[JayJay31]

My 6 year old i30 has got internal rust on both rear doors.  The Hyundai garage said that he has seen several cases of this recently.  Hyundai refuse to cover this under the anti-perforation warranty because the cover excludes anything above the bottom of the windows!!  So be warned... 1) there is obviously a manufacturers default on the hyundai's that allows the internal areas of the doors to rust. 2) these aren't covered by the warranty.  After speaking to the customer service team at Hyundai I will NEVER buy a car from Hyundai again.  To replace one door and repair the other will be £1,500.

[eye30]

Is the limit detailed in the t&c's.

If not then surely covered

[Asterix]

I'm not aware of any internal rust on my 8,5 year old i30.

Do you have pics of the areas with rust..? I'm also very interested regarding "the cover excludes anything above the bottom of the windows"

[asathorny]

Mine is 6.5 yrs old, no problems...

Been the best and most reliable car I have ever owned, bar none.

[Surferdude]

Mine is over 6 years old. Lived all its life within a couple of kilometers of the Pacific Ocean with prevailing onshore winds.
No rust.

But it's a concern that someone in Hyundai UK thinks they can say something like it's not covered BELOW the windows.

[wbm00]

The Hyundai garage said that he has seen several cases of this recently.

That's interesting. How about contacting Auto Express who have a "Watchdog" section?

Martin Saarinen is the person to talk to and his contact details can be found about half way down the following page:

About Auto Express | Auto Express

[diablo]

My car is six years old and almost always parked in the open. After reading this I checked my rear doors earlier and found no traces of rust whatsoever. My drain channels were clear of crap - blocked drain channels can be a cause of rust.

I'm not sure from the opening post as to which areas of the doors had gone rusty though.

[Lester]

My 6 year old i30 has got internal rust on both rear doors.  The Hyundai garage said that he has seen several cases of this recently.  Hyundai refuse to cover this under the anti-perforation warranty because the cover excludes anything above the bottom of the windows!!  So be warned... 1) there is obviously a manufacturers default on the hyundai's that allows the internal areas of the doors to rust. 2) these aren't covered by the warranty.  After speaking to the customer service team at Hyundai I will NEVER buy a car from Hyundai again.  To replace one door and repair the other will be £1,500.

Would it be the salt put on your icy winter roads that is causing the problem?    Salt water splashing up would not be kind to the metal.

[Surferdude]

Do they use salt to de-ice roads in the UK?

[diablo]

Do they use salt to de-ice roads in the UK?

Yes, they certainly do.  Well it tends to be a mix of grit and salt, so that the grit drives the salt into the ice.

Even in my fairly mild coastal climate I see  gritter wagons out maybe 15 times in winter, even in the warmer winters.

Though modern rustproofing is wonderful compared to what used to be. Forty years ago a six year old rust-free car was rare.

I had a colleague, many years ago, who bought one the new Honda cars they imported. After only two years it had gone very rusty, The Japs didn't know we used salt on the roads. 

[JayJay31]

They read the passage from the T&C's over the phone stating that they only cover from the bottom of the windows down.  I need to check it says that in my booklet.  I live in Bristol which isn't close to the sea.  I never use the rear doors as I have no children/pets and generally only drive to work... hence the 25,000 miles in 6 years.  The rust is internal and then it will break through the surface so you may not see it yet but it may suddenly appear.  The pics attached show where it is and it may not look much but enough for a new door. 

[JayJay31]

This is the other door which they aid they can repair without replacing the whole door!

[JayJay31]

Taken from the Hyundai website...

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Warranty period

Subject to the terms and conditions set out in this programme, Hyundai warrant the vehicle against rusting through of the bodywork structure or body panels from the internal surface through to the outside in such a way that the bodywork structure or outer surface of the body panels are affected. This is warranted for a period of either ten years from the date of first registration of the vehicle for i800 and iLoad or 12 years for all other models. Anti Perforation Warranty covers all bodywork and body panels from the bottom of the window line downwards.

[asathorny]

Cripes, I wouldn't bother with a lottery ticket if I were you, you've been incredibly unlucky.   

[JayJay31]

It's not just me.  The service manager at my Hyundai garage told me he has seen several cases of this recently! This is probably why they have specifically excluded the top half of the car from cover!

[JayJay31]

This person had the same issue with both doors rusting in the same place!

http://http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/owners-reviews/hyundai/i30/estate-2008/review/20150807081203/

[Phil №❶]

OK, so not covered, that is not very good, but it's there in writing. Your situation requires either you or a professional to remediate the cause and stop the rot in it's tracks. I wouldn't be replacing any doors.They both look salvageable to me.

[JayJay31]

The Hyundai garage said they can repair one but the other needs to be replaced.  I could get a second opinion and try and save both.  However I can't afford to fix this at present.  I just want other owners to be aware of the clause that excludes the top of the car because if they are within their 5 year warranty then that should cover the top half.  So check your car before the 5 year warranty ends.

[Phil №❶]

If you go to a car accessory shop, you should be able to find a bottle of "Rust Eater" solution. It's paint on and converts the Iron oxide into a stable non rusting component. At least it could arrest any further deterioration until you can afford a better fix.

[Dazzler]

The Hyundai garage said they can repair one but the other needs to be replaced.  I could get a second opinion and try and save both.  However I can't afford to fix this at present.  I just want other owners to be aware of the clause that excludes the top of the car because if they are within their 5 year warranty then that should cover the top half.  So check your car before the 5 year warranty ends.

Sorry to see your troubles. Maybe you can replace them with doors from a wrecking yard cheaper?

[diablo]

Hmm, I wonder if there was a bad batch of i30s delivered to the Bristol area? Maybe had the rear doors not fully dipped into the various rustproofing compounds? 

I remember my early car-owning days, fibre-glass sheets and resin, filler paste, kurust, red lead paint and primer. Spent a good few weekends fixing up bodywork.  Haven't needed to do that for 30 years - and I kept two cars for over ten years.

[Phil №❶]

Sounds like you just volunteered 

[Surferdude]

Given the thousands of members we have all over the world,  I suspect that,  regardless of the service managers comments,  this is not a widespread issue.
To my knowledge it's the first report we've had.
I  agree with Phil. Easily stopping fom progressing and certainly not needing replacement.

[asathorny]

If you go to a car accessory shop, you should be able to find a bottle of "Rust Eater" solution. It's paint on and converts the Iron oxide into a stable non rusting component. At least it could arrest any further deterioration until you can afford a better fix.

Phil just took the words right outa my mouth 

[eye30]

Checked th t&c's in the book i have and states from window line down only covered.

[wbm00]

I had rust on a previous vehicle (wheel arches) but kept on top of that using Bilt Hamber products and P38/P40. I actually found it quite useful - after several trials, I was able to wet sand the filler so that it would blend with the existing bodywork. Then it was followed up by applying primer, paint and lacquer.

If you don't fancy pursuing a remedy from Hyundai, this could be a good option.

[Dazzler]

Given the thousands of members we have all over the world,  I suspect that,  regardless of the service managers comments,  this is not a widespread issue.
To my knowledge it's the first report we've had.
I  agree with Phil. Easily stopping fom progressing and certainly not needing replacement.

 

I suspect QC was a bit patchy at the Czech factory to start with. We had a member "Hippo?" who had "rust" bubbles in his paint in an early euro build car...

[c0mbat]

I've known about this problem for 2 years now. It's not getting worse, but €900 for a new door is too much. It's on the back drivers side (see picture) and one small spot on the back passenger door. Same spot. Nothing on either front door.

[beerman]

All look very savable.

I would be going to see a panel beater.

A bit of grinding and a small amount of filler should do the trick

[Phil №❶]

Yes and they can also build in some better rust protection at the same time, too.