Issues With Paint on my Swift

Epic · 7th April 2010, 18:31

Hi all,

I own a Silky Silver 2005 Swift Vxi and it is treating me pretty well at 50,000kms till date. However, there is this one issue which is constantly worrying me and never being solved since the past 1yr now.

In my 4yrs of ownership, I have had many scratches and dents and even a major accident and in all cases the car has been given to the authorised service centre (Vitsse at Andheri West to be precise) for denting and painting. All this, eventhough an authorised service centre charges you a bomb for any work done. However, the only reason I used to give the car to them was because I dint want any mis-match in colour shades and didnt want any sort of warranty to be void.

Now, at the end of the second year/beginning of the third year (had taken extended warranty for 2 yrs more, so a total of 4 yrs) I noticed that certain areas of the car like the lower panels of all four doors and areas under the beading, areas around the trunk when opened and fuel tank lid were showing signs of rust and bubbling of paint. Now I live bang opposite the sea. I immediately informed the service centre and they told me that the cause could be due to wasing the car with bore well water, which was a fact and an unknown mistake from my end. However, I have cars ranging from Mercs to Swifts in my building and nobody has complainted about corrosion issues with their cars eventhough they are using bore well water to wash their vehicles. Anyway, I accepted my mistake and had the corroding areas of my car treated and repainted by Vitesse which I paid for. I also started using regular water for washing my car and that too every alternate day eventhough the car is used everyday by me.

After around almost six months, these same areas showed the same signs and so I went back to Vitesse and showed them the problem, they were kind enough to get the place repainted for free. However, this occured again and again they repainted it for free. Now the issue has cropped up again. This is probably the 4th time the same problem has occured even after them coating the inside of the door panels with some black coating saying it is an anti rust coating and would not occur again. I had also written to their GM - Service and he had assured me that the proble would be solved, however that is not the case.

Now the warranty of my car has expired in December 2009. And even though I am sure that the guys at Vitesse will again get the job done free of cost, I cant keep giving my car for the same job every 6 months. I am now planning to either give them a last chance or just get the car painted by a good local garage like Rio Designs and the likes.

Anyone having similar issues? Can anyone also give me suggestions as to what is to be done in this case? If, you guys suggest I get it done at a local garage, which one in Mumbai would you recommend?

Please help!

WDM007 · 7th April 2010, 18:56

Thats really a strange problem. Anyway, nearby sea may help faster corrosion. The best solution would be to use some anti rust coating.

Epic · 7th April 2010, 19:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by WDM007

Thats really a strange problem. Anyway, nearby sea may help faster corrosion. The best solution would be to use some anti rust coating.

I had already got the under body anti-rust coating done at the time of purchase in 2005. I do not have issues with corrosion on the under body. As mentioned in my post, Vitesse has already done an anti-rust coating inside the doors but the problem still persists.

GTO · 8th April 2010, 13:34

There's clearly a lapse in Vitesse' quality of paint work. I'm surprised as Vitesse is regarded as the best Maruti service station in Mumbai. Marutis don't rust that easily, my Esteem held up pretty well over the years and I live right on the beach too. I don't know the extent of the accident damage on your car, and whether the two are related. Either ways, just the fact that all repair work has been performed by Vitesse should ensure that the car doesn't rust again, and so soon.

My recommendation : Drop an email to Maruti. They are known for their attentiveness, and will have Vitesse pull up their socks for the next (hopefully final) repair. If possible, also have a Maruti technician take a look at the car and give you a detailed reason on why the problem reoccurred.

Epic · 11th June 2010, 16:47

Hi all,

I had given my car for a paint job on 17th May 2010 for work on the affected areas which had paint bubbling and a bit of corrosion. I took delivery of my car on 24th May 2010 and everything seemed fine. But around two days ago, i.e. 08th June 2010, I got a shock as I found that bubbling and corrosion had started again. I was really sad and frustrated with this as the problem which used to take around 6 months to reoccur had surfaced again in just 15 days!!!

I have brought it up with Maruti again (this must be my 4th time now) and have written a very strong email to Mr. Pankaj Narula - EO Service and to the guys at Vitesse at Andheri West. I have again given my car to them today to have the job rectified. I am fed up and do not know what to do anymore. Also another issue that has cropped up is the panel below the windsheild (it can be seen through the plastic ventilation at the base of the windsheild) is totally corroded on the driver's side only which has led to a small leak in the car from under the dashboard. So I have asked them to change that panel too. Apparently it will cost me around 3500 including labour. I think that is too much. What do you think?

I also happened to meet my neighbour of mine if he is also having corrosion issues on his cars as he currently owns a Toyota Corolla & a Maruti Alto. He has however owned Marutis in the past like the 800, Zen & Baleno and was also using a 2008 Swift Zxi and he said that all his Maruti vehicles showed signs of corrosion in just 2 years of ownership. His Corolla has just completed 2 years of ownership but has no problems so far.

Now, do you think that Maruti is the modern Premier Padmini as the Premier Padmini was known for body corrosion every 2 years. I remember that when my family owned the Premier Padmini around 15 years ago, the car needed a paint job every two years!!

Anyway, I have attached pictures of all the affected areas on my car. Do let me know what you guys think and how to proceed further.

Epic · 12th June 2010, 18:56

Guys. Awaiting any suggestions, inputs or advise?

FiatMyLife · 12th June 2010, 19:04

I thought only Fiat cars rust in India. Sad to see a Maruti also rusting!

Sujith1100 · 12th June 2010, 20:17

Please note these points:

1. After a cash wash(Using a pipe/Mug as many People Do) please open all the doors and wipe the beedings. If left un-attended then this is what happens !

2. When giving car for Water-Service, please be with the car to over see the work. Make sure they don't spray water inside the car as many service station personals do, to clean the door panels.

3. Always keep the car clean from heavy dust like mud and debris, such elements attract moisture and initiate the rusting process.

4. The frequent cleaning method used should be only with damp cloth.

Mr. Epic, you live in Mumbai. A sea-side city, where such rustings are prominent because of the Humid and Salty environment. For the minor rusts on the door, you may apply Brake fluid over them as a temporary option. After a few more months, after the monsoon you may go for a touch-up and Single paint.

Regards

Thad E Ginathom · 12th June 2010, 20:48

No properly painted and sealed vehicle should rust just because of being near the sea. Lots of people, world-wide, live near the sea.

Epic, you can see some of the rust experience I have just been through with my Swift on this thread Do check that section under the windscreen wipers.

Sujith1100 · 12th June 2010, 21:29

Vehicle for the sea-shore cities are usually manufactured with thicker sheet metal like from 0.8 or 1.0 depending upon vehicle segment. Also the present technology anti-rust treatment done to the base metal helps a lot.
The door rust pose no danger as of now. The A/C duct rusts can be rectified but not a real a real danger, as it doesn't take any load.

funkykar · 12th June 2010, 21:37

This really amuzes me. My 1992 118 NE has just the double amount of rust than this. Its fully stock with original paint. Hope you do something to contain it.

Thad E Ginathom · 12th June 2010, 22:57

Quote:

Vehicle for the sea-shore cities are usually manufactured with thicker sheet metal like from 0.8 or 1.0 depending upon vehicle segment.

I do not know any facts, but I can not believe that vehicles sold in Birmingham are any different to vehicles sold in Penzance. London is only about 50 miles from the sea. Are all UK cars, then, "sea-side" cars? I'm sceptical.

Sujith1100 · 13th June 2010, 00:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I do not know any facts, but I can not believe that vehicles sold in Birmingham are any different to vehicles sold in Penzance. London is only about 50 miles from the sea. Are all UK cars, then, "sea-side" cars? I'm sceptical.

Why do you have to take Trivia so negatively. You learn less in this way. Sorry for this statement Mr.Thad. If you need clarification on the gauge of plate used, please do visit any Automobile plant.

1.Cars are manufactured based on certain criteria, such as the field of application, type of application, method of application, etc. The quality, and various other parameters of the components used in the manufacture of the car are dependent on these standards.

2.Car's also vary depending upon a country's currency value, like cost of the components depend upon economic condition. Depending upon the cost of the car, you can see how the quality of plastics, rubbers, etc used varies!

3.Built quality as in our case of argument also depends upon the country. Countries like UK have strict set of rules to manufacture any thing for that matter. So all car over there will be of the same quality, but of superior standards.

Regards

anachronix · 13th June 2010, 00:48

Thats the result of a bad paint job! Nothing to do with the seaside fellas. Mind you, this is not the only car in his building as he Epic has mentioned.

Thad E Ginathom · 13th June 2010, 01:24

Quote:

Why do you have to take Trivia so negatively. You learn less in this way. Sorry for this statement Mr.Thad. If you need clarification on the gauge of plate used, please do visit any Automobile plant.

OK... but here's the thing...

I live by the sea.

I bought a car from a dealer near the sea.

It should be "seaworthy"!

7th April 2010, 18:31	#1
Epic Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,558 Thanked: 922 Times	Issues With Paint on my Swift Hi all, I own a Silky Silver 2005 Swift Vxi and it is treating me pretty well at 50,000kms till date. However, there is this one issue which is constantly worrying me and never being solved since the past 1yr now. In my 4yrs of ownership, I have had many scratches and dents and even a major accident and in all cases the car has been given to the authorised service centre (Vitsse at Andheri West to be precise) for denting and painting. All this, eventhough an authorised service centre charges you a bomb for any work done. However, the only reason I used to give the car to them was because I dint want any mis-match in colour shades and didnt want any sort of warranty to be void. Now, at the end of the second year/beginning of the third year (had taken extended warranty for 2 yrs more, so a total of 4 yrs) I noticed that certain areas of the car like the lower panels of all four doors and areas under the beading, areas around the trunk when opened and fuel tank lid were showing signs of rust and bubbling of paint. Now I live bang opposite the sea. I immediately informed the service centre and they told me that the cause could be due to wasing the car with bore well water, which was a fact and an unknown mistake from my end. However, I have cars ranging from Mercs to Swifts in my building and nobody has complainted about corrosion issues with their cars eventhough they are using bore well water to wash their vehicles. Anyway, I accepted my mistake and had the corroding areas of my car treated and repainted by Vitesse which I paid for. I also started using regular water for washing my car and that too every alternate day eventhough the car is used everyday by me. After around almost six months, these same areas showed the same signs and so I went back to Vitesse and showed them the problem, they were kind enough to get the place repainted for free. However, this occured again and again they repainted it for free. Now the issue has cropped up again. This is probably the 4th time the same problem has occured even after them coating the inside of the door panels with some black coating saying it is an anti rust coating and would not occur again. I had also written to their GM - Service and he had assured me that the proble would be solved, however that is not the case. Now the warranty of my car has expired in December 2009. And even though I am sure that the guys at Vitesse will again get the job done free of cost, I cant keep giving my car for the same job every 6 months. I am now planning to either give them a last chance or just get the car painted by a good local garage like Rio Designs and the likes. Anyone having similar issues? Can anyone also give me suggestions as to what is to be done in this case? If, you guys suggest I get it done at a local garage, which one in Mumbai would you recommend? Please help!
	() Thanks

7th April 2010, 18:56	#2
WDM007 BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Beaverton, USA Posts: 236 Thanked: 15 Times View My Garage	Thats really a strange problem. Anyway, nearby sea may help faster corrosion. The best solution would be to use some anti rust coating.
	() Thanks

8th April 2010, 13:34	#4
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,546 Thanked: 300,761 Times View My Garage	There's clearly a lapse in Vitesse' quality of paint work. I'm surprised as Vitesse is regarded as the best Maruti service station in Mumbai. Marutis don't rust that easily, my Esteem held up pretty well over the years and I live right on the beach too. I don't know the extent of the accident damage on your car, and whether the two are related. Either ways, just the fact that all repair work has been performed by Vitesse should ensure that the car doesn't rust again, and so soon. My recommendation : Drop an email to Maruti. They are known for their attentiveness, and will have Vitesse pull up their socks for the next (hopefully final) repair. If possible, also have a Maruti technician take a look at the car and give you a detailed reason on why the problem reoccurred.
	() Thanks

11th June 2010, 16:47	#5
Epic Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,558 Thanked: 922 Times	Update - Are Maruti Cars the Modern Premier Padminis?? Hi all, I had given my car for a paint job on 17th May 2010 for work on the affected areas which had paint bubbling and a bit of corrosion. I took delivery of my car on 24th May 2010 and everything seemed fine. But around two days ago, i.e. 08th June 2010, I got a shock as I found that bubbling and corrosion had started again. I was really sad and frustrated with this as the problem which used to take around 6 months to reoccur had surfaced again in just 15 days!!! I have brought it up with Maruti again (this must be my 4th time now) and have written a very strong email to Mr. Pankaj Narula - EO Service and to the guys at Vitesse at Andheri West. I have again given my car to them today to have the job rectified. I am fed up and do not know what to do anymore. Also another issue that has cropped up is the panel below the windsheild (it can be seen through the plastic ventilation at the base of the windsheild) is totally corroded on the driver's side only which has led to a small leak in the car from under the dashboard. So I have asked them to change that panel too. Apparently it will cost me around 3500 including labour. I think that is too much. What do you think? I also happened to meet my neighbour of mine if he is also having corrosion issues on his cars as he currently owns a Toyota Corolla & a Maruti Alto. He has however owned Marutis in the past like the 800, Zen & Baleno and was also using a 2008 Swift Zxi and he said that all his Maruti vehicles showed signs of corrosion in just 2 years of ownership. His Corolla has just completed 2 years of ownership but has no problems so far. Now, do you think that Maruti is the modern Premier Padmini as the Premier Padmini was known for body corrosion every 2 years. I remember that when my family owned the Premier Padmini around 15 years ago, the car needed a paint job every two years!! Anyway, I have attached pictures of all the affected areas on my car. Do let me know what you guys think and how to proceed further. Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

12th June 2010, 18:56	#6
Epic Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,558 Thanked: 922 Times	Guys. Awaiting any suggestions, inputs or advise?
	() Thanks

12th June 2010, 19:04	#7
FiatMyLife BANNED Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Namma Bengaluru Posts: 118 Thanked: 9 Times	I thought only Fiat cars rust in India. Sad to see a Maruti also rusting!
	() Thanks

12th June 2010, 20:17	#8
Sujith1100 BANNED Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: BANGalore Posts: 729 Thanked: 20 Times	Please note these points: 1. After a cash wash(Using a pipe/Mug as many People Do) please open all the doors and wipe the beedings. If left un-attended then this is what happens ! 2. When giving car for Water-Service, please be with the car to over see the work. Make sure they don't spray water inside the car as many service station personals do, to clean the door panels. 3. Always keep the car clean from heavy dust like mud and debris, such elements attract moisture and initiate the rusting process. 4. The frequent cleaning method used should be only with damp cloth. Mr. Epic, you live in Mumbai. A sea-side city, where such rustings are prominent because of the Humid and Salty environment. For the minor rusts on the door, you may apply Brake fluid over them as a temporary option. After a few more months, after the monsoon you may go for a touch-up and Single paint. Regards
	() Thanks

12th June 2010, 20:48	#9
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 11,005 Thanked: 26,443 Times	No properly painted and sealed vehicle should rust just because of being near the sea. Lots of people, world-wide, live near the sea. Epic, you can see some of the rust experience I have just been through with my Swift on this thread Do check that section under the windscreen wipers.
	() Thanks

12th June 2010, 21:29	#10
Sujith1100 BANNED Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: BANGalore Posts: 729 Thanked: 20 Times	Vehicle for the sea-shore cities are usually manufactured with thicker sheet metal like from 0.8 or 1.0 depending upon vehicle segment. Also the present technology anti-rust treatment done to the base metal helps a lot. The door rust pose no danger as of now. The A/C duct rusts can be rectified but not a real a real danger, as it doesn't take any load.
	() Thanks

12th June 2010, 21:37	#11
funkykar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 2,635 Thanked: 6,617 Times View My Garage	This really amuzes me. My 1992 118 NE has just the double amount of rust than this. Its fully stock with original paint. Hope you do something to contain it.
	() Thanks

13th June 2010, 00:48	#14
anachronix Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Madras Posts: 3,286 Thanked: 1,336 Times View My Garage	Thats the result of a bad paint job! Nothing to do with the seaside fellas. Mind you, this is not the only car in his building as he Epic has mentioned.
	() Thanks