Ballymoney > wrote:
> I purchased a second hand 2001Y 147 1.6TS Lusso approx 8 months ago from
> Dixons Motors in Leeds. This came with a 1 years Dixons warantee. However,
> I have just noticed rust at the bottom the rear door near the wheel arch. I
> took it into Alfa who told me this must be because the previous owner must
> have had a scratch and has tried to cover it up himself. There is no
> evidence of a touch up so if this is the case it must have been a complete
> re-spray on the door. Very unlikely! They said this as there seems to be a
> drip/run in the paint near the infected area on the rim of the wheel arch.
> Personally i'm not convinced by this excuse. Apparently they have a
> specialist who can measure the thickness of the paint on the car so they
> can tell if it has been touched up or not. This has been arranged for next
> month.
>
> Anyway, I personally think my warranty should cover this. Does anyone else
> agree? Has anyone else had a similar experience?
Sounds like it's had a cheap repair done at some point (quite possibly
by Dixons themselves). An original Alfa panel wouldn't rust in this way
as they're galvanised. I crashed my Fiat Cinq. several years ago, taking
paint off every panel down the off-side of the car - I continued driving
the car on gritted roads for a few months without covering over the
dented / scraped panels, and there wasn't even a trace of rust coming
through. I also have lots of chips and scrapes on my current 155, none
of which are going rusty - including an area about an inch square above
the sill cover.
The only way a modern day Alfa will rust at that sort of age is if the
panel has been replaced with a non-original ungalvanised panel.
I'd be shouting at Dixons for not declaring previously repaired accident
damage if I were you.
--
Steve H 'You're not a real petrolhead unless you've owned an Alfa Romeo'
http://www.italiancar.co.uk - Honda VFR800 - MZ ETZ300
VW Golf GL Cabrio - Alfa 75 TS - Alfa 155 TS Lusso - COSOC KOTL
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