Like many other manufacturers, General Motors offers a rust warranty on all their vehicles, but don’t get too attached to it – because it won’t last.
What is a rust warranty? It’s a way of making sure your car stays rust-protected for a certain period of time – until the warranty runs out. After that, you’re on your own. Many dealerships usually sell this warranty with rust-proofing – a method of protecting your car from corrosion. There are several different methods of rust protection, with the most common ones being either by a way of dripless oil or an electric module.
For this service and warranty, dealerships tend to charge a price that ranges from $500 to $1,000 on average. Neither is completely necessary, but they can be useful – especially in colder places such as Ontario, where winter salt is a major cause of corrosion in cars. Whether it’s worth that kind of money is a whole other matter, but we assure you, rust-proofing is at least worth your time.
So, when you pay such a high amount for rust-proofing, you would probably expect the warranty to last for a very long time, right? Well, it looks like GM has different thoughts on this. Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick all offer warranties that last less than five years. Buick and Cadillac offer a four-year warranty with an 80,000-kilometre limit, while Chevrolet and GMC offer a three-year warranty with a 60,000-kilometre limit. Granted, GM seems to charge the lowest price for this service, with Chevrolet dealerships asking to pay $500 for instance, but that’s still not acceptable.
When you have alternatives such as Krown or Ziebart offering the service for less than $200 annually, you have to question whether such a $500 price is really worth it. For instance, Krown charges $120 to apply their dripless oil spray to a midsize car like a sedan. Sure, you have to do it annually, but it would still be cheaper in three years, since the amount would only be $360.
Other manufacturers seem much more generous in this regard. For instance, German automakers, like BMW and Volkswagen, offer 12-year warranties – and their service has no kilometre limit at all. Even the less popular brands, such as Mitsubishi and Subaru, offer longer warranties and unlimited kilometres.
So, what’s stopping GM from doing the same? One of the possible reasons could be the fact that not as many people purchase rust-proofing from them as they would like to. Another reason could be the fact that their cars are less likely to rust than others – though this doesn’t seem likely (unless they are magical).
If you’re wondering whether you should purchase rust-proofing at all, be sure to read the following article from The Globe and Mail. It would also be helpful to take a look at a chart below, which lists rust warranty terms for all major vehicle brands in Canada:
Manufacturer Corrosion or Perforation Warranties
| Manufacturer | Term Limit | KM Limit |
| Acura | 5 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Audi | 12 Years | Unlimited KM |
| BMW | 12 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Buick | 4 Years | 80,000 KM |
| Cadillac | 4 Years | 80,000 KM |
| Chevrolet | 3 Years | 60,000 KM |
| Chrysler | 5 Years | 160,000 KM |
| Dodge | 5 Years | 160,000 KM |
| FIAT | 5 Years | 160,000 KM |
| Ford | 5 Years | Unlimited KM |
| GMC | 3 Years | 60,000 KM |
| Honda | 5 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Hyundai | 5 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Infiniti | 7 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Jaguar | 6 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Jeep | 5 Years | 160,000 KM |
| Kia | 5 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Land Rover | 6 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Lexus | 6 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Lincoln | 5 Years | Unlimited KM |
| MINI | 12 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Mazda | 8 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Mercedes-Benz | 5 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Mitsubishi | 5 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Nissan | 5 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Porsche | 12 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Ram | 5 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Scion | 5 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Smart | 5 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Subaru | 5 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Toyota | 5 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Volkswagen | 12 Years | Unlimited KM |
| Volvo | 12 Years | Unlimited KM |
Source: Manufacturer websites. Exceptions apply to some models.
