Rust Issue

[Duramax Diesel for H2]

Anyone have any updates on the rust issue and what the cause of it is?

[Duramax Diesel for H2]

Anyone have any updates on the rust issue and what the cause of it is?

[Hungedu]

I am ordering my H2 this month, and my dealer seemed unaware of the rust issues when I brought it up to him. After reading all of the earlier posts about premature rust, I will be taking my new H2 straight to Ziebart after driving it off the dealer lot. I figure there's nothing wrong with this little preventative measure!

[Duramax Diesel for H2]

Good idea, peserve the under coating that's on your rig by getting a stronger more adhesive coat of it. Great idea bet other owners who are experiencing rust wish they would have doen what your going to do.

[Hum2]

My dealer just shrugged it off. The rust is showing up on components that won't fail for the life of the vehicle, (they won't get warranty $$$ for it), so they could care less. They (dealers/GM/AMG) also, could care less about how things looks under the vehicle.

Here's another one for Hummer Customer Assistance...they will simply tell you to see your local dealer, they are the technical experts....Ha!...in taking your money, that is.

[Paintdog]

Haha Good one Hum2!
http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[Duramax Diesel for H2]

Man it's said that you pay 50,000 plus for a vehicle and get treated that way. Guess Dealers know they have leverage and they know how to use it to screw the customer after they have got your money in their hand. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif

I hated that rust thing as well, just kept showing up on rather ridiculous places.
And I’m sorry to inform you good people, but my H2 is gone.
Just got tired of all the “little” bugs and failures.
Have fun you all.

[Dan]

Wow, I think thats our first H2 loss here!

Not counting the crashers of course http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

- Dan

---------------------------------
http://www.microfunds.com/images/SUT_AnimAvatar.gif SUT on order - 16 months to go!
---------------------------------

[SJ]

Sorry to hear that HAMVI got a lemon. Unfortunately, it happens to all makes.

I have only owned one Japanese vehicle [Toyota 4Runner] and it was complete garbage (e.g. Underpowered, Tranny Slipping, Electrical Issues, Cramped, etc.). Others praise Toyota, so go figure.

My folks have a BMW X5 and it has been plagued with glitches in addition to the fact that it's worthless coming up the hill to our house when more than 6" of snow cover the ground. The dealership has a snobbish attitude also - I'll pass on buying German - thanks anyway.

Better luck with your next vehicle; again, truly sorry to hear this.http://smilies.jeeptalk.org/contrib/aahmed/sad.gif

[Duramax Diesel for H2]

Man it's a loss when we lose any member but losing HAMVI so early in his post is a real loss. Sorry HAMVI that you received a lemon. Have you gone to your dealer for a refund? If they don't give you a refund, Refer to the lemon law i know we have one her in texas and it can be a life saver if you've received a LEMON. Sorry to lose you.

[funpilot]

When I finally get my new Hummer, can I proctively manage this rust issue by asking the dealer to spray protective coating or do it myself before it begins? And is there anything you guys can do for your existing vehicles?

[Duramax Diesel for H2]

Probably not for vehicles that are already experiencing rust. If I were you i'd get that old undercoating scaped off and get some heavy duty rust coating put on by through after market. This is an investment and as with an investment you want it to keep it's value. Can't think of a better way to prevent rust other than getting new under coating that will last for the life of the vehicle. Not the cheap under coating that GM had decided to use on the H2. Check 3M I believe they make under coating.

[HummerGirl]

damn that's a great job you did under there...how'd you do it???THe dealers are going to look at mine this weekend coming up and are gonna tell me what to do next with it. With 20 H2s showing up...I am gonna check under each one and see what the deal is and also find out the production dates.

I wish you would come and do mine. Did you just spray it on??

~amy

White 2003 H2
Got Soap? (http://www.ClayandSoapStudio.com)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Why are there no fireworks at EuroDisney? Because every time they went off, the French tried to surrender."
--Unknown ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[HummerGirl]

HA HA...i'll be looking for your raft to show up on the "sea wall". We live on a river but everyone calls them a sea wall?? GO figure...

anyway...I know what you mean about looking crappy underneath. My husbands cheap ass (27K) explorer sport trac has ZERO rust on it. I MEAN ZERO!!!!

aggrivating...........

~amy

White 2003 H2
Got Soap? (http://www.ClayandSoapStudio.com)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Why are there no fireworks at EuroDisney? Because every time they went off, the French tried to surrender."
--Unknown ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Duramax Diesel for H2]

That could possibly be cause Ford might you a better more effective rust protector that GM uses. Maybe GM is just try to save money where ever it can. Undercoating is one way they could save money cause it's not something people usually look at at all.

[Michael]

You know, I bet you the dealer will pay close attention to it when you go to trade in your H2 for a newer one in a few years. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif

Maybe I'm missing something, but I've never had any type of rust problems on any other vehicle that I've owned.

Does the H1 have this problem?

[Duramax Diesel for H2]

True, but GM should have thought about it a bit more on the H2, as the whole rear drivetrain is clearly visible. Or maybe they wanted people to see loads of rust under a H2...[/QUOTE] Well Once GM has your money they could care less they just hope that everything last until the warranty runs out. That's when the vehicle will usually crap out.

[rpv]

to all concerned, esp the lawyers or car dealers...does this mean GM has no responsibility at all for the premature rust in our less than 6 month old H2s??? Won't the rust cause early wear and tear of certain rusty components???
RPV

Perhaps this might help…….
I had 2002 H2 with 11,000 miles on it.
When I got “tired” of issues I tried trading it for new H2.
Dealer offered $32,500 for mine, we settled at 34k.
And one of the arguments dealer used was …. Take a deep breath…. Unpopular vehicle with issues.
Next to rather long list of repairs and few beyond repair things, with that altitude I just went to MB.
Got myself G500 and got 37k for my H2.
I still love H2, don’t understand me wrong way, it’s just that I don’t like being showed around.
I had rust spread all over the undercarriage and I took care of it. Removed it, primer+paint+marine type inhibitor.
Did good. Than I found rust under the carpet behind rear seats, cargo space. Huge rust spots!?!?!?
Tried cleaning it just to discover that one, next to the RR wheel well was “see-through” spot.
Similar on driver door. Bottom inside with heavy rust.
I agree, it’s the first run and small glitches are to be expected.
I just didn’t want to end up with rusted H2 even before warranty expires. Yes, this is Chicago, land of road salt, but still....

[HummerGirl]

hmmm...am going to check mine out too...I would definitely be all over the dealer about the Lemon Law thing. Did you ask about that????

~amy

White 2003 H2
Got Soap? (http://www.ClayandSoapStudio.com)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Why are there no fireworks at EuroDisney? Because every time they went off, the French tried to surrender."
--Unknown ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[MAC]

Could it be just a bad shift of bottom painters at the Hummer plant or frame supplier's plant. My guess is the frame came painted and pre-assembled from a supplier or sub-contractor. That shift of workers did not follow the same guidelines. We have all seen workers dedicated to their jobs and workers who absolutely don't give a #@$%**@ about their jobs and self-worth. Workers in other smaller plants do not share the same pride in building a Hummer because it is just a frame No. XXXXX they are putting together, could be any one or combo of hundreds of reasons, labor issues that week. Hummer should have a strict QC to spot the problem parts in plant.

[rpv]

guys and gals,
about this lemon law thing...how do we find out about it per state bec obviously the dealers will have other priorities and try to steer us the wrong way...any suggestions???
rpv

[TJ]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by rpv:
guys and gals,
about this lemon law thing...how do we find out about it per state bec obviously the dealers will have other priorities and try to steer us the wrong way...any suggestions???
rpv<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The lemon law varies state by state, so it will depend on which state you live in. A good starting place to send you in the right direction would be a search right here on the good ol' Internet. Just go to your search engine, type in the STATE you live in and then LEMON LAW and it should bring up quite a few places for you to start your research.

[buddy]

With all this rust chatter I had to put on the coveralls, grab a flashlight and take a look under the ol' beast and see for myself. It's been a couple of months or so since I had a look around.

It was pretty much as I had expected. Most of the fasteners, the torison bars keys, steering knuckles, and rear drivetrain housing has some rust. Some of the rusty areas will get much worse without attention, and some areas will always have no more than a surface rust. IMO, I believe most this rust we're seeing, is nothing more than cosmetic to the underside. Either way it definitely needs to be addressed by the dealer. Rust to the sheetmetal would be totally unacceptable, period.

I could stop or slow down the rusting fasteners and such, but would rather let someone else do it these days. I don't have any desire to start one of thoses rustproffing jobs like I went through a long time ago, and eventually lost. Not a GM product though, a MB 450SL.

I have a good dealer, will check with him tomorrow.

[West Point H2]

I have a three week old white adventure series.
I opted to not get the dealer undercoating because of the reputation that they often do a "spray can" type job. I started noticing some trace rust around the rear differential etc. I took my H2 to the local Ziebart rust proofing center and had it and paint protectant done. The rep told me that the factory puts a thin wax coat on the frame and undercarriage that wears off in short order. Ziebart chemically cleans and removes all residue from the undercarriage, and then applies several coats of rust protectant. They did an excellent job, guaranteed for 5 years... looks similar to Phil's picture upon completion... the cost - $199. The diamond coat paint protectant is well worth the $ as well... no waxing for 5 years, or so they say. It is very easy to remove dirt though, everything, and I mean everything rinses off completely at the car wash. Reading these horror stories about rust made me want to be as proactive as I can.

[GA_GOLD]

I would love to know what the story is with rust on the H2 ..

With less than 5K miles, I'm already seeing the u-joints, drive axle and other under carriage components rust.. So far the only wet sources have been rainy days in GA this spring... Here's what the GM rep said .."This is normal with unpainted parts "..Well duh ..So why does my 17 year old 4Runner have less or my 1998 F-150 4x4 ??.... I'm curious why others aren't rusting and some are .... Since my 1 year loaner Denali has similar issues , it appears GM is cutting corners to save $$ .. Who wants an SUV or Any vehicle with a rusting undercarriage .??.. Oh yeah if you read your rust warranty these parts ARE NOT covered under your rust warranty !!….

I’ve seen Hummer_Girl’s website and this is nearly identical to the rust ( corrosion ) I am seeing .. You can’t make any rational person believe this is “normal” per the BS the GM service manager spouted in response to my leaving the H2 at the dealership. It is either defective manufacturing or really piss poor quality control .. I’m sorry in a nearly 60K automobile , this is not acceptable !!!

Talk about Aggravating !!!… Any one want to buy a rusting H2 ?
5/19/03

[funpilot]

I'll offer you 20K for it. Then spend $200 on undercoating.

[kacyk]

I am just a day away from buying another H2. It's an '03 with 14K miles. I crawled under it to see if it's been off road. No signs of off road use but there was a lot of rust. Will Ziebart halp at this point? Also, is any of this (e.g. rusted bolts) covered under warranty? Has the rust caused any safety issues for you? I live in Seattle and this is a AZ car! Ironically, my Seattle H2 didn't show sign of rust, at least not like this one.

[LasVegas]

That's a great looking cleanup job on the rust! Let us know how it holds up. I think it's the luck of the draw. I have a mid-year '03 and never had a problem until my cd changer quite a month ago. Knock-Knock-Knock on wood. Hell, POUND on wood. I've had a couple "glitches" like losing the driver setting and the seat lumbar quiting for two days but it sorted itself out. Go figure?? http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[Fubar]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by West Point H2:
I have a three week old white adventure series.
I opted to not get the dealer undercoating because of the reputation that they often do a "spray can" type job. I started noticing some trace rust around the rear differential etc. I took my H2 to the local Ziebart rust proofing center and had it and paint protectant done. The rep told me that the factory puts a thin wax coat on the frame and undercarriage that wears off in short order. Ziebart chemically cleans and removes all residue from the undercarriage, and then applies several coats of rust protectant. They did an excellent job, guaranteed for 5 years... looks similar to Phil's picture upon completion... the cost - $199. The diamond coat paint protectant is well worth the $ as well... no waxing for 5 years, or so they say. It is very easy to remove dirt though, everything, and I mean everything rinses off completely at the car wash. Reading these horror stories about rust made me want to be as proactive as I can. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Funny with 500 stores around the world you'd think they'd have one in or near one of the largest cities in the world (Los Angeles) No of course not. I kind of figured there would be nothing in Nevada. Anyon know the closest state to NV or Ca that has a Ziebart store? I guess I could keep puting in states into there store locator and see what comes up. (ziebart.com)

from there site:
Ziebart and its franchise owners operate almost 500 stores in 42 countries around the world. To find the store nearest you, simply:

[LasVegas]

Well Fubar00 you know we do live in Vegas i.e. 4" annual rainfall (except this year) and 15% humidity and sunshine 305 days a year so I doubt Ziebart would do much business. There's several posts about rust behind the dash and when I put my Nav in a couple weeks ago not one speck of rust! As long as I live here it's not a concern. But I would think they might a store in Utah or maybe Phoenix.

[devilsfan]

It has zero to do with rain and humidity. Most of the rust problems come off the lot, not develop over time.

There was a thread a while back that offered a lot of alternatives over Ziebart, including quite a few that you could do at home. I know a lot of people tried these techniques over a year ago, and seem to be holding up fine. Do a site search for "rust" and you should come up with tons of threads on this.

Stacy

[JamesT]

Even with the extensive off roading and rough terrain I subject my truck too, I have no signs of rust.

[kacyk]

I called my service managr this morning and he said that as long as there were no significant sign of off-road use, he would take care of it. Wow! But then, Bellevue Hummer has always taken care of any issue for me under warranty.

[devilsfan]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JamesT:
Even with the extensive off roading and rough terrain I subject my truck too, I have no signs of rust. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think you actually have to come in CONTACT with the water to promote rust. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Stacy

[Fubar]

PhilD,devilsfan,& lasvegas Thank you guys for the response. I purchased my H2 from Acron Ohio and drove it back to Las Vegas. It had 3000 miles on it at the time of purchase and I can only assume that some of that driving was done on the winter salted roads of Ohio. Phil under my H2 looks like yours did before you painted. Great job by the way. I think I will try some paint since (Tobin Hummer) my local dealer and frankly the only dealer in Southern Nv are being such asses about the issue. I didn't ask to have it covered by warranty I simply asked to have them take care of the issue and I got attitude back from them and a refusual to do anything. I better not start on my bitch list about Tobin needless to say I'm very unhappy with the manner I have been treated with this issue and several others.

Thanks again guys for your feedback regarding rust and Ziebart.

[mbdougl]

Mine rusted pretty badly and I took care of it with a couple of cans of black spray paint. You think I would be used to it by now because I have owned several GM products that did the same thing, you just notice it more on the H2 because it sits higher. I don't believe it is a warranty issue as much it is a factory policy not to paint certain parts. Look at the driveshafts on most GM trucks, they are all rusty because they aren't painted from the factory. I guess GM feels like it is up to each owner if they want to do something about it.

Try Por 15. It really worked on my Pinzgauer 4x4.

""Since POR-15 actually bonds to metal, the underlying surface does not have to be sanded before application. As long as loose and flaking rust are removed from the surface, an application of POR-15 will not only cover up the rust and prevent it from spreading, but will also strengthen the underlying metal and seal holes by forming its own membrane.""

[LasVegas]

Fubar00 - check your PM

[Fubar]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Hart:
Try Por 15. It really worked on my Pinzgauer 4x4.

""Since POR-15 actually bonds to metal, the underlying surface does not have to be sanded before application. As long as loose and flaking rust are removed from the surface, an application of POR-15 will not only cover up the rust and prevent it from spreading, but will also strengthen the underlying metal and seal holes by forming its own membrane."" <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks for the heads up regarding POR-15 I will look into it and see if I can find a paint shop or someone to apply it to the under side of my H2.

Also Welcome to the forum and assuming you've made your purchase of an H2 enjoy.