[Spinnerr]

Hello,

Need some expert advice. I have a 2008 M&M Bolero, it has had its bit of rusting.

Recently I have noticed some serious paint bubbling and rusting along the left roof rain channel. Took it up with Mahindra Hamesh and my dealer Sireesh Auto, Bangalore. They were prompt, they checked out the damage and has offered to replace the part.

Pic for reference from the net:


What I found out was, replacing the rain channel would mean, cutting till the point marked with the 'arrow' and welding a new channel there. As a good will gesture Mahindra has approved to foot the bill. [Technically speaking I am past the warranty period]

Now my concern is, is this cutting, welding a good idea? I, for one, am not comfortable with that, the other option that I have is, the dealer chips away the rust, assuming they find a lot under the paint, and prepare the surface and paint that part. Here again I would have to keep a close watch on the shade and pray that they do a good job.

Isn't plan B, tinkering and fixing better? If yes,
1. What is the exact process? [chip, metal paste, primer, putty.. Need to know so that I can check on the progress daily]
2. Is filling the spots with metal paste the only way?
3. It is raining in Bangalore, so is it a bad time to do the work?
4. Should I wait till the sun shines again? If yes, how do i make sure the rust does not spread / do more harm.
5. Any other precautions / tips shared would be highly appreciated.

Shall post some pics of the rusting soon.

Thanks!

[ex670c]

Originally Posted by Spinnerr

Hello,

Need some expert advice. I have a 2008 M&M Bolero, it has had its bit of rusting.

Recently I have noticed some serious paint bubbling and rusting along the left roof rain channel. Took it up with Mahindra Hamesh and my dealer Sireesh Auto, Bangalore. They were prompt, they checked out the damage and has offered to replace the part.

Pic for reference from the net:
Attachment 560542

What I found out was, replacing the rain channel would mean, cutting till the point marked with the 'arrow' and welding a new channel there. As a good will gesture Mahindra has approved to foot the bill. [Technically speaking I am past the warranty period]

Now my concern is, is this cutting, welding a good idea? I, for one, am not comfortable with that, the other option that I have is, the dealer chips away the rust, assuming they find a lot under the paint, and prepare the surface and paint that part. Here again I would have to keep a close watch on the shade and pray that they do a good job.

Isn't plan B, tinkering and fixing better? If yes,
1. What is the exact process? [chip, metal paste, primer, putty.. Need to know so that I can check on the progress daily]
2. Is filling the spots with metal paste the only way?
3. It is raining in Bangalore, so is it a bad time to do the work?
4. Should I wait till the sun shines again? If yes, how do i make sure the rust does not spread / do more harm.
5. Any other precautions / tips shared would be highly appreciated.

Shall post some pics of the rusting soon.

Thanks!

Hi Spinerr,

Please check the channel if it is rusted through and through (Holes in the channel).

If not just stripping the paint and repainting (Primer & Paint) may suffice.

Otherwise the channels need to be cut and re-welded.

Please avoid metal paste/bondo, they are notorious for accumulating water and causing the sheet metal to rust inside out.

Also post some detailed pics of the rusting/paint bubbling.

Is your vehicle parked for extended periods (not in use)?

Regards,

Arka

[Spinnerr]

Arka,
As of now it has not rusted through, just bubbles and cracked paint.

When we strip the paint and chisel away the rust, would that end up making a hole? I mean is it a delicate job? The area is not flat so fixing it should be a challenge I guess.

I shall post some day light photos soon.

The interesting part is, my vehicle is parked 5 days a week 10am - 9pm in the office basement, the rest under open sky. And on weekends, if there are no plans to take it out, it is under a car cover, but this is avoided during the rains. It is used at least 5 days a week.

So looking at the over all percentage, it is shielded from the elements of nature most of the time.

Thanks for the view on metal paste, I was under the impression that it was better than putty to patch up holes.

[Spinnerr]

Here is a pic of the rusting, I have 2 more such spots along the channel. You would see 2 areas bubbling in this picture.



This was the only clear pic that I had got, lighting plays a big thing when taking such shots, shall try for better shots over the weekend.

[Rudra Sen]

Don't think tinkering/painting will help. There maybe some more areas which will come up sooner or later. Replace the part and follow what Arko's suggesting.

[shankar.balan]

i had exactly the same problem in my Bolero - bought in May 2005 and in March 2008 I found the rain channels had just begun to rust a bit as also the window channel frames which are covered by the rubber beading.
took it straight to the M&M boys and had them re-done, tinkered and painted up as good as new. Sold the vehicle also just after getting it done.
the trouble was I didnt have the extended warranty on that Bolero - only the 2 year one.
In the case of my Scorpio bought in 2008, this year (2011) around one month ago I observed one single rust spot on the inside portion of the rear door, just beneath the door sill below the plastic spoiler on top. This vehicle is on extended 4 year warranty and I got the job done under warranty.
the man there said that I was to look out for similar rusting on the window beading areas and if I noticed anything, to come back to them straightaway and that they would get it fixed.
I have only another 10 months of my Extended Warranty left so I m hoping if anything of this kind has to happen, let it happen now rather than later!
in any case the Scorp itself should be ripe for sale sometime next year or so I think. lets see.

looks like this rusting happens around the 3 year mark in these vehicles.

[Ricky_63]

Why does M&M manufacture rust buckets would be my first concern ! I have lived thru many a car but never even come close to rust on any of them, including a 1998 Pajero that I have.

There is obviously some reason why it happens in M&M vehicles....

Wakey wakey M&M - just because Scorpio sells, does not merit complacency - now does it....you need to look "seriously" at your body shop & paint infrastructure

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

Why does M&M manufacture rust buckets would be my first concern ! I have lived thru many a car but never even come close to rust on any of them, including a 1998 Pajero that I have.

There is obviously some reason why it happens in M&M vehicles....

Tell me about it. My Jeep needs a complete strip & rebuild every 5 years, so severe is the rust formation. Mahindra obviously doesn't carry out best practices at the time of manufacturing & painting the vehicle. Get this, the paint job I got done at Milestone (Mahindra service station) lasted longer than the factory paint. In the modern era of car manufacturing that we witness today, it's unfortunate that Mahindra still churns out rust buckets that require body repair in the first three years.

To know more, just spend an hour comparing a brand new Gypsy & a Thar side by side.

[Spinnerr]

Rusting under the beading of windows, yeah, I have seen a couple of such vehicles being fixed at Sireesh, and they had to cut away the whole section and weld a new piece.

Would you guys suggest applying a petroleum jelly or any such water repellent to these areas base of the door, under the rubber beading? May be applying it on a real hot day would ensure there are no trapped water vapor / droplets under the area.

I really hate seeing my ride go in for these small cosmetic surgeries.

Originally Posted by GTO

My Jeep needs a complete strip & rebuild every 5 years, so severe is the rust formation.

You could at least say you are at the coast, and the sea breeze is accelerating the process.

Strangely none of the other Bangalore Bolero Club members are facing such serious, multiple rusting issues. I mean, some of those vehicles there are pretty old.
Maybe when M&M reduced the gauge of the metal used to build bolero, they hadn't thought of such side effects. They got more that what they asked for.