Chrysler rust repair process under warranty.

[mrsilv04]

Can anyone who has already been though the process of getting Chrysler to repair rust damage under warranty, to fill me in the the process?

I noticed a badly sealed seam on the lower inside edge of the tailgate on the '07 Town and Country, and rust is already bubbling up under the paint on the outside. It is still under the Chrysler 5 year / 100,000 mile rust coverage.

The dealer is to look at it tomorrow and take pictures of the damage to send to Chrysler. The dealer does not have their own body shop.

If approved, will Chrysler tell me which body shop will do the repairs?

Is there any chance that Chrysler will approve this under warranty?

 

[FusilliJerry82]

I thought most corrosion warranties were for actual perforation.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04


Is there any chance that Chrysler will approve this under warranty?

I think since its on the tail gate(no stone chips possible) and if its bubbling through with no chips in the paint from abuse, you have a good chance of getting chrysler to do something.
The warranties all say perforation but my Dad seem to have good luck with the internal bubble argument. We got a new hatch on a corolla, and a new hood on a 626 with some reasoned and persistent arguing.

 

[eljefino]

beat on the rust with a ball peen hammer until there's a hole?

 

[NHGUY]

I dont think they will do anything for you.Plenty have had minivan rust issues (hood edge,rockers,dog legs,tailgate) and they have always denied unless there was an actual hole thru the outside visible skin.Between poor sealing of the crimped seam and poor drainage those lips rust out pretty quickly.Very common.

 

[JTK]

I had the same issue with my 2001 Ford Windstar on the hatch and both slider doors back in ~2004. Problem was, I was a few months over (but under miles) on Ford's rust-through warranty they had at the time.

They basically said sorry, can't help you. When I offered to pay a portion, their tune changed completely. They sanded, sealed and repainted all three doors bottoms for about $200.

Point is; If it's an all-out refusal, negotiate with them.

Joel

 

[dwcopple]

get a punch and a hammer ready...

 

[JTK]

You'd hate to have to do this to a 2007, but I'd knock off loose stuff, scuff and clean the area the best I could, then coat with Rustoleum or POR-15.

Thinking back to my 2001 Windstar I posted on above, the repaired areas started to bubble again after ~2yrs or so. It never got to the point it was visible from the outside of the doors, but once it does, you're pretty much done with those panels anyway.

It seems like all you can do is slow the process on those areas when you live in the rust-belt.

Joel

 

[Hokiefyd]

Rust in this area is rather common on those vans. Also watch carefully for rust under the front of the hood, where the seams are.

Folks on the Chrysler minivan board didn't have much luck getting Chrysler to do anything about the rust. It took forever for Chrysler to address the rusting strut towers on the 3rd generation vans, and they don't seem to be interested in the hood and tailgate rust on the 4th generation vans. As someone stated earlier, it's got to be actual rust perforation, and even then, I think it's a 5-year warranty, so you may be just barely within the warranty now.

I'd have a dealer take a look at it, but I wouldn't have high hopes.

 

[mrsilv04]

Well, we'll see what happens. I'm only out my time and effort on this.

The dealer looked at it and took several pictures. Then, I went to the body shop, and they inspected it, and will fax the estimate to the dealer. Then... we wait.

I don't know if it will help, but it is a low mileage unit, that has been a dealer maintained since day one.

The hood is fine. I checked there as well.

We're just inside the 5 year warranty for rust.

 

[mrsilv04]

The dealer called me about an hour and a half ago, and let me know that Chrysler had approved the estimate from the body shop, and that I can proceed with it.

Wow. I sure didn't expect that... and that quickly!

I chose the body shop as well. It wasn't the Chrysler dealer's "preferred" shop either.

I'm happy!

 

[Hokiefyd]

Nice!!

 

[mrsilv04]

Update:

Chrysler will be providing a brand new tailgate through the dealer. I'm quite surprised about that.

However, we're now being told that Chrysler won't pay for the "Town & Country" and "Touring" name plates to be replaced on the new gate. They're all thin, individual letters. The one emblem is $42, and the other is $35.

I told the body shop to not worry about it. If Chrysler doesn't want their name replaced on the tailgate, then neither do I.

 

[IndyIan]

Congrats, never hurts to ask eh!

 

[doitmyself]

Grrrrr. A 2007? Chrysler must really be regressing on the rust proofing.

My '05 Caravan is rusting terrible in spite of valiant efforts to slow it down. Makes me sick since I would love to keep this low mileage vehicle for many more years. Mine is out of warranty.

Great that they are replacing the tailgate. It's nearly impossible to stop seam rust that is coming from within the folds.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Grrrrr. A 2007? Chrysler must really be regressing on the rust proofing.

My '05 Caravan is rusting terrible in spite of valiant efforts to slow it down. Makes me sick since I would love to keep this low mileage vehicle for many more years. Mine is out of warranty.

Great that they are replacing the tailgate. It's nearly impossible to stop seam rust that is coming from within the folds.


This is a low mileage unit as well... only 38,000 miles on the odometer.

However, it came from up north, so it was likely exposed to more road salt as well.

 

[mrsilv04]

Got the Town and Country back tonight. Of course, the body shop (that Chrysler didn't choose) did a fantastic job on matching the paint and finish, and aligning the new tailgate.

And of course, due to the decision of someone at Chrysler who was suffering from Cranial-Rectal inversion at the time, the tailgate does not have any emblems on it. Chrysler refused to approve the replacement of the emblems with new ones.

And you know what, it is going to STAY that way. It looks much better and cleaner without the "Town & Country" and "Touring" decals stuck on it.

Granted, I'm estimating that Chrysler paid out about $1,200 on this repair... so I'm not going to complain too much about $70 in emblems.

So.... thanks a lot Chrysler! Wouldn't have done it otherwise without you!

I also took a picture of the old tailgate, and will print a copy of it, and put it in the Owner's Manual pouch.

Why? To be able to prove that the now nameplate-less tailgate was not replaced due to collision, but because of a warranty claim.

Plus, the body shop clearly printed on the invoice that it was replaced under warranty.