Rusty Roof on My Delica Boo Hoo

[deltadeli]

Hi All, Just picked up our Super Exceed today and are very pleased with our new ride. We did notice from the vantage point of our deck that the roof of the van is marked with several rust spots ( 2-3" dia.) one or two which have almost perforated the skin. We did not look at the roof during the two times we looked at the van - nor did the dealer divluge any info. - so we will probably be on the hook for the repair costs. Will TRY to squeeze some cash out of the dealer just for YUKS. Anyone have similar problems? If you are in the market for a DELICA, look at the roof too! Best Regards. BH

[The Pinkfingers]

We're picking up our delica in 2 weeks. Will definitely follow your advice. It's guaranteed rust-proof, but always best to check.

What dealer did you buy from?

[sahdot]

Hi-

Sorry to hear that. Unfortunately - common with crystal roofs. Sometimes only bubbling of the paint to tip you off.

-jim

[loki]

Hi-

Sorry to hear that. Unfortunately - common with crystal roofs.

-jim

I have hear that before but this is the first time I have heard of it actually happening.

[tomanique]

Had that problem too. When I bought from Mardy at TKT they took care of all the spots that they could. In fact Mardy made a point of showing me all the rust spots instead of trying to hide them or ignore them.(Yes, this yet another positive review of Mardy) He also said the white delis with crystal lite roofs(rooves?) don't get the rust spots so bad, if at all. I wonder why. My wife (who wanted a white one, and now plans to get her own) likes to remind me of this fact as we've seen a couple more bubbles forming.

I think a lot of the problem is caused by condensation forming on the crystal lite windows, and being held there when the crystal lite shades are closed(same thing for the sunroof as well). I'm tempted to buy one of those anti-corrosion dealie-o's that connects up to your battery that they sell at Canadian Tire. Anybody have opinions on those?

Anyhow, good luck and have fun with your new deli. Welcome to the club.

Cheers
Tom

[sahdot]

My first van was rust free. Replacement van had bubbles in the roof paint between the windows; the other s.exceed on the lot (a white one) did too. Dealer (Five Star) fixed it pre-sale. Apparently they rust from the inside due to interior moisture acidifying some glue or something.

-jim

[kidwrecked]

My roof is completely faded and peeling. The body shop said that the primer broke down under the paint. I knew it was like this when I bought it, so I'm just re-painting the roof which is not too bad as it has a natural break in the body lines.

[loki]

ok then, I guess it is more common than I thought :) I guess I should look at my roof to make sure nothing is going on up there

[Jonny5ive]

Is there any pattern to the roof-rust issues? Such as year? Meaning do any of you know what I should look for in terms of Deli-types, year, features in order to avoid paint issues?

It seems color may not be a factor (although white seems questionable still), and possibly more of an issue with crystal lite tops. I really wonder about year. I know GM had a really bad run on paint back in the early 90's...

[stubblebut]

Same thing here have some bubbling happening up top...i have two rows just towards the centreline from the windows...I was wondering if anyone has any experience with rhinoing and if its worth it on the roof as its 7 ft high but also to protect the roof from butterfingers moving things in and out of the rack...

[jessef]

Some of the different models/colors have fewer/more layers of paint/clear and different coating as well.

My friend is a seasoned auto body painter and I showed him my 2 Delica's and Pajero. He said all three have different coating layers and the paint itself is different (not color).

92 Pajero Exceed - Jade Green/Biege two tone (hard shell paint) he gave it 8/10 for factory paint (the actual job they do)

93 Delica Super exceed - White / crystal roof . He gave it the the same as the Pajero but said the white base coat has a stronger bond to the primer which would explain why white crystal roof's don't rust as much as others.

92 Delica Chamonix - Metallic black on silver 2 tone. He gave it a 10/10 for factory paint. He said they have an extra 3 layers and hardened compound. I told him this one is the 'made for skiers, etc.. olympics) and he said that's probably the reason.

He's not a JDM guy and doesn't really like them but he's my buddy and he's good at what he does. He took the paint samples from the three.

Unless the three of mine are complete anomalies, the Chamonix comes from the factory with a hardened paint job compared the others and some of the super exceeds have a better paint job than the lower models.

It may also be a crap shoot as to date/production run.

Jesse

[The Pinkfingers]

All the Chamonix Delicas have "extra thick" paint for the very reason Jesse mentioned - they were marketed as a winter sports van. Any delica that has the winter package (the one that includes two batteries) will have extra paint.

[ccautos]

Crystal light rusty roofs are very common and after stripping many out and examining the inside I found that all the rust spots are right above the bonding used between the steel webbing and the outer skin . The only other link I can find is that when water leaks in the front corner panels it will then condense on the inside of the roof causing corrosion around these bonding points . I can only assume due to the amount of rust inside the roof that it is a reaction between the water and the bonding agent used . I took one of our parts vehicles that had minor rust spots on the roof and hammered a screwdriver through the rust and every time it hits the bonding . There is no difference between colors , years etc . The only thing I could find was severity of front corner panel water leaks .

[jrman]

I too bought my deli only to notice the white "delamination" (as I believe it's called) on the roof from the deck of a friends house. Imagine how I felt when I said - "hey, come check out my new toy" only to see a white powdery looking roof where it should have been dark gray! Well, it's not a crystal lite roof, but the delam is quite common from what I can see by various posts.

I paid North Shore Rhino Lining (Steve) $300 to put a nice thick coating of the great goo on my roof. Actually reduced that panel van metal "wobble" sound that would occasionally happen over rough roads etc. Looks good, and is practical - hit a low sign in my office parkade quite hard...not a scratch. Very tough stuff and reasonable price. Lastly - Deli went in a 8:00am - and was done by noon....prep is much less than getting a paint job....the stuff sticks to anything it seems, going to get the front lowers and bull bars done this summer after repairing some off road damage....

[stubblebut]

Great to hear someone talking bout rhinoing...Think I'll do the same to Stubbs