tried that zone manager said it was because the windscreen had been replaced
but had it checked by an bodyshop and was told it was rust coming from the
inside and nothing to do with the w.s.  I got back in touch with A.R. and
was told that they were sticking with the zone manager

Hi,
Rust has always been a problem in cars. But not only in Italian cars
as some reporters like to remind us.
Yes Alfas and fiats, Lancias and so on did have a bad name years ago,
but what these reporters fail to say, maybe because they have a lack
of expierience with cars from the past, is that so did the British,
and French.
You go back to the good old Cortina, the Mk1 was a car that would last
4/5 years before having work carried out on the body, if looked after.
The Mk2 and Mk3, if you got to 3 years you had to start counting your
money in case you could not afford the bill. In fact, I welded a new
boot floor and B post into a 2 year old Mk3 so that the owner could
get rid of it.
Then there was the 60/s pride and joy, the Mini.Where the rear
subframe would last 2/3 years if you were lucky, then after
repacement, I have known them to last 18 months. Plus the wings would
rot off in the same time.
Now, comparing the new Alfa's with other cars.
I have posted messages on here before about my cars against other cars
I have had. I now own a 3 series BMW, plus a 147 Alfa, I had a 146
from 95 till 02, when I sold it, you could not find a spot of rust
anywhere.
The BMW I own at present is 5 year old with 50k miles on the clock. It
has had a complete new back panel fitted after 2 years [by the BMW
dealers] because the rust being too far gone to clean up. After 5
years, that new panel has got rust in the same place.
Don't try and tell me that Alfa's are rust buckets now.
You will find that the people that call Alfas, and Fiats, have never
had anything to do with Italian cars, and have only driven Ford
Escorts or Vauxhall Novas.
Sorry to go on a bit, but I cannot stand people who bring cars down
before they even sit in one, let alone drive one.
Maybe if they spent their money and bought an Alfa or a Fiat, instead
of buying spare parts and body panels for their Fords & Vauxhalls they
might enjoy life.
John.