After the announcement of the imminent start of sales of the new Korean SUV, many motorists became interested in the question - is the body of the Hyundai Kreta galvanized? Of course, few allowed themselves to think that a world-famous automobile concern would sell cars that would rust in a year or two. However, after the news that Russian metal will be used for production, potential buyers have a question about its quality. Will it compare with Korean steel? And what kind of anti-corrosion treatment will the Creta body be subjected to?
Korean technology
During the production of the SUV, several types of metal are used:
- galvanized steel type Hyundai Hysco;
— stainless steel of BNG Steel and POSCO types.
Steel from Posco is also used for the production of SUV components.
This steel is highly resistant to corrosion and withstands the effects of aggressive environments. In addition, SUV bodies are additionally processed at factories. This happens by cataphoretic priming, for which a primer is used, developed with the use of epoxyamine-type components, characterized by a reduced drying temperature, as well as copolymers (vinyl and acrylic), which contain resins of amine groups.
For the body of the crossover, galvanized steel is used.
The strength of Hyundai cataphoretic priming is that, with a thin protective layer, an excellent degree of metal protection is achieved. In combination with galvanization, the car body successfully resists not only corrosion, but also alkalis, salts and other reagents. The use of such methods allows the concern to guarantee the quality of its products.
Use of Russian metal
If confidence in Korean technologies in Russia is growing from year to year, then many are wary of the news that the metal for the Hyundai Kreta model will be supplied by the domestic concern Severstal. It is with this conglomerate that Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Rus signed a contract until the end of 2016, which implies the shipment of cold-rolled and galvanized metal products. The Cherepovets Metallurgical Plant will supply steel for the assembly plant. In reports from the metallurgical giant and Hyundai, it has been said more than once that the products purchased from Severstal fully comply with all the standards of the Korean manufacturer.
Severstal was chosen as the Russian metal supplier.
In this case, both parties can consider the signed contract successful. After all, Severstal has received a new, solvent client, which is especially important in the light of anti-dumping investigations initiated in the EU against Russia and China. As a result of the case, duties were introduced on Russian cold-rolled steel. Hyundai, on the other hand, gets an excellent opportunity to reduce the cost of the SUV and increase the degree of localization.
Plant Hyundai Manufacturing Rus.
At the moment, localization is about 50%. However, its main factor is local workers. At first glance, a wide range of products is supplied to the plant Russian production. However, for the most part, these are either repackaged or foreign components assembled in the Russian Federation.
Russian steel
The metal supplied by Severstal is galvanized cold-rolled sheets. This coating guarantees effective protection against corrosion. The amount of zinc used depends on the preferences of the customer and can reach up to 450 g/m². Regarding the thickness of galvanizing, there is no data on it, however, it is known that the thickness of Hyundai Creta body panels ranges from 0.6 to 0.8 mm. Therefore, it is clearly not worth fearing the appearance of rust on the body of the crossover.
Anodizing body Hyundai Creta
Galvanizing body components Hyundai Creta, like other cars, occurs by applying protective coating anode method. It lies in the fact that automotive steel is coated with a layer of metal with a lower electrochemical potential - zinc.
An example of galvanized metal plating.
The peculiarity of this method is that it not only causes mechanical insulation of steel, but also guarantees electrochemical protection. This means that even minor damage to the zinc layer, which is inevitable during the operation of Creta (chips and scratches from pebbles, branches, etc.), will not lead to corrosion. In contrast to the cathodic coating, which can only provide protection if the layer is intact.
Creta body galvanizing technology
Galvanizing of a body of this crossover is carried out by a galvanic method. Of course, it is inferior in efficiency thermal galvanized, which is used for premium model bodies, but is significantly better than cold galvanizing. In general, this method is optimal for the SUV in terms of price / efficiency.
Galvanic galvanization of the Hyundai Creta occurs according to the following scheme:
- The Creta body is immersed in a special container filled with a zinc solution.
- Next, the terminal (negative) is connected from the source of electric current to the body.
- The capacity is powered from the positive terminal.
The body is immersed in a bath of zinc solution.
Due to the electric current in the tank, electrolysis occurs, which creates a layer of zinc on the surface of the body. This layer reliably protects the car body, and its lower price (compared to the thermal method) allows you to keep an adequate price.
Hyundai Creta owners started complaining about the quality of the metal and paintwork. Most often, on machines no older than 4 months, the fifth door begins to rust.
Dealers traditionally do their best to avoid warranty repair, but this does not happen often.
According to the Wordstat service: the problem appeared in December 2016 and the number of requests to Yandex is growing steadily.
Here is a selection of messages from Creta owners who have noticed this problem:
Guys, a problem arose, two dots formed on the fifth door, at first I thought the dirt tried to wipe them off and nothing, as a result, rust. I'll take a photo and post it, wow, the car is 4 months old.
I don't believe this could happen...
I'll wait for spring, and then we'll see. If nothing else pops up with a sticker, I'll close it. Production September 2016, acquired September 23, 2016.
I have the same. Two red spots appeared on the trunk lid (next to the brake light) for 4 months. Everything was done under warranty with no issues. At first I was upset, like a new car … apparently I'm not the only one.
It is expected that the main concentration of owners of Crete affected by rust on the forum of the same name. Members have already created a petition. Not many subscribers yet. It is still too early to talk about a mass problem, but the trend is noticeable.
According to many photos posted on the forum, not the highest quality work of Hyundai masters with metal body parts is noticeable.
We decided to conduct our own investigation, which you can read in today's article - why Hyundai Creta rusts. Every more or less experienced car owner knows that steel, due to the peculiarities of its chemical composition, begins to rust. Given the current pace of auto production and the speed with which motorists change cars, no one is surprised by the abundant pockets of corrosion that occur even during the warranty period. But when this happens in the first few months of operation, it is at least puzzling. In the following paragraphs, we will try to find the root of the problem - Creta is rusting, using the trunk of the most popular crossover on the Russian market as an example.
At the beginning of 2017, complaints from owners systematically began to appear Korean crossover whose Hyundai Creta rusts. Interestingly, the main foci of corrosion appeared on the trunk lid, namely on its outer part. When Creta rusts, the paintwork swells in problem areas - this is the first wake-up call. It is worth noting that among the "defective" Greta there were many new cars that were in operation for 2-3 months. It was also not possible to establish any regularity with the colors of problematic bodies. At first, white and silver colors aroused suspicions, but later the whole palette was negatively distinguished.
Owner reviews
Based on the reviews of real SUV owners, the most vulnerable spot, in terms of the appearance of corrosion, is the rib under the glass of the car trunk. Traces of rust are clearly visible on light body colors.
Employees of official dealer centers Korean company calmly accepted the appeals of dissatisfied customers, offering to paint over for free trouble spot. But there were cases when the company's specialists blamed the fact that Creta is rusting, car owners, arguing this with unregulated mechanical intervention. In February 2017, employees of the Hyundai technocenter informed the engineers that the Hyundai Creta was rusting. The plant gave the command to paint over or replace problematic elements, and then send them for examination.
The usual owners of Greta did not realize the real extent of the problem, because the manufacturer did not report exact figures until the last. Motorists have the opinion that the percentage of rusting Hyundai Crete is scanty, compared to the total number of cars sold. Entrepreneurial administrators of automotive forums have begun to create threads regarding this problem. This caused a lot of controversy and discussion. The survey results were shocking - Creta rusts in 25% of owners. It is not strange that a petition was sent to the address of the manufacturer, which, unfortunately, did not collect very many signatures.
Among other places where corrosion occurs, we note the spoiler and the surface near the additional brake light. Often rust occurs near the lantern. Less often - at the point of contact of metal and plastic.
Fortunately, the Korean company offers a long-term paintwork warranty of 5 years. And in general, manufacturers are very loyal to customers in this regard. But it's not even about loyalty and prompt assistance from specialists - motorists are interested in the cause of rust. It's scary to imagine what can happen to the body in a year or two if the trunk lid gave up after a few months. The situation was further aggravated when car owners began to post photos of the Creta rusting on the forums. The centers of corrosion on the inside of the body looked especially scary. Optimism was not added by shots with swollen paintwork - mainly in the area of \u200b\u200bthe taillights and the panel cover. The real panic was caused by the reports of some motorists that the rust reappears even after repainting.
Let's repeat once again: the most common place where the Hyundai Creta rusts is the ribs under the lanterns.
In May 2017, it became clear that Korean manufacturers were not sitting idly by - they conducted an internal investigation and issued a bulletin Maintenance car. According to the document, all Hyundai Greta cars produced from July to December 2016 are subject to free inspection at branded services. If even minimal traces of corrosion are found, the auto repairman must replace the element. If removing rust on body panels brings any effect, repainting is also an option - it all depends on each individual case. No matter how hard we tried, we could not find information in the bulletin regarding the causes of rust - this remains a mystery.
All that remains is to collect bit by bit the available information and compare it with your own guesses.
Adding optimism is the fact that the bulletin applies to cars manufactured before December 2016. This may mean that the developers were able to find the root of the problem. Judging by the reviews of the owners, crossovers assembled in 2017 do not rust like that. The developers did not want to open the curtain of secrecy - this is a little unfair to customers.
We present to you real review one of the owners of the crossover: “The Hyundai Creta is rusting as follows: several blisters of the paintwork appeared on the surface of the trunk lid. The car was assembled in August 2016, and, frankly, I was surprised by these pimples. Fortunately, a careful inspection of the surface of the body did not reveal any other pockets of rust. It is interesting that the wife of Crete, released at about the same time, but only in blue - I could not find anything like it on her. Well, how do you guess?"
The real extent of the problem is still unclear. According to the survey results, only a quarter of car owners faced the problem of corrosion. But no more than 1,000 people took part in these issues, which definitely does not add objectivity.
A collective petition sent to the manufacturer received only 427 signatures. To understand the comic of the situation, just look at the number of crossovers sold in 2016 - 22,000. Dealers took advantage of these statistics and claim that the percentage of "infected" cars is meager. That is, in theory, the chance of acquiring a rust-prone 2016 Cretu is no more than 25%.
We clarified a little the situation of measuring the thickness of the paintwork: it turned out that this indicator is less in problem areas. After this information "bomb", all experts agreed that the main problem lies in the uneven layer of paintwork. Almost immediately, videos appeared on the Internet, on which the paintwork thickness measuring device shows only 80 microns - this is very small. Of course, everything can be attributed to the wrong setting of the device, but the presence of a problem confirms many other facts. Most likely, this is precisely the main reason that Creta rusts.
We decided to conduct an experiment by independently measuring the thickness of the paintwork of problematic cars of a Korean company. Of course, we failed to detect extreme indicators of 80 microns, but there was an uneven layer. For the purity of the experiment, we chose cars of different colors of 2016 and 2017 release. Oddly enough, but all the "participants" showed approximately the same results.
The average thickness of Crete's paintwork is 110 microns. Thin, but this value can not be called critical. In general, the thickness of the paintwork on the surface of various body elements ranges from 120-150 microns.
This is normal for a factory painted car. But there are examples showing great contrast in terms of thickness.
On one of the vehicles, the paint thickness under the mirrors is 160 microns and above the door handle is 120 microns. It is not known how it happened, because the painting process is fully automated. The developers also left this moment without comment.
Almost every automobile concern faced similar problems. In most cases, the trunk lid was the most problematic area, namely the niches under the plastic lining. Literally after a year or two of operation, rust began to spread to the entire body. This is true for the first Ford Focus and Mazda CX9. Toyota stood out noticeably, offering new cars with rusting hoods. In the situation with Ford and Mazda, the problem area was simply repainted. The Toyota dealer, known for its loyalty to consumers, has created a large-scale service promotion offering free replacement of problem parts.
Output
If you carefully analyze all such cases, we can conclude that Creta rusts in one specific place - other body elements are not subject to such a “sore”. The biggest disappointment was the concealment of the causes of the problem and the diligent omission of the facts - this is unfair to customers. Everyone is wrong. Similar misses happened to both Ford and Mercedes. But unlike Hyundai, these dealers immediately admitted their mistakes.
Galvanization Hyundai body Creta
The table indicates whether the body is galvanized Hyundai car Creta, produced from 2015 to 2019,and processing quality.
| Treatment | Type | Method | Body condition | |
| 2015 | Partial | Cold galvanized | The result of galvanization: Bad The machine is already 4 years old. Given the age and quality of the zinc treatment of this machine (under normal operating conditions), the first corrosion will begin after 2 years. |
|
| 2016 | Partial | Cold galvanized | application of a zinc-containing coating | The result of galvanization: Bad The machine is already 3 years old. Given the age and quality of the zinc treatment of this machine (under normal operating conditions), the first corrosion will begin after 3 years. |
| 2017 | Partial | Cold galvanized | application of a zinc-containing coating | The result of galvanization: Bad The machine is already 2 years old. Given the age and quality of the zinc treatment of this machine (under normal operating conditions), the first corrosion will begin after 4 years. |
| 2018 | Partial | Cold galvanized | application of a zinc-containing coating | The result of galvanization: Bad The machine is already 1 year old. Given the age and quality of the zinc treatment of this machine (under normal operating conditions), the first corrosion will begin after 5 years. |
| 2019 | Partial | Cold galvanized | application of a zinc-containing coating | The result of galvanization: Bad The machine is produced this year. Given the age and quality of the zinc treatment of this machine (under normal operating conditions), the first corrosion will begin after 6 years. |
Types of processing
Over the years, the processing itself has changed. Younger car - will always be galvanized better!
Types of galvanization
The presence of zinc particles in the ground covering the body - does not affect its protection and is used by the manufacturer for the word "galvanization" in promotional materials. . Tests The test results of cars that left the assembly line with the same damage (cross) on the bottom of the front right door. The tests were carried out in the laboratory. Conditions in a hot salt mist chamber for 40 days correspond to 5 years of normal operation. hot dip galvanized car(layer thickness 12–15 µm) 
Galvanized car(layer thickness 5–10 µm) 
cold galvanized car(layer thickness 10 µm) 
Zinc metal car
Car without galvanization
It's important to know— Over the years, manufacturers have improved the technology of galvanizing their cars. A younger car will always be better galvanized! – Coating thickness 2 to 10 µm(micrometers) provides excellent protection against the occurrence and spread of corrosion damage. - The rate of destruction of the active zinc layer, at the site of damage to the body, is from 1 to 6 microns per year. Zinc is more actively destroyed at elevated temperatures. - If the manufacturer has the term "galvanized" not added "full" This means that only the impacted elements were processed. - Pay more attention to the presence of a manufacturer's warranty on the body, rather than loud phrases about galvanizing from advertising. Additionally
Those who noticed pockets of corrosion on the trunk lid appeared in early 2017. Basically, distinct traces of swelling of the paintwork flaunted on the outer panel of the body element. And often the trouble overtook fresh cars that were operated for only three to four months. In the initial period, it seemed that the problem affected only the owners of cars of certain colors (white and silver), but the rest of the palette was quickly “noted” as well.
Employees of most dealerships behaved correctly and after inspecting the cars, they decided to repaint the suspicious part. Although there were enough cases when negligent warranty engineers managed to find mythical traces of external mechanical impact(micro-chips) and unfolded the owners. According to representatives of one of the dealer services, already in February 2017, technical centers began to send information on this problem to the manufacturer. The plant instructed to repaint or change covers depending on the specific case, and also send parts to him for examination.Alas, ordinary owners were in an informational vacuum, and the manufacturer did not indulge in comments, limiting himself to saying that the percentage of problem cars was negligible compared to the volume of all cars sold up to that moment. As a result, passions and disputes flared up on the forums in an attempt to independently understand the issue and understand the real extent of the trouble. According to the results of questionnaires on websites, about 25% of owners encountered. A logical continuation of the story was a collective electronic petition addressed to the manufacturer. True, she did not collect as many signatures as expected.
Hyundai, including for paintwork (5 years or 150,000 km) and, basically, a friendly policy of dealers in this matter. However, owners were very concerned about the nature of the rust problem. If the trunk lid gave up so quickly, then what can happen in a year or two with the rest of the body?! In addition, messages and photos of corrosion centers on the inner edges of the body element began to appear on the forums. Swelling of the paintwork appeared in the areas of rolling of the cover panels and on the edges of the niches under the lanterns. The reviews of some owners did not add optimism, talking about the reappearance of rust after repainting the cover and even after replacing it.
The result of an internal study of the issue was the release in May of this year of a technical bulletin prepared by the manufacturer. The document prescribes a mandatory inspection of cars manufactured between July 26 and December 15, 2016, which come to the service for any work. If corrosion is found in the places described above, the dealer must repair (repaint) or replace the cover. The issue is resolved in each case after cleaning the rust. If its traces cannot be completely removed, then it is necessary to replace the body element. Unfortunately, the bulletin does not contain information about the causes of the defect and changes in production.
ON THE COFFEE GROUNDS
Alas, the manufacturer did not give any comments on the request of the editors of "Behind the wheel" about the details of the rust problem. Therefore, it remains only to make assumptions, comparing the information received from some dealers and on the forums of the owners, as well as the experience of operating Crete in our fleet.
Judging by the fact that the service bulletin applies to machines manufactured before December 15, 2016, there is hope that the causes of the defect have been found and changes have been made to the technological chain on the conveyor. At least there is no information about similar problems on cars of 2017 release yet. The manufacturer did not want to reveal the secret, and the dealership employees are armed only with assumptions about the causes of such a strange problem.
The actual scale is also unclear. Questionnaires at two major forums showed that about 25% of owners encountered rust. However, only 850 people took part in these votings. The collective electronic petition has not collected so much either - today it has only 427 signatures. For understanding, almost 22,000 Crete were sold in 2016. Some dealers also talk about the low percentage of "sick" cars identified during the period of the service bulletin. That is, on paper, owners of cars manufactured before December 15, 2016 do not have much chance of seeing rust on the trunk lid, but no one is immune from this.
In the process of disputes about the nature of rust, a curious fact surfaced - uneven and in some places too small layer thickness. There are videos on the Internet where the instruments show only 80 microns on the edges of the body panels, as if there is no varnish. At the same time, the video participants confirm on calibrated probes that the thickness gauge is calibrated correctly.
Paint thickness has been tested on several machines. It was not possible to see examples with indecently low 80 microns, but there were some thin and too heterogeneous places. The experiment involved two Cretes from our fleet (2016) and several new cars (2017) that were still waiting for buyers. In general, all participants with different body colors showed similar results.
Indeed, the coating layer on the edges of the body panels is thin (100–110 microns), but these are not criminal values. For the most part, the difference in thickness across the entire vehicle ranges from 120 to 150 microns, which is normal for new car in factory paint. However, there are examples of a very significant discrepancy on one body element. The brightest of them is the ribs of the front doors. Under the mirrors, the calibrated instrument shows about 160 microns, and above the handle - 120 microns. Strange numbers, given that it is robotized in all modern factories. Alas, these facts were left without comment from the manufacturer.
Many auto giants distinguished themselves with “rusty” problems at one time. Some of them were famous weak spots on the trunk lid - niches under the plastic lining. After a couple of years of operation, rust appeared in these places. This hurt the second generation and the first Mazda CX-9. Toyota stood out more brightly with rusting hoods on fresh cars. In the first case, when the owner complained during the warranty period and there were no traces of external influence, the part was repainted, and in the second case, the manufacturer, known for its recall campaign policy, organized a whole service campaign to correct the defect on the cars sold.
Given the many years of experience of similar ones, it is unlikely that problems with the trunk lid on Krets speak of misses throughout the body. However, the Koreans could have shown more attention to the concerns of the owners and lifted the veil of secrecy. Sooner or later, all auto giants make mistakes, especially for cars of the first years of production. No one raises suspicions and questions when the manufacturer admits some mistakes and announces adjustments to the production cycle, not forgetting about warranty obligations to the owners of potentially “sick” machines. But the information vacuum only cultivates fears and generates negativity.
Photo: Stas Panin and club-creta.ru
Why do the new Hyundai Creta rust - investigation "Behind the wheel" Why rust new Hyundai Creta - investigation "Behind the wheel"