# 2006 A3 Exterior Rust



## tulliotk (Apr 25, 2005)

I was wondering how many people have had rust develop on their A3. I have rust on both sides between the front wheel wells and front edge of door. It extends above and below the trim piece that goes over the "seam" on the rocker. The car has 123K miles, mostly in north central IL, but it is garaged.

A search of the forum showed a few folks with similar issues, but most replies on those threads were of the "you don't know how to wash your car" variety. Yes, I know how to wash a car. I have to go back to my 1988 Alfa Romeo Spider (purchased new) to find a car of mine that has had rust issues like this. To be fair, though, the Alfa came new from the factory already equipped with rust as a standard feature.

There is no apparent damage in either area and both front fender liners are intact. Anyone else have this? Any ideas? I'm going to check with the dealer, but I'm not optimistic that they will help.

Todd


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

It's supposed to have a 12 year anti corrosion warranty. Has the car ever been wrecked or repaired? I'd raise hell if your dealer doesn't get it fixed. :thumbup:


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## tulliotk (Apr 25, 2005)

It had a light repair to the right rear fender after someone backed into it, but that's it for repairs. It's a bit puzzling. 

Todd


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## everfresh59 (Jul 26, 2010)

I have the same issue, rust on the corner of door and fenders. All covered under warranty if it's never been repaired.


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## theblue (Aug 16, 2001)

forget washing, it's wax that protects.

how often are you guys with rust applying wax to your cars?

twice a year minimum and anytime I notice water no longer beads up is my routine and my 06 with 120k miles driven every winter has no rust.

most anti-corrosion warranty plans require rust to the point where there is a hole before they will cover.


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## tulliotk (Apr 25, 2005)

If I treated all of my cars the same over the past 25 years, and only the Audi rusted, there is still a problem unique to the Audi. Why didn't my Fords, Mazda, BMW, or VWs rust in the same manner? 

If the rust is coming from inside, the amount of waxing is irrelevant. This may be what is happening. I haven't taken the fender liner off to look yet, but there is a small gap between the fender and the liner right in front of each rusted section. Driving in rain or snow would throw water into that area. I'm assuming for the moment that Audi *knows* that this gap exists and has provided for adequate drainage of that body cavity. I'll know more once I take a closer look. I'll try to take some pics and post them.

Todd


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## Travis Grundke (May 26, 1999)

I don't have any rust issues but I just noticed that the paint on the B-pillar between my driver and rear driver side doors is starting to bubble. That's going to drive me nuts when it starts peeling. '06 A3 with ~95,000 on the clock.


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## cldub (Jul 2, 2010)

tulliotk said:


> If I treated all of my cars the same over the past 25 years, and only the Audi rusted, there is still a problem unique to the Audi. Why didn't my Fords, Mazda, BMW, or VWs rust in the same manner?
> 
> If the rust is coming from inside, the amount of waxing is irrelevant. This may be what is happening. I haven't taken the fender liner off to look yet, but there is a small gap between the fender and the liner right in front of each rusted section. Driving in rain or snow would throw water into that area. I'm assuming for the moment that Audi *knows* that this gap exists and has provided for adequate drainage of that body cavity. I'll know more once I take a closer look. I'll try to take some pics and post them.
> 
> Todd


Either way, if you still have some sort of warranty let's hope it be covered. I think it may be a problem unique to YOUR Audi. Every Audi I know of comes dipped with a rust inhibitor on the bare metal from the factory, before any paint is even applied. That way if you get a rock chip or whatever, it won't rust. I'm sure you know this though

I haven't had rust on my A3, but I've heard of it happening to others. I'd definitely get it checked out :thumbup:


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

Travis Grundke said:


> I don't have any rust issues but I just noticed that the paint on the B-pillar between my driver and rear driver side doors is starting to bubble. That's going to drive me nuts when it starts peeling. '06 A3 with ~95,000 on the clock.


You talking about the black plastic piece? If so, just take it off and vinyl wrap it when it starts peeling :thumbup:


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## theblue (Aug 16, 2001)

tulliotk said:


> If I treated all of my cars the same over the past 25 years, and only the Audi rusted, there is still a problem unique to the Audi. Why didn't my Fords, Mazda, BMW, or VWs rust in the same manner?


If properly cared for all shouldn't rust. If not properly cared for then results will vary based on many factors. It makes perfect sense to me.


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## VWAddict (Jun 12, 1999)

tulliotk said:


> I have to go back to my 1988 Alfa Romeo Spider (purchased new) to find a car of mine that has had rust issues like this. To be fair, though, the Alfa came new from the factory already equipped with rust as a standard feature.


Actually it's a little-known fact that the Italian carmakers at Alfa, FIAT, Innocenti etc. were in fact dabbling and experimenting in a 20th-century version of the ancient mysteries of alchemy...

In the late middle-ages, alchemists immersed themselves in a lifelong quest to discover how to turn one element into another... such as lead (or similar base metal) into gold.

In the 1970's however, Italian car builders finally achieved the breakthrough which had eluded their forefathers when they finally developed the process for producing metals which magically transformed themselves into other, entirely different materials, all by themselves.

Excitedly, they set about opening production lines all over the boot of Italy, churning out vehicles which were clothed in this magical metal. Unfortunately -for reasons still not fully understood to this day- over time, the shiny metal miraculously transformed itself not into gold, platinum or rhodium, but instead, it metamorphosed dramatically (and quite unstoppably!) into Scandinavian crispbread.

From this:







...to this:


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## tulliotk (Apr 25, 2005)

Funny! My Alfa did indeed have rust from the factory. In fact, every new Alfa on the lot at West Suburban Imports in Maywood, IL (then claimed to be the largest Alfa dealer in the US), had rust on it. The reason? The rubber stops under the hood and trunk lid were installed before the car was painted. So, they got painted when the rest of the car was painted. The first time that the trunk and hood were closed, each rubber stop compressed and cracked not only the paint on the stop but the paint around its metal base. One ocean trip later, every brand new Alfa had four bright rust spots in the engine compartment and four more in the trunk. Italian manufacturing logic.

I haven't quite figured out yet why at least half of the door handles had pitted chrome and most of the cars had interior trim pieces that had fallen off. In 1998, you didn't shop for a new Alfa based on color or options, but on *condition*!

Todd Kuzma



VWAddict said:


> Actually it's a little-known fact that the Italian carmakers at Alfa, FIAT, Innocenti etc. were in fact dabbling and experimenting in a 20th-century version of the ancient mysteries of alchemy...
> 
> In the late middle-ages, alchemists immersed themselves in a lifelong quest to discover how to turn one element into another... such as lead (or similar base metal) into gold.
> 
> ...


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## dmorrow (Jun 9, 2000)

theblue said:


> If properly cared for all shouldn't rust. If not properly cared for then results will vary based on many factors. It makes perfect sense to me.


If it's rusting from the inside out it won't make any difference if you wax it once a week.


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## vwlippy (Jul 17, 2001)

I know the bottom edge of the doors is plastic. I found this out by opening my door and scraping a curb. :what: 

Lets see some pics. Rust is not your friend.


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## LWNY (Jul 30, 2008)

that's what rustoleum is made for.


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## tulliotk (Apr 25, 2005)

Have camera. Have computer. Need to find the cable to connect the two, and I'll post pics.

Todd


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## cldub (Jul 2, 2010)

tulliotk said:


> Have camera. Have computer. Need to find the cable to connect the two, and I'll post pics.
> 
> Todd


Smartphone? Take pictures and email them to yourself :thumbup:


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## tulliotk (Apr 25, 2005)

*Pics*

Here are some pics of the right side. The left is similar. The paint is bubbling/blistering. This has only become evident in the past couple weeks. On that last pic, you can see the "notches" in the edge of the fender liner that might allow water into that cavity. Zero signs of rust anywhere else on the car.

Todd


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## cldub (Jul 2, 2010)

tulliotk said:


> Here are some pics of the right side. The left is similar. The paint is bubbling/blistering. This has only become evident in the past couple weeks. On that last pic, you can see the "notches" in the edge of the fender liner that might allow water into that cavity. Zero signs of rust anywhere else on the car.
> 
> Todd


Idk, something about this makes me thing that this is a repair. Was this car accident free when you bought it?


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## tulliotk (Apr 25, 2005)

cldub said:


> Idk, something about this makes me thing that this is a repair. Was this car accident free when you bought it?


I've owned the car since new. The only repair was a minor dent on the rear fender from someone backing into the car. No repair in the rusted area. 

Todd


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## cldub (Jul 2, 2010)

tulliotk said:


> I've owned the car since new. The only repair was a minor dent on the rear fender from someone backing into the car. No repair in the rusted area.
> 
> Todd


Imo, there has to be a fault at the time of manufacture.


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

cldub said:


> Imo, there has to be a fault at the time of manufacture.


Yeah man, something is up there. That looks terrible!


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## everfresh59 (Jul 26, 2010)

TBomb said:


> Yeah man, something is up there. That looks terrible!


I have the same problem, not so bad on the fender, but the bottom is pretty much just as bad. Also have this on my doors.... Still working it out with Audi, but the the dealer I went to in my area was pretty adamant that they are going to be replacing the doors and repairing all the spots where the rust seems to be creeping. 

Audi rep I spoke to said that this is pretty much evident in all A3's, specifically if you live in harsh winter areas where salt is used daily by the city.

I'm hoping Audi takes my car in this week since I'll be on vacay and out of the city. I don't see any reason why they wouldn't repair that, since it's clearly an issue on their part. IMO, your best bet is to probably install splash guards up front once the repairs are made (I did this, but it was already too late!).


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## tulliotk (Apr 25, 2005)

Glad I am not the only one. I'm going to take it to the local dealer and see what they say. The rest of the car is great. So, I hope to preserve the body.

Todd



everfresh59 said:


> I have the same problem, not so bad on the fender, but the bottom is pretty much just as bad. Also have this on my doors.... Still working it out with Audi, but the the dealer I went to in my area was pretty adamant that they are going to be replacing the doors and repairing all the spots where the rust seems to be creeping.
> 
> Audi rep I spoke to said that this is pretty much evident in all A3's, specifically if you live in harsh winter areas where salt is used daily by the city.
> 
> I'm hoping Audi takes my car in this week since I'll be on vacay and out of the city. I don't see any reason why they wouldn't repair that, since it's clearly an issue on their part. IMO, your best bet is to probably install splash guards up front once the repairs are made (I did this, but it was already too late!).


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## cldub (Jul 2, 2010)

tulliotk said:


> Glad I am not the only one. I'm going to take it to the local dealer and see what they say. The rest of the car is great. So, I hope to preserve the body.
> 
> Todd


Good luck! Please report back with your findings :thumbup:


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## P0299 (Mar 18, 2012)

My fenders are fine but I've got a spot that looks like a spot weld coming through in the lower center part of my right rear door. I'm going to have a hard time getting mine fixed since I'm in Germany, they didn't want to honor the US warranty when it was new.


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## tulliotk (Apr 25, 2005)

Took it to the dealer today. They said that had not seen any others like it but agreed that it looked bad. They took pics and are forwarding the claim to Audi for warranty coverage. We'll see what happens.

Todd


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## theblue (Aug 16, 2001)

fingers crossed for you... sometimes they cover stuff like this.

My GF has a 160k+ subaru 2.5TS and just recently subaru replaced the entire front and rear subframes due to a recall (and her ones were about to snap_


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## 3G3T7I (Sep 30, 2005)

Have you ever pulled the fender liner? There is probably a boat load of crud in there.


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## Uber-A3 (Feb 23, 2002)

3G3T7I said:


> Have you ever pulled the fender liner? There is probably a boat load of crud in there.


 x2 that's why it's rusting from the inside. I pulled mine off this summer and there was a ton of crud and dirt in it.


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## tulliotk (Apr 25, 2005)

3G3T7I said:


> Have you ever pulled the fender liner? There is probably a boat load of crud in there.


 I have not looked, but I talked about that with the dealer. They really wanted to look inside the liner and under the exterior trim piece to see what was going on. Since they felt fairly confident that there is some perforation under there (or there would be perforation after a couple passes from a grinder), they didn't see the need to start taking it apart now. 

We are just waiting to hear back from Audi to figure out where to go from here. Still no word. 

Todd


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## tulliotk (Apr 25, 2005)

Update: Audi rep is to look at it on Aug 9 and decide. 

Todd


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## tulliotk (Apr 25, 2005)

*Update*

An area rep from Audi looked at the car at the dealer today and denied the warranty claim. The dealer estimated the cost of repair at around $1300. As someone who has purchased 6 new VW/Audi vehicles, I'm a little disappointed. 

Todd


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## dmorrow (Jun 9, 2000)

He give a reason? Did you talk to him or just leave your car and the dealer call you with the information?


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## tulliotk (Apr 25, 2005)

dmorrow said:


> He give a reason? Did you talk to him or just leave your car and the dealer call you with the information?


 I didn't talk to the rep. I left the car at the dealer for the day. The paperwork says that the claim was denied "due to outside influence." I asked the service advisor what that meant, and he said that the rep felt that it was rusting from the outside-in instead of from the inside-out. 

They also highlighted the section of the corrosion warranty titled "Other Exclusions." This section excludes coverage for surface corrosion without perforation, corrosion resulting from failure to promptly repair surface corrosion, and corrosion resulting from unrepaired accident damage. I'm guessing they mean that I failed to promptly repair the rust. However, this just appeared over the last few months. If you were to strictly interpret this section of the warranty, there would never be acceptable claim if it arose from surface rust. They could always claim that you should have repaired it before it perforated. 

For what it's worth, I'm not sure that there is perforation, but the service department felt that if there wasn't, it was pretty close. Also, I did not look behind the fender liner to see if there was rust inside the panel. So, they could be right. There might not be perforation. If there is perforation (or if it is close enough), they could argue that it is caused by surface corrosion that I should be responsible for repairing. In the end, I'm not sure what the corrosion warranty is *supposed* to cover. 

Whether it is right or not, it just bums me out. After 6 new VW/Audi purchases, I used to feel brand loyal. Now, I'm not so sure. It just doesn't feel right. 

Todd


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

tulliotk said:


> I didn't talk to the rep. I left the car at the dealer for the day. The paperwork says that the claim was denied "due to outside influence." I asked the service advisor what that meant, and he said that the rep felt that it was rusting from the outside-in instead of from the inside-out.
> 
> They also highlighted the section of the corrosion warranty titled "Other Exclusions." This section excludes coverage for surface corrosion without perforation, corrosion resulting from failure to promptly repair surface corrosion, and corrosion resulting from unrepaired accident damage. I'm guessing they mean that I failed to promptly repair the rust. However, this just appeared over the last few months. If you were to strictly interpret this section of the warranty, there would never be acceptable claim if it arose from surface rust. They could always claim that you should have repaired it before it perforated.
> 
> ...


 Write a letter to AoA telling them what you just told us. It's really lame of them to deny coverage for something of that magnitude.


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## rick89 (Dec 2, 2008)

I had rust warranty done on my car. My fenders had rust bubbles and they were way smaller then yours, but it was covered. In total i had both my front fenders replaced due to rust. If I were you I would go to another dealership because every Audi dealer is different and emphasize that it is bubbling to them. If its bubbling like that it should be covered. Plus once you get that spot repaired by another shop your 12 year rust warranty is void on that area of your car.


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## tulliotk (Apr 25, 2005)

rick89 said:


> I had rust warranty done on my car. My fenders had rust bubbles and they were way smaller then yours, but it was covered. In total i had both my front fenders replaced due to rust. If I were you I would go to another dealership because every Audi dealer is different and emphasize that it is bubbling to them. If its bubbling like that it should be covered. Plus once you get that spot repaired by another shop your 12 year rust warranty is void on that area of your car.


 Actually, I think that the dealer was on my side. It was the Audi area rep who disagreed. 

Todd


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## dmorrow (Jun 9, 2000)

rick89 said:


> I had rust warranty done on my car. My fenders had rust bubbles and they were way smaller then yours, but it was covered. In total i had both my front fenders replaced due to rust. If I were you I would go to another dealership because every Audi dealer is different and emphasize that it is bubbling to them. If its bubbling like that it should be covered. Plus once you get that spot repaired by another shop your 12 year rust warranty is void on that area of your car.


 If the area rep was involved and looked at it, I would think he would be involved at the next dealership also. Once the area rep has to be involved it seems pointless to go to other dealerships. 

I would expect that bubbling paint would be a good indication that it is rusting from the inside out.


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## krazyboi (May 19, 2004)

TBomb said:


> Write a letter to AoA telling them what you just told us. It's really lame of them to deny coverage for something of that magnitude.


 This


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## rick89 (Dec 2, 2008)

I guess it's different because I never had an area rep check mine all my dealer did was take pics send to Audi Canada and then 2 weeks later it got approved.


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## aspw (May 15, 2003)

ugh, i would not go quietly into the night. did the rep give his reasons for denying the warranty?


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## dmorrow (Jun 9, 2000)

tulliotk said:


> I didn't talk to the rep. I left the car at the dealer for the day. *The paperwork says that the claim was denied "due to outside influence." I asked the service advisor what that meant, and he said that the rep felt that it was rusting from the outside-in instead of from the inside-out. *
> 
> They also highlighted the section of the corrosion warranty titled "Other Exclusions." This section excludes coverage for surface corrosion without perforation, corrosion resulting from failure to promptly repair surface corrosion, and corrosion resulting from unrepaired accident damage. I'm guessing they mean that I failed to promptly repair the rust. However, this just appeared over the last few months. If you were to strictly interpret this section of the warranty, there would never be acceptable claim if it arose from surface rust. They could always claim that you should have repaired it before it perforated.
> 
> ...





aspw said:


> ugh, i would not go quietly into the night. did the rep give his reasons for denying the warranty?


 What would you do?


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## everfresh59 (Jul 26, 2010)

*Took an entire year but got er done!!*

After almost a year of belligerent, consistent conversations with almost every dealer in my area, along with Audi Canada, they finally approved the repairs on all four of my doors and both fenders. :thumbup: 

They said it would take about 1 week to get it all replaced, but have now tacked on another week to replace other parts that were breaking when they were taking everything apart. 

All done free of charge! I'll post before and after pics when it's all said and done. Mind you, the images will give you nightmares....


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## krazyboi (May 19, 2004)

Persistence pays off. Good work!


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## gamehenge~ (May 7, 2004)

*Rust*

I thought I would chime in here and mention that I too have the rust in the front quarter panels.

The reason is because of poor water drainage in this area due to the poorly designed styrofoam inserts behind the inside fender liner. They designed it in a way that it does not allow enough space for dirt to also drain out and becomes clogged, resulting in dirt, crud (and moisture) to build up over time. A major design flaw in my opinion. All that moisture and dirt causes it to rust from the inside out.

I have not taken my A3 to audi yet, but this seems like a wide spread issue, reading some other posts on the board?


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## dmorrow (Jun 9, 2000)

Is your car past the 10 year warranty yet? Seems like it might be really close.


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## eh (Mar 4, 2003)

The corrosion warranty is 12 years, no?

Pfaff Audi wouldn't even submit a claim for my rockers, even though they rusted from the inside out. "Rock damage."


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## MisterJJ (Jul 28, 2005)

eh said:


> The corrosion warranty is 12 years, no?
> 
> Pfaff Audi wouldn't even submit a claim for my rockers, even though they rusted from the inside out. "Rock damage."


Yeah, I found with my VW that the warranty is written in a way that they never have to honor a claim. It only applies if there is rust penetration completely through and you must have proof that any slight damage to the paint was immediately repaired. If it rusts through from behind they just claim that it was a scratch or rock chip that was never repaired.


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## npace (Sep 3, 2012)

gamehenge~ said:


> I thought I would chime in here and mention that I too have the rust in the front quarter panels.
> 
> The reason is because of poor water drainage in this area due to the poorly designed styrofoam inserts behind the inside fender liner. They designed it in a way that it does not allow enough space for dirt to also drain out and becomes clogged, resulting in dirt, crud (and moisture) to build up over time. A major design flaw in my opinion. All that moisture and dirt causes it to rust from the inside out.
> 
> I have not taken my A3 to audi yet, but this seems like a wide spread issue, reading some other posts on the board?


Lol at the styrofoam inserts. I had to remove my front bumper for intercooler install, and those fell out. I didn't know how they were in there in the first place, so I never replaced them. They're in my parts box in the garage somewhere.


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