Our rusty Super Exceed

[deltadeli]

We picked up our van last Saturday and within hours of having it at home discovered rust spots on the roof. We posted on this forum that evening to see if this was a common problem, feeling really dumb for not taking a closer look at the roof. The dealer did not disclose this rust problem and we have since contacted them to see what they will do about it. Brett took the van in for an estimate for fixing this problem, today, to our local body shop guy. He has said he can fix the problem for approximately $3000! We are taking the van in to show the dealer on Monday. We would really apprciate any advice you guys have. Thanks in advance.
Brett and Diane

[39Ronin]

Rhino Line the roof. This won't stop the rusting but it will seal it from the elements and therefore slow down the process. It will cost about $300 to do the roof, use the rubber type one as it has some flex and give in it.

[lesman67]

take it to another shop, if its the roof, it doesn't need to be pretty, just fixed, I have 3 rust spots on my roof, and I am not using a big auto body shop to do it, it was $1000 there....also, convince the dealer to take it back, or, you will share their good name on the forum, in today's day and age, dealers cannot afford to lose goodwill, good luck

[TardisDeli]

I agree with TAKE IT BACK ! There are so many non-rusty delica's available locally, that there is no need to deal with that crap. And if it is rusty of the roof (which is rare), then heaven knows about the underneath and structural stuff you can't see, don't want to risk that on long gravel forestry roads. Just go get another 1993 somewhere else in town. Please keep us informed online if you have any problems. Feel free to PM Private Message me if you have questions. Cheers, Christine.

[Kuan]

I would try to take it back, get the dealer to pay for the repair or get some money back. They should disclose that kind of information. If they didn't tell you that, what else haven't they told you?

[Mystery Machine]

And if it is rusty of the roof (which is rare), then heaven knows about the underneath and structural stuff you can't see, don't want to risk that on long gravel forestry roads.

This isn't always the case and in fact, L300's rust in the roof area way before showing rot anywhere else. I hate to say it - but far from being rare....it's actually quite common!

This is mainly found in Crystal Lite roof models, but also high roof variants too.....low roof models don't seem to suffer.

This rust/rot comes from the inside of the vehicle where the roof cross-members are attached (welded) to the roof skin. It is not known exactly why or what causes it (a lot of people blame condensation build-up on the inside) but this is pretty common and any Crystal roof owners should expect to get some form of rust bubbles in certain roof areas in the future. This unfortunately cannot be avoided without a major resto of the roof.

Both my Crystal roof L300's have some degree of rust. The Mystery Machine has a handful of rust bubbles/blisters and the Mud Monkey has quite a few that have broken through!

This problem has also been reported on the L400's too, so it is obviously a manufacturing defect to do with the way the roof skins are bonded to the cross members?

I'll see if I can get some photos of mine to show the sort of areas this will occur....

Oh - and if you can, I agree with the other comments - take it back. You shouldn't have to deal with this on a new purchase. The dealer should either rectify it or take the vehicle back for a full refund.

[jessef]

We picked up our van last Saturday and within hours of having it at home discovered rust spots on the roof.

The dealer did not disclose this rust problem and we have since contacted them to see what they will do about it.

Please let us know how it goes with the dealer.

I would take it back without hesitation.

Jesse

[deltadeli]

Well, it looks like we may be making some progress with our little problem. We may be getting a trade for another vehicle as they have offered to look at that option. We will keep everyone posted - maybe resolved by tomorrow?
Brett and Diane

[delicat]

Things start to look good for you after all. It's quite a pain in the neck to have to trade your van when all you probably want right now is to start enjoying it and surely do some mods but if the option is there to trade it it's worth to look at it anyway.

As Bruce said lot's of Crystallite have that problem but strangely enough (and I'm surprised Bruce didn't mention it) the white van don't seem affected by this problem?!?

Good luck!

[Mystery Machine]

Not wanting to scare you Crystal roof owners, but here are some of the common rust areas found on the roof of L300's (1st two are Mystery Machine, 2nd two are Mud Monkey)






Brett & Dianne, good to hear you are getting something resolved and I hope you get a nice L300 as a replacement. Let us know how you get on and PLEASE don't let it put you off Deli ownership......even with a bit of rust, these are AMAZING vehicles! Hope it goes well today/tomorrow.

[sahdot]

As Bruce said lot's of Crystallite have that problem but strangely enough (and I'm surprised Bruce didn't mention it) the white van don't seem affected by this problem?!?

Good luck!

Two white s. exceeds I looked at when buying my van had actual rust spots along the centre of the roofs - not just bubbled paint.

-jim

[EnviroImports.com]

I have to agree about rusting along to roof struts, but worse is when people force on to low of roof rack onto the roof, Ive seen some where the roof has been pushed down in the center, putting all sorts of stress on the glass, they sometimes blow out when going up something where the body leans, even a driveway . but when the roof racks rub the roof , the paint gets damaged and eventually wears down to the bare steel, then rust sets in.

[deltadeli]

We picked up our repaired Super Exceed yesterday, after a very prolonged and frustrating fight with our dealer. After many promises of trades, being passed along from salesman to salesman (3 to be exact), and a sale of a promised trade for our original van (right in front of us!), they finally agreed to and completed a repair of the roof on our otherwise excellent van! It took many threats on our part and only after threatening to tell our story to other potential customers on their lot, did they put in writing their promise to repair the van. It looks great now and we are happy with it. We will never do business with this dealer again! We will post some pictures soon.
Brett and Diane

[sayulita101]

Brett , what about posting these helpfull,honest individuals names so we can all know. All I hope is the people who bought the van behind your back looked at the roof prior to there weasel. I checked 10 Deli"s on this lot and 8 had MAJOR roof issues, as for the other 2, one did not start and the other chugged black smoke like crazy. Not to mention the excellent under pan paint job on all of them "just to clean things up a little" Surprised to find out after crawling out from under these wrecks that painting the spare tire with a spray bomb was part of this"Dealers process" Good luck to this lot !All I can say is I'm thankful to have this site and the information on it to make informed decisions. And thanks also for the reputable dealers and importers we have come to know through this site.
Paul(sayulita101)

[sayulita101]

As a follow up ,I dont mean to slag all the dealers on 3 R.D in Richmond, I know Maximum Overdrive does a very comprehensive safety as well as mechanical overhaul during compliance.There mechanic told me that all belts,hoses,fluids etc.... are replaced, no questions asked.Good to see your Deli driving around Ladner once again.