Guitar Gear Forum

Question for you car guys: this is a picture of the inside of the rear driver’s side door of my new Jeep. (It’s a 2018 Compass Altitude) As you can see, the paint is chipped and slightly flaky. I obviously did not see this at the dealer. Query: what product can I buy to seal this to prevent any further rust and chipping of the paint? I love this damn Jeep (it’s seriously awesome) and I want to take care of it. What can I buy to stop any further damage?

(Yes, this is copy/paste from FB)

Edit: picture posted sideways, sorry…posting from iPhone

Check with the dealer to see if it's a warranty issue. I noticed something very similar on the edge of the hood for my Grand Cherokee and learned that it was a known issue. Unfortunately, mine was not one of the years covered. It's worth a call...

That definitely needs to be treated and re-painted. Otherwise it will rust really quickly.

if it were mine , I would remove the easy stuff like any panels , molding and trim if possible . clean off the rust . Mask it off real nice & Primer & paint . You can get the color match here
https://www.jegs.com/v/Duplicolor/318

ZEEGLER wrote:That definitely needs to be treated and re-painted. Otherwise it will rust really quickly.

Yeah, I was afraid of that. I was rather dismayed when I just happened to notice it yesterday. I just drove the damn thing home on Monday.

there should be a warranty or a refund

fretless wrote:there should be a warranty or a refund

I am going back to the dealer on Saturday anyway to get a replacement battery for the second key fob, as I found out last night that it was dead. Will ask them about this issue then.

That’s the start of body rot from winter road salt and is one of the risks of buying a used car in the rust belt. The bubbling/crackling paint area is hiding more corrosion and will also need to be treated.

Sand off the corrosion, including anywhere it’s spreading, treat with anti rust primer, then paint it. The jeep dealership will sell you paint that matches your car.

And those key fob batteries are typical CR2032 watch batteries. I wouldn’t waste the time or fuel driving to the dealership for that. Order a 12 pack off Amazon

Dave wrote:That’s the start of body rot from winter road salt and is one of the risks of buying a used car in the rust belt. The bubbling/crackling paint area is hiding more corrosion and will also need to be treated.

Sand off the corrosion, including anywhere it’s spreading, treat with anti rust primer, then paint it. The jeep dealership will sell you paint that matches your car.

And those key fob batteries are typical CR2032 watch batteries. I wouldn’t waste the time or fuel driving to the dealership for that. Order a 12 pack off Amazon

All of this.

Dave wrote:That’s the start of body rot from winter road salt and is one of the risks of buying a used car in the rust belt. The bubbling/crackling paint area is hiding more corrosion and will also need to be treated.

Sand off the corrosion, including anywhere it’s spreading, treat with anti rust primer, then paint it. The jeep dealership will sell you paint that matches your car.

And those key fob batteries are typical CR2032 watch batteries. I wouldn’t waste the time or fuel driving to the dealership for that. Order a 12 pack off Amazon

I had suspected that at first, but the location of this kind of made me eeeehhhh...dunno, since it's actually inside the cabin. I had hoped that wasn't the case, but you're probably right. Sucks.

It’s a common spot because road salt/grime gets trapped in the door sill and people don’t think to wipe that area off since it isn’t visible from outside.

It’s also not the end of the world. Just make sure you uncover all of the affected area to take care of all of it. Put the effort in now on the front end to ensure it doesn’t bubble through later on. May as well go over the whole vehicle to get it done in one fell swoop. Check wheel wells, under the hood, around the strut braces, and the key is to not get frustrated and throw in the towel. Dealerships are shady and know how to cover these things up but with some elbow grease you’ll be just fine in the long run.

I checked the other doors, and isn't really anything at all like this on the rest of them. I just didn't think to check the seams of the doors when we were checking it out before purchase, because the thing is in pristine shape otherwise. It drives and rides like a dream, and is loaded down with high end tech. I know it's not the end of the world, and in the scope of things is a fairly quick fix, because it's just barely started, but it still makes me kick myself in the ass for not noticing it in the beginning. I'd have requested that the dealer fix it ahead of time.

who knows, it could have just been caused by the paint chipping there and exposing the bare metal to the elements. I'd still check the places I mentioned above just for good measure while it's still cosmetic.

Dave wrote:who knows, it could have just been caused by the paint chipping there and exposing the bare metal to the elements. I'd still check the places I mentioned above just for good measure while it's still cosmetic.

Probably because that door is used the most.

It’s the rear driver’s side door, not the driver’s door itself. The other doors appear to be fine.

Anyway, didn’t know the fobs take watch batteries, and we have tons of those, so thanks for that info, Dave. I changed it out and the fob is fine now. Also picked up some sandpaper and Rust-O-Leum primer. Have rust treatment on order, should be here Saturday. Definitely want to nip this issue in the bud before it’s any worse, because I do fucking love this car. Even came with form fitted WeatherTech mats.

I think Jeep has a 5 year rust warranty. Call the Stealer

This is the Jeep, if anyone is interested:

facefirst wrote:

Dave wrote:who knows, it could have just been caused by the paint chipping there and exposing the bare metal to the elements. I'd still check the places I mentioned above just for good measure while it's still cosmetic.

Probably because that door is used the most.

It’s the rear drivers side. Oft overlooked

Congrats and enjoy it. Jeeps are an addiction. I’m on my like 7th or 8th now.

Dave wrote:Congrats and enjoy it. Jeeps are an addiction. I’m on my like 7th or 8th now.

This is my second. I had a secondhand Honda CRV that I traded in (120k miles) toward a 2016 Compass High Altitude in 2019. In 2020, I had to drop over $1k in repairs for steering fluid housings in the front end as they cracked and the entire unit had to be replaced. I had planned on putting tires on it this weekend but it had developed another steering problem in the front end, and it had 78k miles on it. Local dealership offered me 13k for it and had this 2018 on their lot. I didn’t want to put another $2k into a vehicle that had that many miles on it, so I decided that I was going to get another Jeep Compass. (they are perfect for me and my wife, and they just suit me) As you say, Jeeps hook you. Don’t know what it is about them.

My last car was a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. I loved that thing. It was comfortable, drove nice, had lots of room, decent power. Unfortunately, I had just finished paying it off, and rust was forming on the rear hatch, and along the edge of the roofline on the drivers side. The rust was coming in aggressively. Mush as I liked it, I had to dump it before it got too bad. Now I'm driving an Acura TLX. I like the car a lot, but I miss my Grand Cherokee a lot.

Probably going back to another Jeep soon.

ZEEGLER wrote:My last car was a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. I loved that thing. It was comfortable, drove nice, had lots of room, decent power. Unfortunately, I had just finished paying it off, and rust was forming on the rear hatch, and along the edge of the roofline on the drivers side. The rust was coming in aggressively. Mush as I liked it, I had to dump it before it got too bad. Now I'm driving an Acura TLX. I like the car a lot, but I miss my Grand Cherokee a lot.

Probably going back to another Jeep soon.

You will. They're kind of like Les Pauls. Once you get the bug, there really isn't anything else that will scratch that itch. When I had decided that I wasn't going to sink more money into the front end of my first Jeep because of the mileage, I knew that I was going to get another Jeep. I didn't really even entertain the idea of getting anything else. Of COURSE I was getting another Jeep.

As much as I love do love this new one, I still miss my old one. I mean, it had its flaws, but I loved it. My wife has a 2014 Cherokee, and that thing has been an absolute champion. We haven't had a problem with it at all.

My G/F bought a 2011 Grand Cherokee and I loved it. So I bought one. After three years I sold it and bought another one. I'm ready for a new vehicle and I'm not really looking at anything other than another Grand Cherokee. Neither of mine have ever been in the shop (knock on wood). I'm not a "Jeep guy", but I'm impressed with the reliability and value. They aren't perfect, but I'd have to spend $10K more to get the same level of features and tech in another brand...

Wait until y'all get "real" Jeeps. Nothing about them makes sense, and they're endless money pits. $2200 for tires because the old ones were too small, $3k for a lift because the new tires rub, $1000 for winch because the new tires/lift put it further in peril off-road, $500 for... you get the idea lol.

After all that you realize you need a daily driver because the stupid jeep gets shit gas mileage and has zero practicality.

Welcome to the club!

IndyWS6 wrote:My G/F bought a 2011 Grand Cherokee and I loved it. So I bought one. After three years I sold it and bought another one. I'm ready for a new vehicle and I'm not really looking at anything other than another Grand Cherokee. Neither of mine have ever been in the shop (knock on wood). I'm not a "Jeep guy", but I'm impressed with the reliability and value. They aren't perfect, but I'd have to spend $10K more to get the same level of features and tech in another brand...

Yes, you are. Re-read your post.