rust on a 2003

**Adam 1.8** · 10-06-2008 11:34 AM

Having my windshield replaced today due to a bloody great big crack. Windshield guy calls me up saying that the windshield is out, and he's noticing rust along the top, not a bad amount, just enough to warrant a phone call to me that I might want to be aware of it..

my first thought was thinking about Audi's rust warranty... at what point would they give a shit? I'm having the windshield guy write it on the invoice about his findings, that the windshield has to be replaced for it to be visible, but should be taken care off,

Is this normal? or am I just worrying?

Cheers,
Adam

**Audituning02** · 10-06-2008 01:28 PM

It's probably just enough surface rust that could be scraped off with some kind of red or grey scuff pad or some other kind of abrasive. I think Audi's warranty only covers rust perforation which is when you actually have holes in the sheet metal. You may have something to go to them with if in fact the glass tech makes note of it on his work order.

**lookaught** · 10-06-2008 01:47 PM

Im also under the impression that the Audi warranty is for "corrosion perforation" meaning that it has to be a hole in the panel or similar problem.

To me it's a catch 22, as you have to wait for the corrosion to get bad enough to have the warranty apply, yet if you do this and it is denied, you've missed the opportunity to have it corrected early on when it was not a big issue.

FWIW Mercedes Benz offers no extended corrosion warranty beyond the typical 36 months (or whatever the standard warranty was). My parents have an 02 ML500 and it developed rust problems on the doorjams and hatch, surface rust, but it was progressing quickly. I took it to MB, argued that it was unacceptable (even though the car was clearly outside any warranty period with some 90,000 miles) and managed to get them to pay for half the repair bill. The repairs were about $900, so it was significant. Take some pictures of the rust, show them to Audi, and give it your best shot. You can always argue that it'll only get worse and then Audi will be on the hook, but I'd just voice the concern and lightly pressure them into taking at least some responsibility. Being nice about it gets you a lot further than being an ass, in my experience anyway. If you plan to keep the car for a while you really should get it repaired, especially before winter, as rust is a problem that only gets worse and WILL NOT go away if left untreated.

**absolutegtr** · 10-06-2008 02:29 PM

post pics.....assuming you took some?

**CO AVANT** · 10-06-2008 02:37 PM

If that wasn't the OEM factory windshield that was just taken out then I'd say it's your problem then. Many windshield guys cut corners or do shitty work and/or don't completely seal the perimeter. I always stand around now when someone replaces my windshield so I know shitty install work doesn't happen again to me...