New car dealers almost always offer it when they close a deal: third-party rust warranties, or products that purport to prevent rust.
Richmond Hill, Ont., resident Margo Sullivan said she thought the warranty she bought would give her peace of mind, since she planned to keep her new 2009 Mazda 5 for a long time.
“I bought a rust-proofing package and paid $895,” Sullivan said while describing the assurances she was given by the dealership should rust appear on her vehicle.
“They were supposed to inspect it every year. If it needed touching up, they’d do that.”
But three years ago when rust appeared on the vehicle’s wheel wells and doors, the dealership refused to honour the warranty and repair the rust.
She said the dealership initially claimed that annual rust inspections had not taken place during two calendar years she owned the car. But Sullivan said she gets all her maintenance work done at the dealership and has the service records to prove it. She said she asked the service advisor to inspect the vehicle annually because she knew it was a requirement for the warranty.
Eventually, Mazda of Richmond Hill agreed to repair the rust.
But this fall, more rust appeared on the vehicle. This time the dealership again initially declined to remove it, saying it was not obligated.
READ MORE: Customer told he would need to pay for damage caused by mechanics
After Global News contacted the dealer’s general manager, the rust on Sullivan’s wheel wells was repaired.
“Although the warranty sold was under previous ownership and is no longer offered, we always try our best to fix any issues our loyal customers may have. As soon as this matter was brought to my attention we fully completed the repair at our expense,” said Andrew Currie, general manager of Mazda of Richmond Hill.
Mazda Canada told Global News it expected dealers to honour product warranties, regardless of whether there had been a dealer ownership change
“We do appreciate the fact that the interactions leading up to that point were not to Ms. Sullivan’s expectations. Mazda in Canada strives to provide exceptional customer experience,” said Sandra Lamaitre, director of public relations and corporate affairs with Mazda Canada, in an email to Global News.
“We believe this situation could have been handled better, especially for such a long-time, loyal owner such as Ms. Sullivan.”
New vehicles typically come with a factory warranty that covers rust.
In Mazda’s case, the anti-perforation warranty covers “body sheet metal panels against perforation due to corrosion for 12 years regardless of mileage,” according to statements on the company’s website.
As such, Sullivan didn’t need a supplemental warranty. A claim could have been made to Mazda directly because the vehicle is less than 12 years old.
Instead, Sullivan could have better spent the money on annual rust protection.
“If you want your vehicle to stay on the road in Canada, it cannot happen without some kind of protection,” said Freeman Young, president of Krown Rust Control, told Global News.
“In Canada (rust is) probably the biggest single problem your vehicle actually faces today and it’s gotten worse over the past 10-year period because of the materials they’re dropping on the roads.”
Krown uses a petroleum-based product that’s sprayed on the underside of vehicles, inside doors, under the hood and on components where rust can develop. The application, which can take about an hour, costs about $150 and varies with the size of the vehicle.
Last summer, University of Windsor’s engineering faculty researchers reported that “untreated vehicles had 6.8 times more visible corrosion on body panels than vehicles protected with Krown Rust Control treatments.”
Researchers said for underbody parts that are subjected to greater exposure of dirt, gravel, water spray and road chemicals, untreated cars had 3.6 times more corrosion than vehicles treated with the Krown product.
“Once a year, every year. It’s maintenance,” said Young, adding the treatment program slows down rust and will extend the life of a vehicle.
He noted corrosion is an ongoing problem with all vehicles.
Sullivan says she’d never buy a rust warranty again and will now opt to get her car treated instead.
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