# 04 X-Trail with RUST!!!



## uk_owner (Jul 3, 2006)

Hi everybody
I'm new to this forum, I found it while trying to find out if anyone has the same problem as me with their X-Trail.
Mine is a 2004 Sport dCi and I have found rust patches on all four doors and the tailgate, this is not specs of metal stuck on the paint like some of you have had, this is rust bubbling up from under the paint.
Follow this link to some pictures I have taken:

http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/kinnituwawi/album?.dir=/eb44scd&.src=ph&.tok=phVOBIFBJVnUgrIn

I'm really worried about this, I brought this as a long term car and it is the most I have ever spent on a car and now I find it's nearly as rusty as my 200,000 mile Mondeo.

I am interested to hear what you all think...


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## Sulphur man (Sep 6, 2005)

That looks awful scary. I'm hoping it's a bad batch of steel used to make yours. I really don't want to see mine do that in a years time! I presume you've complained vigorously to Nissan UK? You'll probably need to get a third party expert report done before they'll do anything. If it is a dodgy metal batch, get it sorted and sell on quick?


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## uk_owner (Jul 3, 2006)

The local Nissan dealer (West London Nissan) have been very helpful, the car is covered by a 12 year anti-corrosion warranty. Photos have been taken and I am waiting for Nissan to give the go ahead for the repair work to be carried out.
Once done, I will keep the car for a while as I really love it. I have been told that I have caught the rust intime and, if fixed properly, shouldn't come back.

I will admit to being supprised by all this rust on a two and a half year old car and the dealer say they have never seen anything like it before. Appart from this and an engine managment problem (now fixed with an ecu update) I have had no problems with owning my X-Trail.

No one else seen anything like it then?


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

uk_owner said:


> No one else seen anything like it then?


Not in Australia at least, nope.

I had my exy for over 3 years now and the paint work is still holding-up pretty good.


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

I had a single patch of rust about an inch across appear under the paintwork on a new car many years ago. Was right in the centre of the tailgate so no question of it being a stonechip or similar. It was repaired but eventually reappeared a couple of years later.

But spots of rust all over is something else. The panels must have been made at slightly different times so presumably something went wrong after the panels were assembled. Could it be a problem with the anti-rust coat? Or could the car have even been built and left unpainted for too long? Very strange. Hope you get it sorted.


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## uk_owner (Jul 3, 2006)

flynn said:


> could the car have even been built and left unpainted for too long? Very strange. Hope you get it sorted.


The strange thing is, this only affects the doors and tail gate, the actuall body of the car is fine.

My worry is that it will come back through in a few years, I want them to replace the panels but I doubt Nissan will agree to that.


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

If it can be proved that the product was faulty and not of merchantable quality when sold to you then their liability should be greater. Doesn't it extend to five years or more? 

Even if they grind those areas right out the worry would be that more patches could develop in other areas. Might be worth getting legal advice as you could be looking at a loss of a few thousand. Good luck.

From www.consumeradvice.net/pages/fairtrading.htm

_"Where the seller sells goods in the course of a business, there is an implied term that the goods supplied under the contract are of satisfactory quality. 

For the purposes of this Act, goods are of satisfactory quality if they meet the standard that a reasonable person would regard as satisfactory, taking account of any description of the goods, the price (if relevant) and all the other relevant circumstances." _


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## uk_owner (Jul 3, 2006)

Woah, that's heavy reading. I'll have to come back and read that web page when I am More awake and focused.
On the mean time, I have left it in Nissans hands. I will let you know what they propose to do about it when I know, then I might start getting "awkward" with them if they tell me that they will just repair the rust spots.
In the mean time, would still like to know what you all think...


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## davec (Jan 10, 2006)

uk_owner said:


> Woah, that's heavy reading. I'll have to come back and read that web page when I am More awake and focused.
> On the mean time, I have left it in Nissans hands. I will let you know what they propose to do about it when I know, then I might start getting "awkward" with them if they tell me that they will just repair the rust spots.
> In the mean time, would still like to know what you all think...


Have you had the car from new or could it have some "history" - maybe been in an accident of some form? (though prob not judging by where your damage is)

Mine had a rusted bonnet. Dealer said it hadn't been involved in a nose collision whereas contacting the previous owner I found out it had met a wall at a few mph, bonnet had been badly repaired by dealers (plus new bumper). Dealer who told me it was clean was same dealer that sold it to me!!

Bonnet replaced free and free service next time its due as compensation.


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## uk_owner (Jul 3, 2006)

The Nissan dealer whom sold it to me did say that it had never been in an accident and all the affected panels still have the Nissan sticker with the chassis number on them.
I had an indipendant body shop check it out and they said that the doors all seem original to them.
Still, in saying that, there could be some history I am not aware of. I'll let you know how that bit progresses.
If it does turn out to have been in an accident (must have been a bad one to affect all five doors!!!) I will cetanly be looking for compensation from Nissan.


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## X-Traction (Dec 21, 2004)

I remember reading years ago that 4% of new vehicle bodies have to be repainted at the factory. They're pulled off the assembly line and sent back to be repainted. Of that 4%, a further 4% are also not good enough. The bodies of that second 4% residue are scrapped.

This suggests whatever they do to prepare for repainting is destructive enough that it can't be done twice. I have no idea what they do, and it seems odd because old car restorers don't seem to have that problem.

Anyway, the fact the problem is confined to the doors and tailgate would seem to be consistent with something like that going on. Unfortunately, since metallic paint is so hard to match, (and only the factory can achieve original paint quality) the only solution may be to replace the doors, or even the whole vehicle (for instance, if the body was redone but the doors weren't.) Sounds like big trouble to me.


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