Vito Structural Corrosion

[daveandfleur]

The Vito must surely take the prize for being the fastest rusting vehicle on the roads? My 7 year old (w reg) CDI has rust breaking out everywhere, all underside seams and on almost every external panel. I've just found that both structural members under the bonnet (above inner wings running fore/aft) have completely crumbled away. I pushed with my fingers on what I thought was surface rust and they just collapsed. This isn't even an area that gets wet or affected by road salt. I bought the van 4 years ago, it had been used in London so no sea salt and had 100,000 miles so had not been standing around in damp conditions. Since I've had it I've kept the underside hosed down and waxoyled the underside 2 years ago to try to hold it back.

Some Vitos seem to suffer more than others and I wonder if there was a bad batch of steel used by the Spanish factory. It seems to be a metal problem rather than a paint problem to me, just like the Alfa Romeos of the eighties. Was the problem cured on later models? I've seen 02 reg onwards with no outwards signs of corrosion. Did Mercedes ever face any claims on rust issues? Does the series 2 (04 on)have any similar issues?

Whilst these vans are fantastic to drive, I can't belive they still fetch such huge sums on the used market with these issues prevalent. I'd be very wary of buying another one unless I knew the problem was confined to certain years. Guess I'm going to have to run mine until it drops as selling a 7 year old vehicle with obvious structural welding repairs will not be easy. Not much chance of claiming anything from Mercedes as the service history is patchy and the external panels have been resprayed (although the underbonnet and underside is all original paint).

Dave

 

[BTB 500]

The new (639 chassis) Vito is galvanised.

I see dozens of older ones most weekends (at dog shows) and have never seen or heard of a rust problem such as you describe. You say the service history is patchy - could your van have been crashed and repaired perhaps?

Do old shape ones really fetch huge sums on the used market? They have a pretty bad reputation for quality (which also extends to the V-class MPVs that were based on them), and I was told by a friend in Germany that dealers there won't touch them in part-ex. He had major problems getting rid of his.

The VW T5 Transporter has a much better reputation IMO, and despite being an M-B fan that's what I'd have bought if it had been available with an auto box and a powerful engine (for towing).

 

[glojo]

The new (639 chassis) Vito is galvanised.

I see dozens of older ones most weekends (at dog shows) and have never seen or heard of a rust problem such as you describe. You say the service history is patchy - could your van have been crashed and repaired perhaps?

My thoughts entirely and fire damage comes to mind. You cannot get much closer to the sea than where I lve, our first Sprinter, which was the original 212, was parked outside and there was not a sign of rust anywhere.

regards
John

 

[Flash]

Previous generation Sprinter (cannot comment about the new current shape) is no better as that is a rust bucket to! Great vans to drive though and the best on the market apart from the corrosion/rust issues.

 

[BTB 500]

I have a friend with a first gen. Sprinter and that certainly did have a rust problem ... needed a complete re-spray in the end. Not personally heard of it on Vitos though.

 

[BTB 500]

fire damage comes to mind

That would explain a lot, although the OP said the underbonnet area was all original paint?

 

[glojo]

can it be that we polish our vehicles and the examples being discuseed are neglected work horses? We live on the coast and my vans will always show either salt or sand spray. Sand usually coming from North Africa

Regards
John

 

[Flash]

can it be that we polish our vehicles and the examples being discuseed are neglected work horses? We live on the coast and my vans will always show either salt or sand spray. Sand usually coming from North Africa

Regards
John

My Sprinter is always regularly washed and I live on main land away from the coast. Just after 16 months from taking delivery of the vehicle (sraight from the factory) every panel had rust (apart from the bonnet and front wings) and a re-spray was carried out up the low waist lines only on all the affected panels under warranty. The re-sparayed area is still continuing to break out with rust again in places. My Sprinter is a 2004 model.

 

[glojo]

My Sprinter is always regularly washed and I live on main land away from the coast. Just after 16 months from taking delivery of the vehicle (straight from the factory) every panel had rust (apart from the bonnet and front wings) and a re-spray was carried out up the low waist lines only on all the affected panels under warranty. The re-sprayed area is still continuing to break out with rust again in places. My Sprinter is a 2004 model.

I remember well the whole saga. We tend to keep our vehicles for a minimum of five years. Before having a Sprinter I had a Transit and when it was just over four years of age we had to replace both back doors that had rusted out all along the lower panel. As stated earlier we regularly polish our vans, plus they have side windows which means the panels have been cut out but all we tend to see is a build up of fungi or moss. The first original sprinter was just over five years old, no rust anywhere, none at all, but just like it's replacement the sun had bleached the red paintwork. The replacement is now just over five years of age, the red paintwork was bleached pink but again zero rust and now it is a nice tealite blue.

Regards
John

Edit our van is a 2002 vehicle

 

[TonyVianoAmbiente]

Some Vitos seem to suffer more than others and I wonder if there was a bad batch of steel used by the Spanish factory. It seems to be a metal problem rather than a paint problem to me, just like the Alfa Romeos of the eighties.

I've owned two Spanish SEATs over the years and they were completely rust free. The first was finally sold when it was eight years old and it looked like new. My ex-wife is still driving around in the second and it is twelve years old, still with no signs of rust.

So I doubt it is a Spanish problem.

 

[daveandfleur]

Thanks for all responses.

Unless I'm misinformed the Sprinter was made in Germany and is basically the same as the VW LT? The Vito is made in Spain so no real connection although I'm surprised to hear that Sprinters rust too.

No, certainly no sign of accident or fire damage other than minor panel dents which is I believe why it was resprayed externally (even the door shuts weren't done). Underbonnet fire would be obvious, there is no way you could clean the insides of box sections etc to factory standard. I am pretty experienced with car bodywork and would be 100% certain there has never been fire damage or repair work to the underside or underbonnet areas. Yes, it is a workhorse but that has little to do with it. Corrosion bubbling around virtually every seam (which was present to a lesser extent at 5 years old) should not occur even on a vehicle that is never cleaned. Complete rotting out of box sections after 7 years likewise. No amount of cleaning and polishing would have been effective as it is certainly coming from inside due to bad steel/weld quality. These are not areas that have suffered from unattended stone chipping etc. There is hardy a body seam anywhere that is not affected to some extent.

Externally rusty Vitos are very common although I've not been able to inspect underbonnet or undersides. A look on ebay or autotrader reveals they go for at least as much as most other equivalent other brands.

Considering that these front members rotting out compromises the safety of the vehicle in the event of a crash, there could perhaps be a case for a recall if it is common. They must have been seriously weakened for some while. I can't believe mine is unique although I can believe that a faulty batch of steel may have affected a limited number.

I would still consider buying another one if I could guarantee this problem was restricted to certain years, as no other van comes close for driving. Pleased to hear the later shape is galvanised.

Dave

SLK 230K & Vito 108CDI

 

[nick mercedes]

The Vito must surely take the prize for being the fastest rusting vehicle on the roads?

Yes.

Vitos rust everywhere.

Worse they rust from inside to out.

They're not all that well built either.

Note how early V-Classes are scrapyard material now.

 

[BTB 500]

Externally rusty Vitos are very common although I've not been able to inspect underbonnet or undersides.

External rust on 'workhorse' vans with non-galvanised panels is likely to start from untreated dings/scrapes I would guess. I do dog agility as a hobby; at a typical weekend show there will be 500+ medium sized panel vans with VW and M-B probably being most common (Renault and Ford close behind). These tend to be relatively pampered compared to "working" vehicles, although of course many are bought used and have seen some hard use early in their lives.

As far as quality goes, the Vito really does not have a good reputation. I'm not so up on the 638 but I know instrument panel failure was one known problem, and most V Class MPVs which sold for £40k + originally are very hard to sell. On the 639, a friend of mine is now on her THIRD set of rear shock absorbers (under warranty as it's not yet 3 years old). She's also had an electric window motor replaced, a problem with the locking, a door re-hung, and various other things. This is a low mileage privately-owned van used for dog training, it's never had any serious load on board.

There's a known issue with the EGR on the Vito 120 which causes uneven running and loss of power. There's supposed to be a new EGR available now, but nobody knows whether M-B are going to recall or wait for people to break down (currently it's the latter). Somebody else reported a front suspension failure (collapse) here. This is less than impressive on a "premium" brand.

I know literally hundreds of people with VW T4 and T5 Transporters (many of them bought used with high mileage), and I'm not aware of any serious issues with them. FWIW the Renault Trafic is seen as the worst, with a range of mechanical problems cropping up on relatively young vehicles.

 

[BTB 500]

I would still consider buying another one if I could guarantee this problem was restricted to certain years, as no other van comes close for driving.

When the 638 Vito first came out I blagged a pass to a test day at Millbrook organised by "What Van" magazine, and was able to drive all the makes I was interested in around their various circuits (including the high speed bowl ). Obviously it's subjective, but I ranked the VW Transporter first for driving/handling (followed by the Vito).

I actually bought neither back then as I worked out it was cheaper to buy a large MPV and take the seats out, than to add aircon / alloys / central locking / tinted glass / etc. to a van. Vans have much more kit as standard now.

 

[glojo]

There's a known issue with the EGR on the Vito 120 which causes uneven running and loss of power. There's supposed to be a new EGR available now, but nobody knows whether M-B are going to recall or wait for people to break down (currently it's the latter). Somebody else reported a front suspension failure (collapse) here. This is less than impressive on a "premium" brand.

I think that's a very constructive post which might suggest the workhorse is prone to more panel damage but the issues described by the poster are horrendous and would appear out of character to the experience of other users whio surely would be doing exactly the same as this person? Complaining like billy-o. Is the problem on that specific vehicle?

Regards
John

 

[J.strauss]

Regards to the rust on vitos my 638 is a 2002 and I only have 1 scab which is on the drivers lower door the rest of the van is mint. On the other hand My friends 638 is a year newer 2003 and the outside is absolutely demolished by rust and his has do e less miles than mine. So I think it's a case of bad batch of metal from the factory

 

[Marku]

Isn't it all covered by the 12 year corrosion warranty? Don't know personally how deserved the rust reputation is, have heard several tales, but never experienced it after a Vito and two Vianos. Before the Vito had two Transits one of which the floor was just about falling out. We had a liner covering the floor and it was a shock when I lifted it. When we traded it in the dealer didn't even look just asked if the floor was rotted out. Any way thought that the Viano and Vito came from different lines.