what does weber customer support do if the lid/firebox rust and they do not make these parts anymore?? these grills are under warranty for 3-4 more years!
The owner's manual (p/n 92776 dated 10/98) for my 2002 Summit 450 lists the warranty as follows:
Aluminum Castings: 25 years
Cooking Grates and Flavorizer Bars: 7 years
All Remaining Parts: 5 years
If you download other versions of the owner's manual from manual websites, (some dated 1997, the first year for this grill) they also list the same warranty as above. I have yet to see a Summit owner's manual that lists something different (not saying there isn't one, just that I haven't seen it).
Lids never rust through in 5 years, so Weber never has to worry about that.
As for the firebox, the problem with this grill is that only the ends of the firebox are cast aluminum. The front, bottom, and back of the firebox is porcelain-enameled steel which falls into the "all remaining parts" category, and it's some of these parts that have problems with rust. Since 2002 was the last year for this grill, those parts went out of warranty in 2007 or 2008 at the latest.
I think some people mistook "aluminum castings" for "firebox" and tried to make warranty claims as if the porcelain-enameled parts of the firebox were covered for 25 years, when they were not. The cast aluminum parts will probably never fail on their own, so like the lid Weber never really has to worry about replacing those parts under warranty. But it's unfortunate that Weber doesn't make replacement parts for the porcelain-enameled parts of the firebox that are known to have rust problems. However, I kind of get it because they probably didn't sell a lot of 1997-2002 Summits like they did Genesis grills over the same time frame, and they're not obligated to offer replacements beyond the 5 year warranty period. But that kind of stinks for your top-of-the-line grill owner.
However, before you can even attempt a warranty claim, there are multiple trip wires that can prevent you from making a claim, the first one being:
"Weber may require reasonable proof of your date of purchase. THEREFORE, YOU SHOULD RETAIN YOUR SALES SLIP OR INVOICE." (Their emphasis, not mine.)
Do I have my receipt? Maybe, not sure.
And there are trip wires for accident, abuse, misuse, alteration, misapplication, vandalism, improper installation or improper maintenance or service, or failure to perform normal and routine maintenance (you HAVE been cleaning your grill diligently all these years, haven't you?) including but not limited to damage caused by insects within the burner tubes. And there are disclaimers for severe weather, earthquake, acid rain, chemicals in the atmosphere, and on and on.
In other words, you're screwed. There's no way you're making a warranty claim! Seriously, Weber is really good about going above and beyond on warranty claims for most grills, but the 1997-2002 Summit might be the exception to the rule.
Anyway, this photo from Larry shows what happened to his Summit, you should look for similar damage in the Summit you're considering.
https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?54858-Neglected-ol-Summit&p=606339&viewfull=1#post606339