[The Apprentice]

I had the passenger side cover off and the glovebox out and discovered a rusty circular cross member (supporting/reinforcing) that is unpainted above the footwell. It's about 70mm in diameter and goes behind the radio and in front of the ventilation sytem or thro' it!

Well I was a little surprised that it hadn't seen any paint at all, it had a number of earthing studs welded to it, but much to my horror it's going RUSTY on the extreme end at the passenger side.

Is this another cost cutting idea from the factory boffins???

Is it a standard practice on all Astra H's to fit metalwork without any form of finish, be it paint or plating.

 

[Nello]

yeah mine is the same, 55 plate, its an internal part and not exposed to outside moisture so doesn't warrant paint, also good for earths....

 

[The Apprentice]

I appreciate there is a level of protection as it is inside the car, but what about condensation?

Is yours showing any evidence of rusting as yet?

If it was painted the earting studs could be very easily masked or if plated they would still conduct, creating a good earth path.

 

[Shazzy baby]

got any pics?

 

[The Apprentice]

I might be able to get some, but is Photobucket still available? I can't understand all the adverts in the posts.

 

[ItsBazza]

Photobucket works fine for me. I know what you mean tho about the Photobucket Pro ads tho, i see them on some peoples sigs too.

 

[VAUXBEN]

the one in my G is showing no signs of rust

wonder if its a problem with the H's

 

[Nello]

mine is a wee bit rusty but its surface rust and not affecting strength.

 

[The Apprentice]

I'm very sorry folks, I'm having a bit of trouble at posting photos... I'm not well practiced at this!

 

[The Apprentice]

I'm afraid it's only white boxes with red crosses... in preview! Any ideas?

 

[The Apprentice]

Well a little on the large size, but they are photos of the problem. My opinion, right or wrong is that rust starts somewhere and it's started inside.

 

[tb10]

Mines been like that for over 4 years!! :lol:

 

[The Apprentice]

Is anyone familiar with the coverage that Network Q offers? For instance is the windscreen sealing covered, because my local dealer suggested to me that it wasn't... and does it matter whether you return the car to the dealer who supplied the vehicle?

 

[robby1971]

You could pop into your local autowindscreens/ autoglass and ask them to re-seal it, should only cost a couple of quid at most and they'll use the proper sealant

 

[The Apprentice]

Aghhh... I failed to mention that the route of water entry hasn't been established just as yet, my local dealer has agreed to search for the point it's getting in, whilst it's in their workshop for servicing next week. So the windscreen just happens to be the first on the list. But I'll keep that option at the ready

 

[airhead]

It's really not an issue, only nosy customers who think it is
Nothing to worry about. Mine is the same. You'll find it in any other car if you venture in beyond the dashboard.

 

[The Apprentice]

Well here's some of the latest news... I've just spoken with the dealer, who has confirmed that there is a water leak, however they do not know where it's getting in. So it requires further investigation at cost to me, this made me ask whether I should call Vx and ask if they were prepared to make a contribution to my bill.

Having called the customer centre at Vx, they answered that sealing is only covered by warrenty for 12 months, so I asked to speak to the manager of the member of staff answering my call... no one was available, so they have agreed to call me back on this issue. He asked also if the car had Vx dealer service history, this is it's 2nd annual... what do you people feel, is it fair that sealing of Vauxhalls only covers for the first 12 months of warrenty???

The dealer wants £85 to simply locate the water leak on a car 2 years old, are they saying that it's an established payment, every 12 months to pay for finding and sealing leaks with each service!!!

And I thought Vauxhall had manufacturers warrenty of 3 years.

 

[DEEJ]

they do but who says it is not leaking from the screen seal, which could have been replaced by anyone ??

 

[The Apprentice]

Deej, the car was bought a little under 12 months ago from a Vx dealer, it had 1647 miles on it and it was previously a Vauxhall Fleet Management vehicle. Now I've not had a replacement screen for sure and it still has a Vauxhall Pilkingtons screen in it, with matching decals of the other 9 pieces. So I would doubt that it has been replaced.

However, I don't think Vauxhall offer a resonable warrenty, if they currently say if it leaks after 12 months it's not covered. But I'm hoping they are a little more supportive than the initial response.

 

[The Apprentice]

Episode 2

Well, I've been asked by the dealer if it's ok to continue looking for the point of ingress... and this means I'm at the point of debt. Why, because Vx customer assistance centre want some feedback as to the cause of the leak, so they can decide, if they are to contribute to the cure!

I'm a bit miffed over this, the dealer won't work on the search without me promising to pay up and Vx won't indicate whether they are going to make a contribution to the search and fix, without first the proof of cause.

Can anyone believe that this proceedure really exists? Seems unreal to me.

Meanwhile, I'm potentially running up a bill!!!