Ok agreed that a good fix is in need to fix this problem for good! This is what i've come up with: I believe the reason the weather stripping is holding water is there are 2 breaks in the channel that are holding the weather-stripping in. After you pull out the stripping and dry off the areas you must seal up the channels with black electrical tape. The reason the stripping is holding the water is because the water is getting under the stripping from those breaks in the channel. After those two channels are sealed no water will get under the stripping and cause the rust. The breaks in the channels are at the front and the rear of the doors about when the channel is starting to bend upwards to go up the door.
Now for the fix. I have seen a 1 on 1 comparison between the rust bullet and por 15, and as for that test i believe the por 15 is a bit better. It seemed to inhibit the rust more then the rust bullet.
1st i'm going to completely remove the stripping and dry the area completely. Next i will use a wood paint stirrer and scrape off the bubbling paint and loosen paint particles. By the way, (don't ever use a sand blaster to remove the rust, the sand gets in there and it actually holds more moisture which in turn will cause more rust!) After I scraped the area with the wooden stick i will wash the area completely and let it dry out. After this I will apply the 1st coat of the por 15. After this completely dries i will then apply the second coat. Then the project is complete. Don't forget to wash the stripping completely before reinstalling it. Dirt and salt are the main reasons for moisture retention. After the stripping is installed i will then seal up the two breaks in the channel with black tape. Every six months i will check for moisture. hopefully there won't be any.
Any further advise or comments will be appreciated.

Also i'm having the dealer fix my other crossfires rust, i'll let you guys know how it turns out after its done.

 

I treated the doors in my SRT-6 roadster with POR-15 about six months ago. The channels still retain water but there's no sign of rust. The POR-15 did the trick for me.

 

How did you prepare the area before applying the POR-15?

 

After I treated my doors, I posted a complete write-up here: https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...4&postcount=88

 

I have had my new 2006 coupe for six months and I finally decided to check for the rust.

Made a very interesting observation.

Pulled of both sides of the weather stripping, just a quick inspection for now but didn’t find any rust, but did find the remains of a brownish looking sealant.

I also noticed that the weather stripping was slightly damp and had a musty smell. The car has seen rain once and has not been wet washed for at least eight weeks!

I couldn’t understand where this moisture was coming from? I then squeezed the weather strip and I couldn’t believe what I saw…..water appeared on the surface of the weather strip. It would appear that the strip itself has moisture internally, is in fact porous and is acting like a sponge! Does it contain some kind of foam? Is this what you all meant about the strip holding water or did you mean it was just holding water against the metal?

Even if you wipe the weather strip dry and clean out the channel when you reinstall the weather strip you are right back where you started with a wet channel. I know the POR should protect the channel but surely we must be able to get the problem fixed.

How is the inside of the weather strip getting damp?

 

No the weatherstripping isn't absorbing moisture like a sponge, the water may be inside of the stripping (the inside is hollow to allow airflow so it stays dry). What we are talking about is the back side against the metal holds moisture. Just clean the stripping with windex, and allow it to dry out in the sun (detached from the door) for a few hours. Also make sure the inside of the door where it touches is also clean and dry. When you get a chance seal the inside of the stripping channel with por 15 and you'll be protected for a long time with no worries. And don't forget to enjoy your crossfire!!!

 

I was actually talking about the “solid” part of the stripping that fits in the channel on the door, not the hollow part that butts up to the door sill on the main car frame. I squeezed (fairly hard) and I saw water appearing through the surface of the stripping! I tried it at multiple points on the strip. The stripping is definitely holding water internally. It also smelt musty which implies it had been in the strip for sometime. Has anyone else tried this?

So how is the water getting inside the stripping?

I would rather try and get a fix for the source of the problem rather than just paint with POR. Has anyone talked to Chrysler.

I also found it easier to re-install the strip if you lie on the floor and get bottom edge installed first.and roll the strip in place.

 

I've already posted what I believe the problem is:
I believe the reason the weather stripping is holding water is there are 2 breaks in the channel that are holding the weather-stripping in. After you pull out the stripping and dry off the areas you must seal up the channels with black electrical tape. The reason the stripping is holding the water is because the water is getting under the stripping from those breaks in the channel. After those two channels are sealed no water will get under the stripping and cause the rust. The breaks in the channels are at the front and the rear of the doors about when the channel is starting to bend upwards to go up the door.

Hope this helped!!!

 

We have a product in the u.k. called WAXOYL.
You can buy it in handy spray cans, clear or black, use clear.

You can also get it in the U.S. - see

http://www.minimania.com/web/AddedFr.../InvDetail.cfm

See how it works here:

http://www.minimania.com/web/Item/WA.../InvDetail.cfm

Pull out the rubber seal and saturate the metal channel with WAXOYL
It will be dead easy to push the seal back again due to the nature of the product.

If you dont have a serious rust issue, e.g. holes, then this product will be an effective remedy with very little effort. (about 15mins/door)

Try it...

All the best,
Little wing

 

Anyone think we should do this?

 

Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea, but as far as I know, everybody who has taken their cars back to the dealer and complained about this problem has got a positive response from them.
Has anybody brought it to their dealers attention, and was told that they wouldn't do anything about it?

 

Even if the dealer were willing to do something, I'd still prefer to treat it myself. There are too many horror stories here of dealers causing more damage than they fixed.

I treated the doors in my coupe with POR-15 last weekend. They had more rust than in my SRT-6 but it was still a small amount. I'll check it once a year from now on but I haven't had any more rust in my SRT-6 so I expect my coupe will be fine, too.

 

well for the price we've all gotten these cars for and since the dealers are fixing the problem, as of this time I don't reccomend starting the petition yet...

 

My question is, is this a warrenty issue under the 3/36? It is obviously a design defect and not a 'cosmetic' or paint issue.

 

I just sent Chrysler an email regarding the rust issue on the Crossfires.
Basically I told them about the issue and asked what we should do, will it be covered under warranty, etc.
If you want to add fuel to the fire, do the same here:
http://www-5.chrysler.com/wccsapp/un...ull&category=U

 

For what ever it is worth...

My Dealer wants to pull the seal and look at it for rust when I bring the car in for headlight replacement (on order).

No word on if this is a warranty covered issue, but I did show them this site and the great pictures Andrew posted. The service manager was suprised and very interested.

They service a few Crossfires and one of the Techs has a roadster.

 

After driving in the rain a couple times and then inspecting the metal channel, I think I agree with the guys that believe the 2 gaps in the metal channel should be sealed with something. Since I've dried out my channel and sealed the two gaps at the front and rear lower channel areas, no water has since intruded the channel area. When I first inspected the channel, I initially noticed that the vertical sections of the channel were never wet (except an inch or so up from the gaps in the channel), yet the lower section seemed to have water in it whenever the car got wet. The only place where water can get in between the channel and foam (as far as I can tell) are those two gaps in the channel. I'm going to leave the gaps sealed with silicone sealer and inspect it a couple times over the winter to see how it goes...

 

Let us know how it goes! God knows I don't want my doors to rust through...
Thanks to everyone for all there input an hard work. I think we may have saved the Crossfire.

 

Received a reply from Chrysler via email:
Thank you for contacting the Chrysler Customer Assistance Center
regarding the rust on your 2005 Chrysler Crossfire.

It is a dissatisfaction with the appearance of the paint finish on your
vehicle. It is unfortunate it has deteriorated as you have described.
We are showing that you are still under warranty for your vehicle. The
warranty coverage for paint is 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs
first.
We suggest that you give your local dealer the opportunity to assist
you. Their service personnel have the factory training, equipment and
information available to diagnose and correct concerns with our
vehicles.

Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the
Customer Assistance Center at 800-992-1997 for additional discussion.

Thanks again for your email.

Sincerely,
Jeni

Senior Staff Representative
Chrysler Customer Assistance Center

Funny, I did not tell them that my car had rust, I just told them that this is a serious issue among Crossfire Club members. I even offered to send them pictures, etc.
Guess I will get on the horn next.

 

I replied to the response above with this:
"It is a dissatisfaction with the appearance of the paint finish on your
vehicle." I am unsure what this even means. This is not just an issue
with one crossfire, but with nearly every crossfire that has been
checked.
If we take our cars to dealerships, what will the remedy be? I have
many pictures of different crossfires exhibiting this rust issue if needed.
This is a major problem many owners. Thank you.

Their new response:
Thank you for contacting the Chrysler Customer Assistance Center
regarding your previous email.

I regret the problem your vehicle has experienced and appreciate the
time and effort you took to bring this matter to my attention. Comments
like yours are one way we have to learn of problems that may develop and
improvements desired by customers.

Unfortunately, given the many variables involved, we are unable to
diagnose your vehicle's problem via email. We recommend contacting your
authorized dealership to arrange an appointment for proper diagnosis and
repair.

Our dealerships have the factory training, equipment and information
available to them to diagnose and correct problems with our vehicles.
Should your dealer require factory assistance, it is available through
the regional Business Center.

If you have been working with an authorized dealership but the problem
is not yet resolved, seeking a second opinion from a different dealer
may be a viable option.

Thank you again for your email.

Sincerely,

Jeni

Senior Staff Representative
Chrysler Customer Assistance Center

Has anyone else sent an email to them?