I own a Ford Figo Titanium, which has clocked almost 11,000km. Recently, I drove a bit in the rain and couldn’t clean the car for almost a month. After cleaning, I noticed that the paint along the running board is flaking off. I was under the assumption that the paint job in a car is similar everywhere. Could this be a sign of rust, and how can I get it fixed?
Karthik, via email
Autocar India says: The paint surface on the bottom part of a vehicle’s running board is deliberately done in a coarse finish so as to make it withstand the dust and debris hitting the underbody. Going by the pictures shared by you, it could be surmised that there is corrosion on the said area, which is leading to the paint flaking off.
While paint defects are covered under warranty by carmakers, it is likely that the damage has been caused by the prolonged rain and slush conditions the car was subjected to. We would still advise you to take your car to the service centre and get it inspected thoroughly for any other visible signs of rusting as well.
If there is a non-accidental paint chip off from the running board, the company could honour the warranty under goodwill and repair the damage free of charge. If not, it is extremely important to curtail rust at this point itself to avoid any further damage to the structure of the vehicle.
