Rust Through Warranty! Is it for Real???

Blackie · December 15, 2006

Hi All,

I have a 2002 Deanali with 67,000 miles on it. Rust circles the rear wiper where it attaches to the hatch. It surrounds the area. It appears to be bubbling under the paint. It spans around 6 inches. My guess is when they drilled out the hole for the wiper, they either forgot to coat the drill hole or they didn't use enough paint

I brought the Denali to the GMC dealer near where I live. The guy in charge of the body shop there agreed with my scenerio above. I figured it would be a no brainer, 10 year warranty/100,000 mile rust through and they would fix it. BOY WAS I WRONG!

It seams that unless I can stick my head through the rusted area, they can't fix it. I explained that it won't do much for advitising the Denali line if they allow me to drive around with a RUST BULLS EYE on the back. He said unless there is a hole, they cant do it. He then said he would contact GMC and see if they would allow a "Good Will" fix. The Good will fix was that they would split the cost. I would pay around $500. That means they are claiming the job would cost $1,000 according to them. I told the dealer that charging me $500 was rediculus. (I could probably grab a gypsy and have them do it for half of what they wanted to charge me.

My point is this. GMC makes this Denali line. They want it to compete with Navigator and Escalade and then the DON'T GUARANTEE the QUALITY of the vehicle. They have lost a custumer over this. I love the Denali and bought it after test driving the other two vehicles mentioned above. It WILL BE MY LAST LUXURY GMV VEHICLE!!!

asilverblazer · December 15, 2006

I thought the rear lift gate was plastic...

pm26 · December 15, 2006

Just wait until the rust spot is bigger and all the way through, then take it to another dealer. These people are giving you a runaround. I had a tiny rusted pinhole or two on my '92 Mazda Protege metal sunroof that caused the paint to blister above the pinhole. Mazda replaced the sunroof panel without any argument under the rust through warranty. It did not cost me a dime out of my pocket.

pwall · December 15, 2006

And after it rusts thru into a hole, you'll have to prove that it rusted from the inside out, not the outside in.

Basically, the manufactures rust protection is just to say they have it, it ain't worth the paper it's printed on.

I just had the same issue repaired on my 2002 YukonXL. I took it to a local body shop. They charged me $200 to repair and repaint the back hatch.

yeehaw87 · December 16, 2006

The Denali isn't meant to compete with the Escalade. If it was, GM would be shooting themselves in the foot. The Denali is a large step down. It does compete with the navigator though.

Hi All,
I have a 2002 Deanali with 67,000 miles on it. Rust circles the rear wiper where it attaches to the hatch. It surrounds the area. It appears to be bubbling under the paint. It spans around 6 inches. My guess is when they drilled out the hole for the wiper, they either forgot to coat the drill hole or they didn't use enough paint

I brought the Denali to the GMC dealer near where I live. The guy in charge of the body shop there agreed with my scenerio above. I figured it would be a no brainer, 10 year warranty/100,000 mile rust through and they would fix it. BOY WAS I WRONG!

It seams that unless I can stick my head through the rusted area, they can't fix it. I explained that it won't do much for advitising the Denali line if they allow me to drive around with a RUST BULLS EYE on the back. He said unless there is a hole, they cant do it. He then said he would contact GMC and see if they would allow a "Good Will" fix. The Good will fix was that they would split the cost. I would pay around $500. That means they are claiming the job would cost $1,000 according to them. I told the dealer that charging me $500 was rediculus. (I could probably grab a gypsy and have them do it for half of what they wanted to charge me.

My point is this. GMC makes this Denali line. They want it to compete with Navigator and Escalade and then the DON'T GUARANTEE the QUALITY of the vehicle. They have lost a custumer over this. I love the Denali and bought it after test driving the other two vehicles mentioned above. It WILL BE MY LAST LUXURY GMV VEHICLE!!!

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alvocado · December 19, 2006

Hi All,
I have a 2002 Deanali with 67,000 miles on it. Rust circles the rear wiper where it attaches to the hatch. It surrounds the area. It appears to be bubbling under the paint. It spans around 6 inches. My guess is when they drilled out the hole for the wiper, they either forgot to coat the drill hole or they didn't use enough paint

I brought the Denali to the GMC dealer near where I live. The guy in charge of the body shop there agreed with my scenerio above. I figured it would be a no brainer, 10 year warranty/100,000 mile rust through and they would fix it. BOY WAS I WRONG!

It seams that unless I can stick my head through the rusted area, they can't fix it. I explained that it won't do much for advitising the Denali line if they allow me to drive around with a RUST BULLS EYE on the back. He said unless there is a hole, they cant do it. He then said he would contact GMC and see if they would allow a "Good Will" fix. The Good will fix was that they would split the cost. I would pay around $500. That means they are claiming the job would cost $1,000 according to them. I told the dealer that charging me $500 was rediculus. (I could probably grab a gypsy and have them do it for half of what they wanted to charge me.

My point is this. GMC makes this Denali line. They want it to compete with Navigator and Escalade and then the DON'T GUARANTEE the QUALITY of the vehicle. They have lost a custumer over this. I love the Denali and bought it after test driving the other two vehicles mentioned above. It WILL BE MY LAST LUXURY GMV VEHICLE!!!

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Are you sure it's rust? I also have an '02 Denali and I believe the rear liftgates are aluminum, which doesn't rust. However, the paint near the weld seam at the inside bottom of my liftgate bubbled and started to peal off when the truck was about 3 yrs old. The dealership told me it was a known but uncommon issue with the painted aluminum panels. I also have the same issue at the weld seams on my hood (also aluminum.) Your rust warranty only covers a hole and if this is in fact an aluminum panel, there will never be rust through. If possible, post a pic.

pm26 · December 19, 2006

Your rust warranty only covers a hole and if this is in fact an aluminum panel, there will never be rust through.

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Painted aluminum panels corrode when moisture gets trapped under the paint. The metal is converted into white aluminum oxide powder. This happens frequently on boat aluminum outdrives, which are used in salt water. Although the process takes considerably longer than corrosion of a steel panel, eventually, it will corrode all the way through. Aluminum panels get severely pitted too.