Rust bubble on bottom of door

[doublem_1]

My 52 reg A3 has started to develop (only just starting) some bubbling, only a small patch, just above the black plastic strip at the bottom of the door. Has anyone else had this? Would it be straight forward to fix? I have a few small body repairs before but I'd like this to not stand out!

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[JS1500]

Mine has the same.
Have you tried taking it to Audi as a warranty claim under the 12 year anti-corrosion warranty?
I'd try that before anything else - I just hope they treat you better than my local Audi bodyshop did with me!

 

[doublem_1]

No I haven't considered that. Is there anything I need to take? I'm not the original owner or does that not matter? What do I need to say to better my chances? If I can get them to do it under warrenty then I shall do/try that!

 

[Endacy]

Mine did this too, the trim rubs the paint off. Spent about £600 having the lower drivers door, bumper and rear passenger quarter sprayed. Then had to buy new door trims as I took them all off the check the other doors and they fell apart (screws rip out - replaced with stainless on the new ones). They cost about £160 on their own!

Audi didn't want to know about the corrosion warranty - tried two dealers. One was Maidstone who said as the car had bodywork done previously the warranty was invalid, even though the paint they refered to was on the tailgate. The other was Bexley who were very proud in telling me I was wrong, it wasn't covered because i'd said the trim caused the issue and that it was only only rusting from the inside out that was covered and that 'because of what you've said it's not covered'. Ah well.

 

[doublem_1]

Mine did this too, the trim rubs the paint off. Spent about £600 having the lower drivers door, bumper and rear passenger quarter sprayed. Then had to buy new door trims as I took them all off the check the other doors and they fell apart (screws rip out - replaced with stainless on the new ones). They cost about £160 on their own!

Audi didn't want to know about the corrosion warranty - tried two dealers. One was Maidstone who said as the car had bodywork done previously the warranty was invalid, even though the paint they refered to was on the tailgate. The other was Bexley who were very proud in telling me I was wrong, it wasn't covered because i'd said the trim caused the issue and that it was only only rusting from the inside out that was covered and that 'because of what you've said it's not covered'. Ah well.

Thanks for the help guys. Much appreciated.

Looks like there will be a slim chance Audi will consider it but I shall try them anyway! Very annoying though how they implement a warrenty that they are so reluctent to allow their customers to benefit from.

I was going to take the trims off to assess the whole bottom of the doors, not sure if I'll bother now then lol!

 

[voorhees]

If the car has variations in paint thickness then you will struggle to get warranty work done.
Try this link http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/a3-s3-...rosion-warranty-results-please-post-here.html

 

[s3dave]

Its getting near there 12 year finish line now...so it will be harder as they will be told to stand there ground for a few months....

 

[Imteyaz]

I had the bottom of my drivers side door painted under the corrosion warranty. They took paint thickness readings and called me back the same day to say that they would take care of the work at no cost. They even replaced the plastic strip as the screw snapped inside when removing it so a new replacement was the only way forward.

I think it comes down to where you take your car, which way the wind is blowing, chi levels and the national lottery results from the week before - there seems to be no logic behind why some people get their car covered under the warranty and others don't. I can understand that they won't cover a car that has had work previously carried out but some paint shops / dealerships seem to toss a coin to make a decision on which excuse to give the customer.

 

[bazil]

mine was rejected from Glasgow Audi, paint levels were fine but i was told " because the rust had burst through the paint surface the warrenty was invalid " so if you have a bubble get it looked at,

 

[S3Lol]

Well I went to huntingdon audi today. My experiences with them in the past were absolutely useless so I really wasnt expected much. And they didnt disappoint, as I wasnt even booked in, even though I called up the week before.

Anyway, the warranty guy took a look at it in the end and said it isnt covered because the trim had rubbed against the paint, which is a 4 year warranty, so they wernt interested and were not going to do anything about it. **Violent rant deleted**

Guess I will take the trim off and see what its like. They said it doesnt look at all serious though and hasnt gone up the door, so should be easy to sort out. Good luck with your claim mate.

 

[bazil]

For a laugh I priced a new door as my rust looks terminal, em at £250 I didn't ask if that included vat lol
and a S3 wing was £150! That's each!

That's supply only and still I'm black primer.

 

[Sam_]

OE panels always cost a packet but always the best fit.