It's probably the same feeling as finding a grey hair (I haven't yet by the way, and no I'm not bald) but I've spotted a couple of rust spots on my beloved S. I'm taking her to the dealer on Monday - should be covered.

The thing is... my car is only a year old. I clean her very regularly, she's Supagarded, I don't thrash her, and park in a private space at nights. So why on earth has this happened so soon? I guess it's the gritting craze that blights our country at this time of year, ever intensified to increase the safety margins of those buffoons in crappy Nova's and Escorts who insist on driving at ridiculous speeds even in adverse weather.

As a matter of interest, the spots are on the driver's side just in front of the rear wheel arch. Nothing much at the mo, but you know what it's like once it takes hold.

I didn't expect this - this is the kind of thing that happened to 1983 Morris Marina drivers after a year. The bodywork warranty should cover this shouldn't it? With the car being Silverstone... it's been easier to spot than on a more deeper coloured car.

 

I think that you may have a Friday afternoon car. I've never heard of any complaints, or seen any evidence of rust on Ss. The only corrosion problems which I recall reading about are the alloy wheels, and exhaust trim mounting bolts.

Could the rust spots be where stones have chipped all the way through the paint ?

 

Could be Chris, but there are no signs of chipping at the spots, and it is fairly localised. It's not at the 'car acne' stage, but nonetheless it's there.

 

This should be covered by the anti-corrosion/paint warranty shouldn't it?

 

Yes, it should

Mine is 3.75 yrs old with over 60k miles and is showing no signs of rust. It is a UK car?

 

Yes... standard as u like S.

 

It won't be covered if it's a stone chip.

It wouldn't be surprising to see a rusty chip on a one year old car. They need to be treated as soon as they happen. Regular cleaning (which I don't do) is the best way to keep on top of them.

Good luck anyway.

 

Gaddafi...

It's more of a collection of wee blotches, in this localised area, say a cm apart. There are 4-5 of them, and the paint looks flush enough, but has the discolouration of a rusty colour. But these are the size of less than 1mm across. One of them (more than 1mm) is starting to go that bubbly way.

To be honest, it doesn't look like a stone chip, but something ain't right.

 

Sounds like water ingress under the paint. You'll need to check that there's no obvious damage to the surface where it's got in.
However, if the raised areas are spaced then it's sounds like a bad paint job. You sure it's not been resprayed?

 

Not as far as I am aware. Interestingly, there is a small amount in the door recess, the lower edge under the door on one of the weld lines.