Rehab of 2008 Weber Genesis E-320 with Major Rust and Corrosion


 
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Dan Mulls

TVWBB Member
I have recently acquired a 2008 Weber Genesis E-320 and don't know where to start my rehab project. I am doing this project on the cheap because I recently rebuilt two other 20 year old Weber Genesis 1000 Redheads for friends and family.

I called Weber customer care and they said they don't understand how it is possible that the hood is rusting and it is not covered under warranty since I am the 2nd owner. So I am S.O.L. on warranty replacement of any of these parts. The not so nice Weber rep stated I should sand the rust out and repaint it with bbq paint from home depot. Thanks for the not so great advice lady. She started out not helpful and ended up being down right rude by the end of the call because I was not the original owner. I don't know how you all get warranty parts as second or third owners. I am up the creek without a paddle.

So where should I start guys/gals?
 
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Well I can tell you looking at the photo of the lid its easy to see why it rusted. The porcelain is chipped. Nothing can save that and Weber would not cover that damage regardless. It would be like driving your brand new car in a hail storm and than wondering why you cannot get warranty on the paint chips. As for the bottom oh boy it is definitely gone. I would bet this thing sat on either concrete or on grass. Concrete is the worst. Reason; is the moisture vapor that comes off concrete is corrosive due to the lime and such. You can see damage like this when people store a car in garage over winter. The body looks great but the chassis rusts out.
Sadly yes I agree $100 was too much for this grill as at best IMO it is a donor piece more than anything. You could probably make a new lower piece from sheet aluminum, the lid carefully take the rust off the area and I would just "season" it with a little oil with the lid hot the oil will soak in and help. But porcelain is basically powdered glass fused to the metal. Once that glass is "broken" it's gone forever. Sorry
 
Wow, it needs a new bottom, back and at least one side frame, which will cost more than the grill is worth. I've seen better grills that people either gave away or threw away. Yes, you paid too much. WAY too much. But, it is a lesson learned.
It may have some good parts to give to another late model Genesis that is still solid, or you could build a brick stand for it and make it a built-in grill. Or, if you have lots of time on your hands and can cut and weld steel, you could build new parts for it.

Don't feel bad, I've learned this lesson the hard way as well. They newer Genesis and Summits (2007-up) do not stand up to neglect. They need to be kept under roof or under cover and they need to have the drip tray cleaned out after each use.
 
Well, you are going to have to prove to your friends and family that you got a good deal, period.

I posted a porcelain repair tutorial a couple weeks ago.
You won't have to go to that extent though...the spot is small...I would touch it up with high temp paint.
Check your local auto parts store for paint options.

On the bottom shelf, get with a local sheet metal shop and have them bend you up a replacement.
Someone will have to take precise measurements and probably have to design in some mounting flanges.
Use Pop Rivets to attach the new shelf.

The cooking grate looks like stainless steel so it should clean up well.
 
That said, put it on craigs and see if you can recover some if not all of your $100
 
Ouch...I could not find one for less than $200 in my area. New Yorkers want top dollar for their items.

I just called Weber again and they said the shelf is $63 and the caster $15 each plus $7 for shipping. So $100 for the bare minimum.
 
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I rehabbed/flipped an 08' Genesis last spring and I thought the thing was the biggest POS Weber has made. While my bottom panel wasn't that bad, it still had to be replaced. The side frame pieces weren't great, but re-usable. I vowed to not flip any more of the newer style Weber grills.

Good luck on this rehab as you're gunna need it. I suggest just ordering the parts (search ereplacement and grillparts for cost comparisons) because by the time you have a local fab something up --- it'll most likely cost more than OEM
 
Chad Bman said:
I rehabbed/flipped an 08' Genesis last spring and I thought the thing was the biggest POS Weber has made. While my bottom panel wasn't that bad, it still had to be replaced. The side frame pieces weren't great, but re-usable. I vowed to not flip any more of the newer style Weber grills.

Good luck on this rehab as you're gunna need it. I suggest just ordering the parts (search ereplacement and grillparts for cost comparisons) because by the time you have a local fab something up --- it'll most likely cost more than OEM
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Very interesting, I love being part of this community.

I really thought I made out good lol. Insult to injury I had to borrow a pickup and drive 110 miles roundtrip...fuel was $40. People out on the East end of Long Island sell their Weber 1000s and older Genesis Silver/Golds for $100 to $250. Of course they are also found curbside daily.

I missed 5 prior E310 /E320s for $250ish over the past 3 months. The cheapest is $425 at the moment so I guess I can sit and wait for a better deal to come along or just work on this one. Decisions decisions.
 
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Anything that a shop would fab up would cost much more than a factory replacement part.
You don't just need a new bottom, you need at least one new side frame (the frame is built into the side panels) and a back. They are all structural components to some extent, but the sides especially. Sometimes you can find parts on Ebay for less.

Yes, the '07 and up Weber gas grills will corrode all to hell if neglected. I've seen it time an again.
 
To the OP don't lose any sleep over it. You may have a paid a few bucks more for it than necessary but with some elbow grease, thrifty part shopping or fabricating you might end up with a decent grill.
 
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That grill still has a lot of hot dogs and burgers left in it, if you aren't a purest you could fix that bottom shelf with a piece of marine plywood touch up the hood give it a good cleaning and you would be good to go.
 
If you go carbon steel you should be able to fab and save over cost of the Weber part.
Keep the design simple.
SS will not be cost effective.
Prime and paint it.
 
Wow Dan that's a tuff call! I just bought a E320 ng with the hose, shut off valve and in mint condition for $125 three weeks ago and love it. We are blessed here in dry Arizona where rust isn't allowed.
If it was me and you really want that style of grill (which I wanted for the east/west burners) I would look for one in better condition and take the best off of both to make a decent one and sell the rest for parts to cut your loses.
Good luck on whatever you decide to do.
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Rich Dahl said:
Wow Dan that's a tuff call! I just bought a E320 ng with the hose, shut off valve and in mint condition for $125 three weeks ago and love it. We are blessed here in dry Arizona where rust isn't allowed.
If it was me and you really want that style of grill (which I wanted for the east/west burners) I would look for one in better condition and take the best off of both to make a decent one and sell the rest for parts to cut your loses.
Good luck on whatever you decide to do.
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That is an insane steal, I mean deal! Don't get me wrong when I said New Yorkers are tight with their pricing...I meant me too lol. When I sell on Craigslist I get top dollar for my items. I recently ran out of items to sell so I am going to have to go shopping in my garage to help fund this project.
 
Hope this is a better deal

I almost don't want to get too excited over what I'm about to share, in case the deal falls through. I've had a "want to buy" craigslist ad posted for a Weber E320 to try and score another for cheaper and hybrid them if need be. Since I have the LP parts on this one, It doesn't matter if the 2nd one is NG or LP.

So since last week I was emailing everybody with E-320 grills that are all around $400 or higher and I was asking if they would go to $200-$250. Can't hurt to ask right? So no replies all week. But then last night I received an email that a family about 40 miles from me is moving out of state next month and they are trying to sell their household contents as a "lot" of furniture during the move. The list included a "$1,200 Weber grill" and this family emailed me asked if I was interested. I don't need the furniture but I am interested in the grill so not even knowing the model I replied "Sorry, I probably can't afford it so I don't want to waste your family's time during your big move. I am only working with $200 cash at the moment."

I assumed they would delete my email upon reading it. But to my surprise they replied "Sure you can come pick it up in a couple weeks when we are out there and we will take your $200 offer. Now I am interested....I replied "what model Weber is this?" The guy replies in seconds with "A couple year old entirely stainless Genesis with side burner". I started doing back flips, just to make sure he knows which I am looking for I sent him a picture of a newer S-320 and an old stainless Weber Genesis Gold...He replied again in seconds "yeah that newer one". I am ecstatic.

So lets see if this guy comes through with his side of the offer. I will drop everything to get a new style S-320 for $200. So I will sell the blue genesis, so NO money is getting sunk into it until this deal either goes through or falls through. Thanks guys.
 
If you decide to part out the LP parts from your blue one let me know. I bought a nice ep320ng last week, but am having second thoughts about running a gas line....
 
Well you could PM me with a fair price for the side burner off the blue. I have a 310 with no side that I always wanted.
I had the same issue with the bottom self I cleaned it up sanded and painted it with POR15 then top coated it with silver paint it will. Never rust again I am now thinking of do the same to rest of the cabinet.
 
Kevin L (NKY) said:
Well you could PM me with a fair price for the side burner off the blue. I have a 310 with no side that I always wanted.
I had the same issue with the bottom self I cleaned it up sanded and painted it with POR15 then top coated it with silver paint it will. Never rust again I am now thinking of do the same to rest of the cabinet.
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Let me see how the stainless genesis pans out....if it falls through and I don't find another one within the next two weeks I am going to rebuild the blue one.

However if the stainless genesis is mine within the next few weeks....I can definitely work something out for you on that left shelf/burner.

PM me our zip for shipping quote purposes.
 
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