[amoghchaphalkar]

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

It is perfectly normal to see rust on discs, ESPECIALLY during this rainy season, it is nothing to be alarmed about. The other parts that show rust are all Iron parts, hence the rust.

Hope that helps..

Cheers

I think I did not make myself clear. The rust on the discs do not bother me. The rusts on the drive shaft, tie rods, muffler do bother me A LOT The other parts are not iron parts.

Originally Posted by sridharp77

Even i had these rust on the disc brakes when i went to see the car in the stockyard. But those rust marks were gone by the car came to the showroom. In my opinion this is pretty normal. I took the delivery of my car on 2nd July and so far i am running on the temporary number and the RTO problems continue and has not been resolved in Bangalore yet.

Again .. rusted discs are not my problem. I had them on my Skoda too. The other heavily rusted parts are my problem.

Originally Posted by sukrit7

I wanted to know, how has the showroom reacted ?
Are they willing to replace parts/car or are they trying to avoid the issue?

In fact, it is only because of the showroom people that I have not yet cancelled the booking. B U Bhandari guys have been amazingly helpful in this issue. They have offered to allocate me a totally new car.

If it was not for B U Bhandari, I would have cancelled the car by now

[manish7]

Originally Posted by amoghchaphalkar

If it was not for B U Bhandari, I would have cancelled the car by now

I suggest that you might as well consider doing that and send a mail about it (along with these photos) to Rajeev Kapoor. It will teach much needed lesson to Fiat for messing up with otherwise beautifully engineered cars.

[PlatzdaTurbo]

In fact, it is only because of the showroom people that I have not yet cancelled the booking. B U Bhandari guys have been amazingly helpful in this issue. They have offered to allocate me a totally new car.

If it was not for B U Bhandari, I would have cancelled the car by now



Good to hear that uv been offered a new car. I have been out of touch for all this while because of internet problems but i have news that my car has finally been delivered to my uncle in Gujarat. He had checked the car before delivery when it was at the dealer's. I dont know how long before delivery was the car there, but he thoroughly checked it and there was no sign of rust anywhere.He was satisfied and the car will finally be driven to Mumbai this coming wednesday. My point is, alloys apart, if you spot any sign of rusting on the new car offered to you as well , just cancel the booking. As from what i have read so far, fiat have made you go through enough trouble for this car, as though u were asking it for free !

All the very best ! Hope your new punto is in much better shape!

[amoghchaphalkar]

Originally Posted by manish7

I suggest that you might as well consider doing that and send a mail about it (along with these photos) to Rajeev Kapoor. It will teach much needed lesson to Fiat for messing up with otherwise beautifully engineered cars.

I have already done that !! I don't expect any concrete reply from him though. Already have a very bad experience of his unprofessionalism.

I feel sad for the dealer though. They do everything right, only to realise that the manufacturer has messed up.

Tomorrow, some gentleman from Fiat will be meeting me. I am going to ask him the following questions (In case that gentleman is a member TBHP, I request you Sir to be ready with the answers for the following questions)
1. Explain me why this problem has happened so early. Not the discs, but the other parts (drive shaft, tie rods etc).
2. Explain me why Fiat did not take precautions to avoid this problem when the car was manufactured
3. Explain me as to why this won't happen again even if I choose a different Punto
4. What if this problem comes up again ?

[anekho]

cancel the booking. You are paying money for a new car, and under no circumstances can they try shell out something with inferior quality to you. They know that humidity will lead to rust - why didn't they keep the car somewhere else?

rust on the drive shaft etc, may also be somewhat of a safety hazard and is not worth risking your own or others lifes.

I don't mean to dampen your spirits after the long wait for the car, but cancel this one or demand a new car - avoid getting the parts replaced, it won't be like new.

cheers

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by anekho

cancel the booking. You are paying money for a new car, and under no circumstances can they try shell out something with inferior quality to you. They know that humidity will lead to rust - why didn't they keep the car somewhere else?

rust on the drive shaft etc, may also be somewhat of a safety hazard and is not worth risking your own or others lifes.

I don't mean to dampen your spirits after the long wait for the car, but cancel this one or demand a new car - avoid getting the parts replaced, it won't be like new.

cheers

I think the issue has been resolved as BU Bandhari has promised a new car. So why cancel? Please explain how rust on the drive shaft etc is a safety hazard?

Originally Posted by raul

I really don't understand why any part of a brand new car should be rusted. I doubt I would take delivery of a new car with rust anywhere including the discs. Not acceptable by a mile. And its unlikely the dealers didn't know about the rust problem, perhaps with a less aware customer they would have fobbed it off. And since 2 cars in the same dealership have this issue it's not a one off. It would be interesting to hear from other members here if anyone else has had to take delivery with rust in their brand new cars, not limited to Punto. This may give a better perspective of the issue.

I had a similar issue with the Alto. There was similar rust on the engine mounts. This is common in the monsoons. I didn't make an issue of it as it can easily be cleaned and a little grease or oil will prevent further rusting. The parts in question are castings and will not corrode and break off. Similar rusting on the underbody or other sheet metal parts is an issue.

[raul]

I really don't understand why any part of a brand new car should be rusted. I doubt I would take delivery of a new car with rust anywhere including the discs. Not acceptable by a mile.

And its unlikely the dealers didn't know about the rust problem, perhaps with a less aware customer they would have fobbed it off. And since 2 cars in the same dealership have this issue it's not a one off.

It would be interesting to hear from other members here if anyone else has had to take delivery with rust in their brand new cars, not limited to Punto. This may give a better perspective of the issue.

[AbhiJ]

Its great to see two things:

1) Your PDI just might have saved you from a lot of heartache..
2) The dealer is co operating.

[Latheesh]

[quote=pedrolourenco;1380662] So why cancel? Please explain how rust on the drive shaft etc is a safety hazard?

quote]

It is a safety hazard my friend, especially rusting critical part like drive shaft that too in a brand new car.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by amoghchaphalkar

I think I did not make myself clear. The rust on the discs do not bother me. The rusts on the drive shaft, tie rods, muffler do bother me A LOT The other parts are not iron parts.

Hi There,
I see that you own a number of cars and understand the concern for the rust in the components you have mentioned. In my opinion, there is nothing to worry about all these components viz;

Drive shaft: It is made out of a mixture of cast iron and steel as it needs to bear high stresses.It does not require paint and is not painted which is why it is prone to a thin layer of rust on the surface. That rust will never ever do any damage whatsoever to the part or the car as a whole. A few high end manufacturers may paint them but it doesn't make a difference to it.

Tie Rods: They are made of solid steel and are the under chassis parts of an automobile and hence are not painted as well. Just like the drive shaft they too will develop a thin layer of rust on the surface but it will not cause any harm whatsoever. A few high end manufacturers may paint them but it doesn't make a difference to it.

Muffler: This is made of cast iron at the engine manifold and galvanised at the piping as paint wont hold under the high temparatures it has to bear. The rust that you see is a very thin layer which will not increase, at least in the next 5 years even in Mumbai weather.
I case the muffler is extensively rusted, you can tell B U Bhandari to replace it though I do not think it is required.

I have been driving, watching and getting cars repaired for the past 15 years now and what I have said comes from my experience across brands in India and abroad.

You can confidently go ahead and book the car in my opinion.

[Seeler_Rebeiro]

@n.devdath - You are absolutely correct.
People, when you think of rust on driveshafts etc do not mentally picture old rusted windows and doors which are corroding.

Instead, picture "rail tracks". Have you seen rail tracks which have a coating of rust on the non friction surface ? It is not an issue.

Anyways, if the dealer has promised a new car, all the better.

[pedrolourenco]

[quote=Latheesh;1381256]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

So why cancel? Please explain how rust on the drive shaft etc is a safety hazard?

quote]

It is a safety hazard my friend, especially rusting critical part like drive shaft that too in a brand new car.

Please read the above 2 posts. They have explained it very well. Please make sure you understand what is a safety hazard before making allegations. If such rusting was an issue, my engine (whose mountings have the sane rust) would have fallen to the ground.

[Crimson]

I completely agree with what has been written here by n.devdath.
Muffler - Maybe you could ask for it to be changed, but for the Drive shaft and the Tie-Rods that minimal layer of rust can do no damage and poses no risk whatsoever.

Have you got a reply from GTO?

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Hi There,
I see that you own a number of cars and understand the concern for the rust in the components you have mentioned. In my opinion, there is nothing to worry about all these components viz;

Drive shaft: It is made out of a mixture of cast iron and steel as it needs to bear high stresses.It does not require paint and is not painted which is why it is prone to a thin layer of rust on the surface. That rust will never ever do any damage whatsoever to the part or the car as a whole. A few high end manufacturers may paint them but it doesn't make a difference to it.

Tie Rods: They are made of solid steel and are the under chassis parts of an automobile and hence are not painted as well. Just like the drive shaft they too will develop a thin layer of rust on the surface but it will not cause any harm whatsoever. A few high end manufacturers may paint them but it doesn't make a difference to it.

Muffler: This is made of cast iron at the engine manifold and galvanised at the piping as paint wont hold under the high temparatures it has to bear. The rust that you see is a very thin layer which will not increase, at least in the next 5 years even in Mumbai weather.
I case the muffler is extensively rusted, you can tell B U Bhandari to replace it though I do not think it is required.

I have been driving, watching and getting cars repaired for the past 15 years now and what I have said comes from my experience across brands in India and abroad.

You can confidently go ahead and book the car in my opinion.

[Crimson]

Originally Posted by Latheesh

It is a safety hazard my friend, especially rusting critical part like drive shaft that too in a brand new car.

OK.. But can you provide some logic behind this statement? What could go wrong in your opinion?

[Palio_2005]

Well Amogh is being offered an alternate brand new car, so I guess it shouldn't matter anymore. I think it's a good move by the dealer to keep the customer happy.

As far as the rusting goes, I guess it would be good on the manufacturer's part to give some sort of anti rust coating - atleast to the parts which are critical.