Rust on cars... Especially Mercedes!
Discussion
bozmandb9 said:
Gallen said:
here's a nice link to a 10 year old A-Class:
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w168-class/1469835...
Other Merc rust:
I looked at a 51 plate 230 CLK (described as good condition) which had rust bubbles on practically every panel.
G.
We should have a challenge, to find a ten year old Mercedes with no paintwork/ bodywork done, and no rust! Any contenders? Bet we don't find an E-class.http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w168-class/1469835...
Other Merc rust:
I looked at a 51 plate 230 CLK (described as good condition) which had rust bubbles on practically every panel.
G.
I have a 96 E36, and funnily enough I have some rust. Rear arches, under the boot handle, on the sill (very strange one that, it is a vertical line going downwards? Its only on the surface, looks like something has been trapped in the door) and at the bottom of the drivers door. It doesn't bother mee too much however, as the car is 15 years old and means people don;t expect a rusty old BM to move quite as quickly as it does 
I have seen some hideous CLK's round here though, front wings with more rust than paint, C-pillars with holes in them, all sorts.
I have seen some hideous CLK's round here though, front wings with more rust than paint, C-pillars with holes in them, all sorts.
My 02 focus is a bit tatty with rust. the rolled edges at the door bottoms, the rear door shut faces at the base.
I'd get grumpy about it except for the amount of stuff that does work and keeps working long after I'd expect it to give up the ghost. I think its nothing short of witchcraft that the a/c, electric windows, electric / heated mirrors, cd changer, electric boot release, remote central locking, trip computer etc is all working perfectly after nearly 10 years and 140k miles.
If id bought a car in the mid 90s with that level of gubbinsery I would expect it to be at least 50% non-functional requiring expensive repairs inside 5 or 6 years.
Yes, I mostly do buy italian cars, why do you ask?
I'd get grumpy about it except for the amount of stuff that does work and keeps working long after I'd expect it to give up the ghost. I think its nothing short of witchcraft that the a/c, electric windows, electric / heated mirrors, cd changer, electric boot release, remote central locking, trip computer etc is all working perfectly after nearly 10 years and 140k miles.
If id bought a car in the mid 90s with that level of gubbinsery I would expect it to be at least 50% non-functional requiring expensive repairs inside 5 or 6 years.
Yes, I mostly do buy italian cars, why do you ask?
For this very reason I chose not to go for the CLK I really liked, and plumped for the 'rusty' Alfa!
My old Alfa 145 cloverleaf, 1998, had spotless bodywork when I chopped it in last year, and I only ever cleaned it through the autowash at the petrol station...
But people still call Alfas rustbuckets!! Merc will now suffer this indignity for the next decade or so, now that the rusty secrets are becoming ever more public.
My old Alfa 145 cloverleaf, 1998, had spotless bodywork when I chopped it in last year, and I only ever cleaned it through the autowash at the petrol station...
But people still call Alfas rustbuckets!! Merc will now suffer this indignity for the next decade or so, now that the rusty secrets are becoming ever more public.
Twincam16 said:
bozmandb9 said:
Gallen said:
here's a nice link to a 10 year old A-Class:
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w168-class/1469835...
Other Merc rust:
I looked at a 51 plate 230 CLK (described as good condition) which had rust bubbles on practically every panel.
G.
We should have a challenge, to find a ten year old Mercedes with no paintwork/ bodywork done, and no rust! Any contenders? Bet we don't find an E-class.http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w168-class/1469835...
Other Merc rust:
I looked at a 51 plate 230 CLK (described as good condition) which had rust bubbles on practically every panel.
G.
The first two have probably been caused due to a dirt catchment area in the front wing collecting mud and staying wet for prolonged periods, hence they have most likely rotted from behind the panel outwards and this would really require a new wing unless you wanted to bodge it up.
It's not so much body work rust that should be of concern it's the stuff you don't see, such as mounting points on the chassis, I realize aesthetically this is what most people notice but a car can look perfectly acceptable on the painted exterior yet can have the structural rigidity of wet card where it is not so easily spotted.
I had a W209 CLK, 29k miles on the clock (2 years old) and bought from a MB dealership. It started to rust on the rear arches and boot lid so after a drawn out process with dealership & then directly with MBUK, these were eventually sorted under warranty. A few weeks after getting the car back, I noticed spidering on the bonnet. Straw, camels back etc, car sold back to MB a year to the day from purchase. Left quite a sour taste in the mouth. Will never ever consider a modern Merc again after that experience.
I have to agree,but surprisingly there are way too many rusty and not too old Mercedes cars out there. Especialy compared to other cars, a lot of times much cheaper ones.
My A-class rear arches rust very bad, the rest of the car, underneath etc is all sealed behind plastic panels so i don't know what's hidden there yet.
I had 2 BMW's over the last few years, both were rusting fast!
I had an Audi A4 years ago...and that looked to last well, with no rust anywhere.
5 years ago I had a 10 year old Citroen Xantia, and it was literally rust free to the day I sold it.
A few years back I bought a 1989 Toyota Town-Ace and used it to carry some stuff from time to time...i paid £200 for it and it was virtually rust free. I replaced it with a Toyota Lucida 1992, and to this day a 19 year old car is totally rust free, even on a few scratches and chips.
I also had a Nissan Micra (the cheapest car I have ever owned) which rusted only in one place...the bit where the radiator is seating on behind the bumper. I had a £25 replacement panel fitted and that was all so far.
Mechanical problems too....
Surprisingly only BMW let me down (both of them) so far and they were the ones driven the least.
I have heard a lot of stories about Mercedes very costly fuel management system problems but so far I'm OK on that bit(touch wood).
The micra had a fluid leak for ages, and I never paid too much attention to it because all the fluids looked within normal levels...but it turned out to be the Auto gearbox which eventually run out dry, and the car was stalling, but still managed to drive home 20 miles distance. The fluid capacity was 2.4 liters I think, and I did put 2.5 liters to bring it to the dip-stick level. The car works fine ever since and the leak was from a high pressure hose which got loose and needed tightening....which i did myself in 30 seconds.
My conclusion.....Unbelievable how unreliable some expensive cars are!!
My A-class rear arches rust very bad, the rest of the car, underneath etc is all sealed behind plastic panels so i don't know what's hidden there yet.
I had 2 BMW's over the last few years, both were rusting fast!
I had an Audi A4 years ago...and that looked to last well, with no rust anywhere.
5 years ago I had a 10 year old Citroen Xantia, and it was literally rust free to the day I sold it.
A few years back I bought a 1989 Toyota Town-Ace and used it to carry some stuff from time to time...i paid £200 for it and it was virtually rust free. I replaced it with a Toyota Lucida 1992, and to this day a 19 year old car is totally rust free, even on a few scratches and chips.
I also had a Nissan Micra (the cheapest car I have ever owned) which rusted only in one place...the bit where the radiator is seating on behind the bumper. I had a £25 replacement panel fitted and that was all so far.
Mechanical problems too....
Surprisingly only BMW let me down (both of them) so far and they were the ones driven the least.
I have heard a lot of stories about Mercedes very costly fuel management system problems but so far I'm OK on that bit(touch wood).
The micra had a fluid leak for ages, and I never paid too much attention to it because all the fluids looked within normal levels...but it turned out to be the Auto gearbox which eventually run out dry, and the car was stalling, but still managed to drive home 20 miles distance. The fluid capacity was 2.4 liters I think, and I did put 2.5 liters to bring it to the dip-stick level. The car works fine ever since and the leak was from a high pressure hose which got loose and needed tightening....which i did myself in 30 seconds.
My conclusion.....Unbelievable how unreliable some expensive cars are!!
my 98 Renault megane scenic failed MOT due to extensive rust of various bits of chassis underneath. I sold it on ebay for 300 quid or something and a welder bought it to do it up. The panels mostly looked alright though. And mechanically it was still ok too.
Edited by CoolHands on Thursday 28th July 12:40
calibrax said:
Makes me chuckle when I see issues like this with so-called "premium" brands. Yet the Rover 75 dates back to 1998, and it's VERY rare to find rust on them.
Which just goes to show that the stereotypical assumptions about certain brands are very often incorrect!
I never seem to see rust on MG/Rovers other than scrapes which have been left. Actually very well protected/painted cars! Which just goes to show that the stereotypical assumptions about certain brands are very often incorrect!
HellDiver said:
Mk3 Mondeos are supposed to rot furiously along the bottom of the doors. My 54-plate has no rust anywhere. At all. Even the mashed sill (car vs bollard) isn't rusting.
very common on early Mk3's, but Ford will sort it under warranty.We took ours in (02 Plate) with a couple of bubbles and they just took some photographs to send to Ford UK, then a few weeks later the work had been approved. Didn't ask to see the Service History etc.
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