Wow...This is a first for me. I have never had a car show rust that would qualify for the six year unlimited mileage corrosion warranty. The lower portion of the driver's side rear door is starting to rot away. This will be real interesting to see how Jaguar handles this one. It is pretty bad. That's what I get for not getting around to doing my cleaning yet this spring. And for those who would know what I'm talking about....

I am definitely shopping now....

 

Wow

It may be an anti-perforation warranty.... and quite possibly from the inside towards the outside.... is it like that and is it that bad? (I suppose I mean, what are the details of the warranty?)

Also, any sign of (say) damage that could have started the rusting?

 

No surface damage or scratches. Now I did get water in rear footwell twice. Both times were at work during a very strong storm with sideways blowing rain...Heck, just about anything would leak in that.. The thing that gets me is they replaced that same door's chrome molding due to wind noise shortly after I got it...I wonder if water has been getting in the door from day one..Shame on them if there isn't sufficient drains to prevent water from sitting in the door..

Yea, it is bubbling out so bad that I'm sure I could poke through with an awl.

Remember, mine is garaged all year round..Only sits out while I'm at work.

Man this really has me pissed.....

 

There's a TSB (S501-11) about such water and to drill a drain hole (more than one, I think) but it's for the early cars (2000-ish). I guess that means that the later cars already have the holes or are meant not to need them. I've no other data, sorry, and it does sound like you're "just" unlucky. No, I wouldn't be happy!!

 

Here are some pictures..... Oh boy

 

Read the warranty coverage carefully - to be eligible for the six years unlimited corrosion warranty it has to be perforated - i.e. there has to be holes, if it is just badly rusted it probably won't be covered.

 

Jeff - the TSB deals with water that's trapped below the door by adding a drain hole in the sill. I'll check whether mine has a hole and for signs of water/rust. Maybe some other owners would be willing to do the same? (C'mon Jon lol)

If you want the TSB to help you figure out where the drain holes are, let me know. But have a look at your car: sounds like the hole should be near the edge of the rear sill tread plate (if you have those?), perhaps near/under the rubber seal.

Regardless, this should not happen and I would expect (perhaps in vain) that it be covered. I'd also expect jag corporate to want to know, in case there's an issue they need to deal with globally.

 

Oh , to be honest that doesn't look good
Still, I think and wish this can be done under warranty . I remember a member in X Type Forums suffered from rust issues but that was a happy end later

 

Jeff - I've checked and NO drain holes on my 2004 car. Also, no signs of needing any. The door bottom has 2 rubber seals, one is thinnish and curves around the inner rim. The other is a wide straight rubber piece all along but just inside the door's outer lower edge. Both are hidden when the door is closed. Maybe one or both of yours is missing/damaged?

I can imagine water getting trapped between the 2 seals but only if water's there.

If you can tell whether your rust is "surface going in" or "inside the door coming out", it'll help tell where the water starts from.

 

Well, we'll see what Mike (At Jaguar Cleveland) says. This is going to be a real test for me to not freak out.... See, I can handle mechanical issues...I expect things to fail and need service. But this kind of stuff. Like I've hinted before, there are other fit and finish issues cropping up with this car. But nothing like this!

John, I would go ahead and post the TSB. It would just add to the thread and that isn't a bad thing. I don't think it is related since you say it deals with the sills. This looks just like what used to happen to the old American iron. Water would sit in the bottom of a door and basically rot it from the inside out starting with the weld between the skin and door frame. My Dad had a 78 Chevy truck that was always clean and garaged. The doors got so bad that the bottom of the door skins started to peel away from the doors. My friends and I used to call it "flappy". Since the doors would flap in the wind as we drove it down the road... I thought those days were done..
Realistically, I think there is a flaw with the door and it's seals since this is the door that I had all that trouble with after I got it. No other door is showing anything even remotely similar.

Thanks everyone for their feedback as well. If anything it says that I'm not loosing my mind and it is pretty bad...

 

The TSB is about draining water out that's entered via the inner door panel. But it's not the way to fix your problem. You're not losing your mind and the door's history will be the real issue. It ought to be covered (I sincerely hope).

Here's the TSB anyway.

 

I really can't believe that is happening to an 05.

I had a Mercedes that rusted in several places - on the door where the molding met the door, on the trunk lid under the license plate etc. All of the rust was covered under the corrosion warranty.

I know you are in Ohio and there is a lot of road salt on the roads, but I'm in NJ and suspect we have just as much. I bet they cover the rust without much hesitation.

And oh what are u shopping for?

George

 

Wow.... I nearly spilled my orange juice looking at Jeff's photos. I expected to have to struggle to see a few rust spots. But man, that door edge is flat-out corroded. I don't see how Mike can escape having to provide a new door for you. I agree with your hypothesis that the previous issue with this door's trim has been allowing water to leak into the door for quite some time. When Mike's crew takes it apart, I'll bet that's exactly the conclusion he'll come to. We'll see....

If it is indeed a faulty trim installation issue, you can't blame the car. But you should blame the guy who did the work. That should help you to recover some sense of trust in the build quality again. Maybe just not enough to want to stay in the car beyond your Select Edition warranty running its course in June 2011....

My wife's in her Lexus today so I had the opportunity to check our S-Type's doors very carefully. Not a microbe of rust, and all rubber seals are completely intact....

I strongly believe that your previous door trim problem combined with your salty winter Ohio roads caused your issue. Keep us posted on how Mike treats you. Again, if poor trim installation created your rust, you can't blame the build quality of the car for this....

 

Jeff, I'm glad I read about George's story.
I was going to say, all my years in the auto industry in the rust belt I had never seen a customer get a warranty repair for rust.
They would always find a reason for the rust (stone chip, scratch, neglect,etc,etc.)I hope you have a good relationship with your dealer and good negotiation skills. You might need them.
Good luck.
My years in the industry were not with Jag, lets hope they are different from the rest.

 

Actually it is the relationship with my Dealer that will probably save my butt on this one...That leads me to comment on Jon's post.. Please, I've mentioned Jaguar Cleveland before and I am positive that they are not at fault here...Unless there was some concealed damage done to the car before I got it and they knew about it..But based on my dealings with them I wouldn't think so... They are the ones that fixed the bad upper door molding..It was a wind noise issue that was traced to that. What does strike me as odd is that they ended up sending my car out because they tried replacing the trim twice and there was still noise. Their body shop contractor got it installed well and the noise was gone. I just blew that off but now it's got me thinking... If the door was defective from the start, it was leaking since the car was new. That would cause the rust to appear a few years latter. If the top moulding wasn't fitting correct to begin with then how many other moldings are not fitting right on the same door. Now a minor issue with the front door as well has me worried...The same upper chrome molding is starting to come away. So, what next? My drivers front door is going to start to rot out?

George... I'm looking at a Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, or a Jeep...I still want a drive shaft running through the center of the vehicle...But I have lost faith in other brands...Before anyone says it...I've said it before...The only cars I've seen go to 60k or more without a repair AT ALL were Chrysler products..A Jeep Cherokee (98) and a PT Cruiser (04). Second place for reliability are my two Honda Accords and my other Cherokee (01). So, maybe I need to stick with what works..I don't know because our Grand Caravan hasn't been perfect but then again, it hasn't been bad either.....And at least it isn't rusting away!

 

We had a 1985 Cherokee, a 1988 Cherokee, a 1994 Cherokee, a 1996 Grand Cherokee, and a 2000 Grand Cherokee. They were all fantastic vehicles and I thought we'd always have a Jeep in our stable. But my wife caught Lexus Fever and wanted an RX300. Her 2000 RX300 AWD was the worst vehicle I've ever owned in more than 40 years of driving. Her current 2004 RX330 AWD has been a much better vehicle, and it's approaching 100,000 miles with just a handful of warranty repairs done to it during our first year of ownership of it. But I still miss our Jeeps....

My current 1999 Dodge Ram 1500-series 5.9-litre V8 is my all-time favorite vehicle for a number of reasons. Plenty of legroom, plenty of headroom, it's fast, comfortable, versatile, and it just doesn't break. Plus, when I do need to work on it, there's so much room in the engine compartment that I can climb right in. I've spent far less to maintain my truck than any other vehicle I've ever owned. Until two years ago, the only non-routine maintenance items I've ever had to replace on it were a new battery and a burned-out high-mount brake light bulb. Finally had to put a new water pump and transmission speed sensor on it in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Other than that, it's been all oil & filter changes and tire rotations and one cleaning of the throttle body last October. Folks can knock Chrysler all they want, but our Jeeps and my Ram have all been superb vehicles. And so was my 1998 Dodge Durango, again with the big 5.9-litre V8....

 

It's amazing how people's experiences vary. I agree with you 100% on the Jeeps, just don't know about the new body ones. One of my very good friends had a '94 ram with the 318. That truck was nothing but problems. Head gaskets, trans, transfer case, diff etc all done by 125k miles. Plus the usual water pump, alternator, battery, etc.. Oh and Paint peeling (clearcoat separation) etc... He finally sold it to another friend for $1000, who pulled the motor when it needed head gaskets again, ,sanded it and ran it through maaco. and it's running on a later year 318 for over 70k with no issues.

Maybe the later year motors, or the fact that yours had a 360 made all the difference. And YES there is tons of room for someone to work on it. You can do 90% of the stuff underneath on your back with a creeper with the truck on the ground!

George

 

Yeah, the 360 engine makes all the difference. Been around forever, well-proven, so strong, and mates up so well to the tranny. My truck still glides imperceptibly through the shift points, and the tranny still has the factory fill of Chrysler ATF+3. That fluid is still sparkling clean and bright red, absolutely no need to change it yet. Although my truck is more than 11 years old now, it still has less than 58,000 miles on it and it's been well-cared for. No rust, the paint is perfect (being Bright White helps tremendously), and I'm still as happy with it today as I was when I first brought it home in late December 2000....

The one downside is the 14 to 17 miles per gallon that the 360 typically gets. But that's okay with me - my truck only does about 4,000 to 5,000 miles a year now....

 

Talked over the phone with the service manager today. He needs to have the district manager for Jaguar inspect it because of the gravity of the situation.. I did stop by the dealer and one of the service advisers saw it...I think the quote from him was "holy sh*t!". So, I think it is a bit more than some "surface rust".
Anyway, the district manager is supposed to be in on the 19th. I just hope Jaguar is as easy to work with as my dealer..

 

How long have you noticed this? Just curious as it doesn't seem to me at least that things could corrode this badly overnight.

I really don't think you will have much of a problem having it covered. The thing is that door is rusting from the inside out, and they may want to just clean up the surface, sand / fill / paint. It may look ok for a while, but the rust will come back. The only real repair here is a new door that has no rust in it.

George