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80k miles, All spark plugs & Coil pack rusted.... Im in California..

5666 Views 24 Replies 13 Participants Last post by  Ranscapture
What do you think caused this? Wheel hubs failed at 40k (should go 300k), clutch failed at 50k (my 97 jetta was at 157k on original clutch and perfectly fine), now my spark plugs and coil pack are rusted and there's corrosion up in the coil pack. None of this is covered by warranty. There's been other minor failings too, like some hoses, thermostat, my trip computer ran out of memory and crashed. I used to tell everyone i loved the car when i first got it, even though the tranny was clunky, but now i would not recommend it. It's been over $1500 in extra maintenance each year i owned it not counting oil changes or tires.

I've been having really bad luck with everything failing way before they're supposed to. but what do you make of the latest one?

thanks,
andrew
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Are you the first owner? I ask because this sounds like a flood car.
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Are you the first owner? I ask because this sounds like a flood car.
Exactly what I was going to say. Possible water damage.
Please share what year of Cruze you own and which model?
Hi, yes I am the first owner, I got it at 35 miles because they had to bring it to me from another dealership across the Bay. It's never been in a flood, I avoid puddles like the plague.
Do you have pictures of the coil pack and spark plugs? There is no way these would rust on modern car unless they were subject to water all the time. I clean my engine with water and never get water in the plugs or coil pack. Did you see this or is the dealer telling you this?

None of this makes any sense unless this was under water before you purchased and some dealer pulled a fast one.

Your trip computer can't run out of memory either. If a dealer is telling you this then you need to report them.
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Hi cruze2011white,

I didn't get pictures, but they let me come back into the shop and see everything, I inspected them myself and saw the rust and corrosion. Also I'll tell you why my trip computer crashed. Since i got the car brand new, i wanted to see what my lifetime mpg was, so i kept trip A for the whole life, at about 40k-50k miles of averaging fuel the computer ran out of memory and i had to unplug the battery for a while, it wouldnt respond to any button presses. but that's the least of my worries. its everything else that is failing and on my $.
Since the problem isn't flood related, the next guess that comes to mind is do you live by the ocean? Salt air is known to rust out cars prematurely. Where do you live?
Flood car or history of washing the engine down.......something is/was getting water down into the plug wells.

This is not a common problem.....usually the inverse, the coil rubbers weld to the well holes and tear on removal.

Rob
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Hey Robby how does salt get in the Air ?









Yeah me to .....maybe right upon a coast during a Hurricane and after a Typhoon ...
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Hey Robby how does salt get in the Air ?









Yeah me to .....maybe right upon a coast during a Hurricane and after a Typhoon ...
Ever been to the ocean? When you get close, you can "smell" the ocean.

Not to get too technical, but the salt gets suspended in water molecules.
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Curious what is rusted. The spark plugs?

This will all be caused by condensation or moisture, which means the boots aren't sealing correctly. Spark plug replacement comes in at 45,000 miles if I'm not mistaken. Liberally coating the boots with silicone spray as well as coating the springs, resistors, and plugs with an anti-corrosion substance is highly recommended on these cars when changing spark plugs.
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Spark plug replacement comes in at 45,000 miles if I'm not mistaken.
2011 had the Spark plug change listed at 100,000 miles, 2012+ has it listed at 60,000. Either way the OP is beyond the recommend service interval for spark plugs in the 1.4T.
I wonder if the originating dealership pressure washed the engine. This would force water under the EcoTec cover and possibly into the spark plug area.
Has any some one asked the OP where he is located ?

My theory is condensation . I do know that in certain enviroments there is a high humidity content in the air for a specific region for example St. Louis and Chicago ...

And Salt does not transfer into molecules with in the Air ..Not going to happen ..........look up Desalinisation processes !

Ahh the Hero's can salute or whatever they prefer this day ...
Sea salt does indeed transfer to the air. Road salt does as well. This is why cars in the north central US and direct coastal cities (DC is inland) rust out quicker than elsewhere.
Hey Robby how does salt get in the Air ?


I'll assume, Brian, you mean in our area of the country.

For the last several days have you noticed the dust that the cars/trucks are throwing into the air?
That is salt, ground down to the consistency of talcum powder.

It gets drawn into any low pressure area of the car body as well as getting deposited on the areas we see......looks like the car is coated with dust.
Cars not being driven, but out in the air get the same treatment....the dust gets into every seam.

If you noticed, even this morning, (Monday) the streets were wet......yet, we had no rain or snow.

The humidity in the air was drawn to the dry salt on the street (and in all the crevaces of your ride) and recondensed......so, just peacefully sitting there, the vehicle (and anything else that salt attacks) continues to corrode.

Thus the saying 'I think I can hear it rusting'.

To further the aggravation, add a car wash to the mix.
All car washes (other than those DIY pressure wash places) reclaim their water......it is filtered but you cannot filter saline content so as the day goes on, the car wash water gets more salt content.
Under the floor, there is tank, not unlike the tank for a toilet, and it has a float.
Water is always being lost as it gets hauled down the street by the cars getting washed......the float system admits fresh water to maintain the tank level, but there is always some salt in the tank.

Folks that think they are doing the car a favor by running through a wash are actually adding to the salt damage........pressurized salty water is being forced into seams that generally don't even get wet.......that'll be $15.00 bucks please.
That's why you see salt lines trailing out of all the drain areas after the car has dried.

This is why car nuts, such as myself, have a car to give to the rust gods.....Sorry Cruze, you're it.......and why we generally trade it off after five years......right before it starts to get evil looking.

Sucks to live in the salt belt.

Aren't you glad you asked?

Rob
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Hey Robby how does salt get in the Air ?
If you're by the ocean, wave action can kick up salt spray that will carry inland quite a ways.
Hi cruze2011white,

I didn't get pictures, but they let me come back into the shop and see everything, I inspected them myself and saw the rust and corrosion. Also I'll tell you why my trip computer crashed. Since i got the car brand new, i wanted to see what my lifetime mpg was, so i kept trip A for the whole life, at about 40k-50k miles of averaging fuel the computer ran out of memory and i had to unplug the battery for a while, it wouldnt respond to any button presses. but that's the least of my worries. its everything else that is failing and on my $.
Something isn't right here. I haven't reset my trip or mpg recording on the dash since new (Jan 2012) and now at 71,500 miles.
Hey guys, got the car back today. I live in Los Angeles, and before that the Bay Area, but not next to the ocean. Definitely far enough that there's no moisture in the air. In fact its pretty dry where I've lived. I also have underground parking that is super dry and non dusty. They've never pressure washed my engine. Here is the work order:

Text Document Paper Font

Text Font Receipt Menu Document


I've had this problem for a very long time, I wonder after my first major maintenance they did something stupid. I've done all the required maintenance.
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