Hi, just bought a 53 plate (January 2004) Focus 1.8 Ghia (hatch) and also noticed the rust near the chrome strip. Will look into this and see if there's some sort of warrenty going which will cover this. I had a 10 year old Astra before this and no rust at all on that one, in fact this is one of the youngest cars I've owned and the only one with rust!! Will keep you posted if I make any progress. Bas