I would like to hear from any GTC/GT owners that have suffered any issues with alloy wheel corrosion, sudden electric failure/shutdown or other corrosion issues. My car has been a problem since delivery. http://www.facebook.com/pages/DUFF-B...82527935102870

 

Where are you located? Is the dealer that bad? So sorry to hear this :-/

 

I am in Scotland. The dealer is part of the problem but need to toe the corporate line dictated by Bentley Motors. BM basically telling me there is no issue with my car which is crazy. To now warranty has covered works done but after July no doubt they will charge heavily to have the same issues dealt with time after time again.
I think 999 of 1000 cars sold are perfect - I have been lumbered with the 1 in 1000 cars.
My problem is most Bentley owners are "too proud" to make an issue of problems they have with their cars. I am not a rich guy but fortunate enough to just afford one of these so expected better

 

Sorry :-(

 

Hello, Alloy corrosion is very common on the chrome wheels, they need to be cleaned with water ideally and avoid chemicals.

It sounds like you have a problem with your battery management system, this would cause the shutdown. I have had a engine cutout on me a couple of times usually down to a faulty system battery.

 

Thanks.

Would you expect the alloys to corrode within the first year of ownership? My rear wheels were changed under warranty after 6 months and the front wheels after one year. I did about 6000 miles during that period.
The replacement set have gone the same way.
I also have had the lower front grille fixings changed 3 times by the dealer as these have also corroded very badly.
During a recent attempt to get the car mobile again the engineer had a major problem getting power through to the batteries from the engine bay which he could not understand. We were trying to open the boot/trunk to gain access to the batteries. Thankfully I had the battery trickle feed unit hooked up when the car shutdown on me. I plugged this in and eventually we were able to get the boot open.
It appeared that something was blocking the power supply and indeed once the trickle feed unit had generated enough power we could hear various relays clicking. The engineer suggested that there was either a major earth/current leakage issue or a relay that was sticking, or both.
He could not offer any explanation as to why there would be a sudden power loss to cause the shutdown other than something sticking at a neutral position.

 

Are your wheels chrome or alloy ? It seems that your wheels aren't being cleaned enough or are being exposed to chemicals. Chrome wheels don't last long at all before they start to crack and peel. Alloy wheels are better than they used to be on the early models. Ask your dealer what they use to clean their wheels.

The battery issue sounds interesting, the battery management is very complex the only way to confirm their is no issue (assuming there is no faults logged on the battery management) is to test/fully charge the battery's, carry out a long term draw test and test the battery's again. The tech should get enough information from this to be satisfied. You can request battery printouts etc from your dealer as they need to provide this information for warranty purposes.

Hope this helps

 

Thanks again for your input.

You could get a better idea of my issues with the car by visiting a facebook page I have set up. simply input "duff bentley" on the search page.

 

No wonder you have problems with your battery management as thats a lot of corrosion on your car on your FB.

Is your car parked indoors or out and who washes your car? To me I think some sort of harsh chemical been used on the car from a car wash or yourself?

 

The car has only been washed by my dealer or by myself. When I wash it I use a very basic car wash and wax and I doubt the dealer would use anything that would be damaging.

The car was always parked on my drive and I avoided driving it much during the winter to avoid road salts and the like.

It was suggested to me by a auto electrician that if there was a problem with the car earthing system then in addition to electrical issues, the corrosion protection ths provides would be reduced signficantly especially where differing metals are in contact.

The most disappointing thing for me has been the stance taken by Bentley to date. The dealer was supportive until I commenced discussions with Bentley Motors. I suspect after this they were instructed to follow the corporate line.

It is easy for people to say why am I bothered by this as Bentley have attended to the issues but I have several problems with such a stance. First of all it seems the problem is being masked rather than identified and cured. Secondly the problems have all re-appeared, 3rd I have lost the use of the car for 10% of the first 18 months of ownership. The problems appear unique as I have not identified any other owners that have experienced these issues. More importantly the warranty is up in a few months so who then has to pay for repairs etc?

I had hoped common sense would prevail and Bentley discuss a suitable closure but looks like things will be dragged through the mud.

 

Hire a lawyer.

 

I feel for you I really do as I've had problems with other cars before and I find you really have to be a PITA to get answers or solutions. Sad as it is with Bentley but I would keep at it and even hire a lawyer to rattle their cage. If you do take the legal approach be careful what you post or have posted online as not to incriminate yourself in any way whatsoever.

I know the weather up North is bad but that shouldnt kill your car in sucha way. Have you seen any other Bentley in your area or on the forecourt with similiar problems? I doubt Bentley will give you a replacement car but I would at least expect the battery system to be replaced along with corroded components.

I thought I had problems finding a slight bit of surface rust on my boot hinge!

Hope it gets resolved soon.


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You will still have warranty if you have a continuing fault. You need to start again with your dealer I think they have misunderstood your passion. You could also try another dealer it would mean getting your car transported.

 

I already have a solicitor working on this. We stopped finance a long time ago and attempted to reject the car and get my money invested returned. It is a case of them suing me and me doing likewise.
I have looked at over 20 other Bentleys and not found any similar corrosion issues.
I did have a similar aged other car which I sold late last year. It had a higher mileage and not a mark on the wheels, all fixings under the bonnet were like new.
We have had very mild winters since I bought the car - even this winter we have only had two dustings of snow despite all the bad weather down south over recent months. Bentley did make an attempt to suggest climate but stepped bag from this on the basis that they maybe exposed to selling something not fit for purpose knowing where the car would be used etc

 

any suggestions as to spread the word on this or identification of other problem cars would be appreciated.