasn't aiming that at you, really. There's just been a lot of GM bashing and I'm the first to bash them but it seems like it's getting a little out of hand.

I would be upset too if I had rust on my car at that age. My TL is getting some underbody rust in this dry CA climate. Not good considering nothing rusts around here. It's just cosmetic but I plan on moving back to the Gulf Coast one day and I worry about the durability.
 
Originally Posted By: gmchevroletruck
So....let's get this straight...you live in Michigan, where the roads have much salt in the winter, and after 4 years of this, you're upset with GM because your car has a rust spot? Sounds like you should be upset with where you live! I grew up in WI and understand rust well...now that I live where it does not snow, you can find / buy a vehicle of any age, without concern of rust. It's not an issue.

Up north, I've seen cars of all makes with rust on them after a few years - Mercedes, BMW, Honda, Ford, GM, Toyota, you name it. If you live where there's salt on the roads, your car will very likely rust.

Did you have it rustproofed, a treatment done when it was new? Most cars do not have extensive rustproofing from the factory, I don't care who makes it. There are aftermarket systems that are sprayed on and they work quite well. There used to be one called Ziebart, but I have no idea if it's still around...certainly there are similar ones now.

Plain and simple, if you have a scratch from a rock or from anything, no matter how small, in a spot where there should be paint, and you expose it to a Michigan winter, it will rust.

If the car runs well and you like it, it's a good car. Get the rust spot repaired and get a rust-proofing done.

And would everybody quit blaming GM for the demise of everything? lol...



Not sure...I wasn't the first owner....

And I know it is going to rust, but not this early...I just expected more.


Besides the seats, it's been a good car.


And it's funny you mention rust proofing...I was thinking about doing just that....
 
No car should rust at 4 years, regardless of the locale. I had an 89 Cavalier and my brother had a 92. we both lived in Michigan. no rust. I did have a dodge shadow that rusted in the door within the first couple years. the paint bubbled. the Dodge zone rep said that a stone chip must have started the rust. gee, the paint was all intact. I had a friend at a body shop fix it - he said he see it occassionally. yes, I paid for the repair, and get many rust-free years outa the car after that. Hopefully GM takes car of it. if not, fix it now while its cheaper!
 
And it's funny people mention the GM bashing threads (didn't think about that when I posted, my bad)


I guess I could have said I was mad at Chevy, my car, or something else.....
 
Originally Posted By: rudolphna
My 97 cavalier which lived in northern ohio on lake erie for the first 12 years of its life, with now 128,250 miles. No sign of rust at all.


That's so odd. My '96 Cavalier LS I had with only 96k on it at the time (back in 2004 when I sold it) which was owned by an elderly man previously had rust on the bottom of the passenger side door and rocker panel.
 
Worst cars Ive ever seen for rust are Mazdas.. Protege5's and now even Mazda3's rusting just like the Protege's around the wheel wells and trunks. That is just plain brutal. Nothing rusts worst than a Mazda!
 
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