rust

[artk]

Hi there,

i picked up a new NVP 3500 SL and noticed lots of rust on the roof. it will not wash off. Nissan dealer says its rail dust. anybody heard of such a thing?

Did anybody have the same problem?

[KMGLTZ]

there is such thing as rail dust. GM has a TSB for it. not sure if nissan does. get a claybar and see if that helps

[wollip]

The question is - why hasn't the dealer already made this right?

[KMGLTZ]

The question is - why hasn't the dealer already made this right?

 

 

thats a good point... i had what looked like littler rust spots (rail dust) on my 13 silverado which i noticed after i took it home... took it back to the dealer and they fully detailed and waxed it.

 

i would go back to the dealer and tell them to fix it

Edited August 29, 2013 by KMGLTZ

[artk]

there are lots of small debris and stuff under the paint. I am afraid its bigger problem. I wanted the nissan rep take a look at it before it goes to detailing but service manager refuses to call him out.

[axulsuv]

Go to the GM. of the dealer next , If that doesn't work contact nissan directly yourself . And document every conversation and action taken , 'cause if there is trash under the paint , it will be a problem in the future . and you have to show that they attempted to take care of the issue earlier !

Glenn 

[vanguy]

As others have stated go up the chain of command if necessary.

It sounds like rail dust. It is only in the clear coat. This is a common problem with vehicles that are transported by rail. Why they don't cover them at the factory prior to shipping, I'll never understand.

 

KMGLTZ is correct in that a clay bar will fix it, but I would let the dealer handle it. I had this happen on a new Mitsu Diamante i bought about 15 - 20 years ago.

 

Here are my suggestions:

1. Find out if the dealer does body & paint work. If they do not,  then they will not know how to handle this.

2. If dealer doesn't know what to do, make them send it to a detail shop that does know what to do.

3. Demand to talk to the detail shop owner BEFORE they send your van over to them. Ask how they will get the rail dust off. Many detail shops do not know how. If they suggest anything other than using a clay bar, don't let the dealer send it to them. All they will do is apply about six or eight coats of wax to mask the problem. In a few months the wax will be gone & the rail dust will still be there. Take it from me, someone who has been there and done that! A good professional detail shop can do this in very little time.

 

Using a clay bar is the best & only way to remove rail dust without damaging your paint. It will work if the detailer knows what they are doing. I wound up doing this myself on the Mitsu Diamante I had. It took me awhile to figure out how to use the clay, but once I got the hang of it, it worked really fast & completely removed all the rail dust.

Edited September 5, 2013 by vanguy

[artk]

Hi, thanks for all the good info. I would like to answer the private msgs too, but I don't have the required 5 posts yet. The van was in Nissan's shop for the last 3wks for various problems. They changed a whole bunch of sensors, relays, and manifolds and parts of exhaust system. Also, they've removed rust from the roof, however, the rusty halos are popping up again. I think it's a total lemon and started looking for a lemon law attorney in Michigan (that's where it was bought). This vehicle was definitely made on Friday night, when assembly workers think about a cold one instead of finishing a job. What happened to the union pride? I'll keep you all updated. Let me know if anyone knows a good Michigan lemon law lawyer.

[Chris Dempsey]

Hi, thanks for all the good info. I would like to answer the private msgs too, but I don't have the required 5 posts yet. The van was in Nissan's shop for the last 3wks for various problems. They changed a whole bunch of sensors, relays, and manifolds and parts of exhaust system. Also, they've removed rust from the roof, however, the rusty halos are popping up again. I think it's a total lemon and started looking for a lemon law attorney in Michigan (that's where it was bought). This vehicle was definitely made on Friday night, when assembly workers think about a cold one instead of finishing a job. What happened to the union pride? I'll keep you all updated. Let me know if anyone knows a good Michigan lemon law lawyer.

So - what happened?

[SmokedChops]

I noticed really thin paint on my roof rails (high roof, near bolt plates) this will probably lead to corrosion if it was not properly coated from day 1. I hosed it down with SeaFoam Deep Creep to give it some protection through Iowa winters.

[SmokedChops]

Many more rust specks popping from under the paint, the forehead has a bunch (expanse of sheetmetal above windsheild), these spots are not connected to rock chips.  Not overly impressed with the exterior finish on a 6 model year old van.  This is not 'rail dust', this is painfully thin paint over poorly prepped steel. This gets washed and de-salted very regularly as Iowa winters bring epic amounts of road-brine. Waxed twice a year. (MeGuiar's) - no amount of wax will help a below avarage factory finish. I am looking into getting the forehead repainted, and then putting a clear wrap over the top.

[radin2son]

There are been few complaints about paint. Could this be a 2013 issue that Nissan somehow or unknowingly corrected? Not much you can do beyond what you plan to do.

[irv]

I found some rust on the roof on the rack mounts on my 2012 NV: roof mount rust1, roof mount rust2. The NV used to live near the beach before I got it earlier this year so that probably didn't help. 

 

I used some WD40 on the rusted areas initially to hopefully slow down the spread until I can physically address it. Seems to have helped after a week: rust1, rust2.

 

Rust bubbling under the paint looks terrible and I'm guessing metal damage is worse in those areas. I'll try a wire brush attachment on my drill or Dremel and remove the paint and rust and cover it up with primer, paint and clear coat. I hope that'll be enough stop and prevent more rust.

Edited June 2, 2019 by irv

[bbq]

Try this:POR-15 45404 Rust Preventive Coating.it really work for my NV chassis.even after a new York winter.

[TX MARSHMALLOW]

I have been working in Ventura CA by the coast. The roof of my 2012 high top looks terrible. Not only rusting on stone chips but all around the factory spot welds where the ribs are attached to the roof skin. I am going to sandblast and treat the areas then have the whole top of the van sprayed with Line-x. I don't see any other option other than repainting and I would just end up with the same problem.

[andy_george]

Can you get the Line-x in white? Just a thought so your van doesn

[ASD Dad]

Can you get the Line-x in white? Just a thought so your van doesn

[jparagone]

i have a 2018 Nisssan NV 3500 sl passenger and the roof rack brackets were not even fully painted and have exposed sheet metal under the arch of the bracket. rust is starting to appear on them some of it is light but there is a spot that is pretty heavy. i didnt even notice it because the rof is so high i never go up there so its a year later and i see all the shoddy workmanship. i really dont know how ho to address it. very disappointed since this is my main transport since i have a lot of kids. 

not very nice Nissan. 

[radin2son]

Take it to the dealer, speak to the service manager then the body shop manager. If they say it is normal and not covered by the warranty, get an estimate to fix it. You could take it to an independent, good paint and body shop for a second estimate. Then contact Nissan Commercial customer service to file a complaint. Make sure you have  dates, names and reason why the dealer won’t fix this. 

 

With luck, “warranty,” the dealer may skip the drama and set a date with the body shop.

[Sarah]

2015 Nissan NV:

Rusting around and under roof brackets, called dealer; no reports of paint problems on Nissan NV.  When I looked it up on the Nissannvforum, seems this is not an isolated problem. Does anyone have a resolution or complaint file I can look up and add to?   

 

[radin2son]

These are very old posts, complicated by a “phone only” process to Nissan Commercial. So, no paper trail.