Rusty 996

[crusty]

I have just been to view a 1999 Carrera 4 and found rust all around the door brackets on the body of the car. The salesman said "they all do that".

My question is - do they? and is there a fix and is it covered under warranty?

[thegoose]

They do often do that. The first one I ever had was a 1998 about 6 years ago and that had the same corrosion you describe. I've never seen one ever get really bad. I presume it's very different from the old cars bubbling in a similar area, which meant it had rusted through from underneath (i.e. expensive to rectify). I think with the 996 it occurs directly around and relating to the door latch plate.

[slippydiff]

Yes they do frequently do this. A modified latch solved the problem on later cars (I think)
It's not covered by the warranty I'm led to believe.
IIRC I've heard stories of some cars which have been left to fester resulting in this section of the door jamb cutting out and a replacement welding in...............

Edited by slippydiff on Saturday 5th May 16:41

[Orangeboy]

Absolutely right. A lot of the early cars rust behind the door catch on the pillar. I think it was from 1999 that the latch was modified to have a rubber gasket behind it to stop the rust. I looked at a few early cars before buying a 2000 car, but I was always told that it's not very expensive to put right, including the fitting of the gasket. Obviously nicer to avoid it if you can. Good luck.

[iain_cam]

The problem roots from the door catches being mounted directly onto the metalwork, which causes damage to not only the paint but the zinc coating underneath. The corrosion is exacerbated by the minute movements made by the door catch every time the door opens and closes.

From about 2000, the problem was fixed by the fitment of a rubber gasket which prevented the rubbing of the metal and the door catch. As said above, Porsche rarely warrants claims for repair despite all 996s having a 10 year anti-corrosion guarantee.

By all reports it's quite easy to remove the old catches yourself, and use one of those Dremel brushes to buff off surface rust. Re-alignment marks are provided, so reattaching should not be too difficult. The decision's yours, but who knows how bad it may get in 10 years' time?