[DeepWater2806]

Got my new 2011 RT/Plus last Tuesday 4/5/2011, put it up on the rack yesterday to install the magnaflow exhaust. noticed the rust on the ball joints and bolts and hardware. Has anyone else seen this?

MobileMe Gallery


Dealer said drop it off they would clean and touch up,,,,

 

[Hemi R/T]

Normal, unpainted surfaces.

 

[UltimateChallenger]

I too have a 2011 RT with the same exact issue. So, I went to the dealer and all 3 Challengers on the lot had rust all over the suspension/exhaust. Dealer said it was normal... Normal? I don't think so. I literally spent 4 hours this past weekend removing rust from beneath the car that I just paid $35,000. The worst part is there was even rust on the SRT IE they have in the showroom! The technician told me they do not coat these parts for protection. WTF!?!? I have owned cars that cost 1/3 the price of these cars and there was no problem with rust. Very worrisome later on down the road.

By the way, check out the picture of my brake calipers. They are only a couple of months old and have more rust/corrosion than I ever would have expected. Once again, dealer told me this was normal and is not covered under warranty. WOW!!!

 

[70stroker]

You are kidding, right?

 

[DeepWater2806]

The dealer is a friend of mine and he offered to clean it up. but I think I might do it myself so I know its protected. The first thought I had was that down the road there are going to be problems. I noticed a line of rust where the starter bolts on and also the U joint on the steering column linkage!... WTF is right. I guess my next step is to get in touch with dodge they have to know this is unacceptable.. Figured i was not the only one... this is going to be a two day job to fix this.

 

[noz34me]

Is this thread serious?

 

[UltimateChallenger]

You are kidding, right?

I have checked about 10 different challengers and all have rust/corrosion but non as bad as mine. All I am saying is that in a car like this, this expensive, built for enthusiasts; who obviously love their car and pay attention to detail, this issue is disappointing.

 

[#32 of 1100]

Mine is that way too. Maybe cause they sat outside in the great white north for so long... UNSAT

 

[Butterscotch71]

I've said this before.....Dodge isn't in the show car business. They are in the business of mass producing vehicles to drive. There are some things considered acceptible like this. It's not considered cosmetic since no one sees it unless you're running over them....
The sheetmetal on the car will rust through long before these parts would have any functional damage due to rust.

 

[THEONE]

It's rust on suspension parts. What is the big deal? Look at your rotors after driving them on a rainy day they rust.

 

[Blackout]

This post is a joke! It's metal it will have surface rust! Do you really think there is any difference in the manufacturing of the SE, SXT, R/T SRT8 or the SRT8 392. They are all built on the same line! Some people are never happy!

You better not paint those rusty parts, you may decrease the cars value as it will no longer be original!

I guess that also holds true for all those who had the car undercoated! Damn it, my car is now worth less because I tried to keep it from rusting!

 

[DeepWater2806]

well the differance is i expect to have these parts last. For a car with less than 500 miles on it i was just disapointed in it. And the fact that I do corosion control as part of my living makes me have concern for what i see. I can find many other mass produced vehicles that dont have this this early in its life. for 38K i want some paint on my damn parts.

 

[DeepWater2806]

REALLY..A JOKE. wow not the reactions i was expecting.

If i build a product for a customer and it would have this kind of problem in this short of time its life span it would be back on my shop floor to correct the problem. Why should we expect anything else from a large manufacture. maybe the one picture doesnt show it well enough as standing under the rack staring up at the bottom of the car. A JOKE... what ever JA

 

[surfnlawguy]

I agree - rust is never good or something you just ignore. When you watch all these auction shows or classic car makeovers - thats the first thing they talk about - what kind of rust has this car endured.

 

[UltimateChallenger]

The only joke is having to spend hours removing rust underneath a brand new car! How is that ok?

 

[Lane]

i an
m relatively new here but all a lot of you guys do is ***** and complain about this is wrong that is wrong just buy a dam Camaro and get out of the forum crybabies!

 

[corn619]

Some rust on these parts are completely normal. Some Challengers do seem to have more rust than others. Mines a 2009 and while theres some rust, its very minimal and I drive it in the rain and occasionally the winter on nice days . The Challenger in the link below has a lot more surface rust than mine though. Coating the problem areas with rustproofing material is really the only solution if it bothers you that much. Look at these links of the suspension walkarounds of a bunch of different new cars in all price ranges. They ALL have rust to some extent. The Challenger is first BTW and it does have the the most rust out of any model they show. Edmunds has bunch of suspension walkarounds so you can compare.

2009 Dodge Challenger R/T: Suspension Walkaround

2011 Ford Shelby GT500: Suspension Walkaround

2010 Acura ZDX: Suspension Walkaround

2009 Hyundai Genesis Coupe: Suspension Walkaround

2011 Ford Fiesta SES: Suspension Walkaround

2009 Nissan 370Z: Suspension Walkaround

2010 Mazdaspeed3: Suspension Walkaround

2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor: Suspension Walkaround Part 1

 

[10RTBRG]

My husband spent a number of hours removing the rust and applying protective paint when we first brought our Challenger home back in November. We assumed the rust developed from having sat for months on a dealer lot near the coast of California. We recently went by our local dealer to check out their remaining 2010s and the new 2011s. Every single one of them has the rust. Since my husband was not happy with the rust, he fixed the situation, but he does note that no other new vehicle he's ever bought has had quite this amount of rust and so soon.

 

[DeepWater2806]

Thanks guys, (corn619, 10RTBRG and the rest that added value) that was the main point for my concern as I have never had a NEW vehicle with quite this much in so many areas and on such a variety of different parts on the underbody. Thanks in a way its nice to know mine is not the only one. I dont think asking people be it an employee or a car company to do their job well is complaining.

 

[ragtop4spto6spd?]

I'm just looking to calm things down here, so just take this as another bit of analysis. I was cleaning my wheels the other day, and I also saw rust quite easily on the front end suspension parts visible in the front wheel well (as I recall it). As this thread gains age, I think you will have a number of posters familiar with car construction and metals confirm these points. Some metals are well known to have surface rust, but not rapid structural damage. Surface rust in fact, in specific cases, does creat a protective coat. Now I'm NOT going to claim that fact for these bolts and hardware, because I DON'T know that for certain. But I do know that some building materials have planned-for controlled rust, and I am quite certain that the rust that is being complained about here will not reach the point to require part replacement. In other words, the rust is not because of carelessness by Dodge, it is because, by judgment, it is not worth coating or painting certain hardware. There is some metal that will literally rust when left out overnight, but it does not predict rust through. If you know metals well and want to claim that Dodge used cheaper metals, then have at it and I'll listen. The rust we are talking about is cosmetic only, and as someone mentioned earlier, Dodge is not in the business of building show cars. It is debatable even whether the metals used may be stronger overall. It was know for years that Asian fasteners were low quality and inferior (see Jack Anderson columns from a few decades ago). It's my theory that you see cosmetic surface because the materials are actually stronger structurally than some cheap alternate materials that would not show the rust.

Yes, I have had many cars over the years, some 40 to 50 years old when I owned them. As long as the rust is not showing up on body parts, I would recommend less worry about this. If you do feel like correcting it, I would recommend learning about metal properties first, and the reason you are seeing this on certain parts. By the way, exhaust systems rust from the inside out in general, and surface rust on exhaust systems is superficial in most cases, or at least secondary to the rust through from inside.