Rust on 944 rear wheelarch

[davey68]

Hi guys, had a look at a couple of 944 turbos over the weekend. one had some rust forming on the edges of the rear wheelarch, something i would definately want to get sorted. How big a problem is this? i know the bodies were galvanised so rush 'shouldnt' of been a problem. How much would this cost to repair? (if it can be done properly). Or should i just walk and find a rust free example?

cheers
dave

[randlemarcus]

Yes, the bodies were galvanised, but they're getting on,and a few things can breach the galvanising, including panel damage, and dodgy applications of stone guard. Hav e just had some bubbling repaired on mine, so its not a huge issue, but should appear on the cosmetics list, i.e. if you find a sweet mechanical and interior, you might be able to overlook a little rust over a perfectly attired smoker.

[pcn1]

All four arches on mine have surface rust/flaking paint. This effects the rear of each arch at the bottom inner lip. Must be the stones and rain water doing its stuff. I intend to have them cleaned back to the metal and repainted. This really is cosmetic as the metal is all solid but if left for many years it will eat into the matal causing larger repair work.

Edited by pcn1 on Monday 24th July 11:19

[GarrettMacD]

I have this one one of the rear wheelarches aswell. I was going to get them stripped and re-painted, but is it possible to have it re-galvanised??? I know the shell is dipped into the galvanising solution at the BIW stage, but what about little touch-ups???
Seems pointless to get the wheelarches repaired and still have them prone to further corrosion.

[zcacogp]

I have a peculiar loathing of rust, and therefore avoided any S2 with any type of rust whatsoever.

BUT, as everyone has said, it's not a big deal - a good bodyshop will be able to grind it off and clean it up. Scale is the big issue - how much rust is there, and is it structural or just cosmetic? (Bear in mind that the latter can become the former, with time.)

I bought a non-rusty one, and have just applied gallons of waxoyl. Hoping that will keep it un-rusty ...


Oli.

[davey68]

Thanks guys. So if the car is sound mechanically and interior wise, rest of body is ok then its not a major issue. roughly what sort of price for a good bodyshop to sort out a rear arch? if i get the car inspected and the rest of it is sound it might be worth buying, haggling a bit off for the paint and any other little jobs.

cheers

[Tam Lin]

davey68 said:

stuff about 20 year old cars

Hi,
the thing to check if you can is if the rust is the result of a bodged repair. This was the case on my 924s, and required a new rear wing. Not cheap. At all.

Also remove the ventillation plastic thingy in the rear wing above the sill, and have a look down at the state of the inner/outer sill with a pencil torch. These seem to rust quite often. Ask me how I know

[cuneus]

Also worth checking the sills: these have been known to rust badly

There is a plastic vent on the rear of the door pillar. This can be prised off and a torch shone inside to get a good idea of the condition.

Sadly the wheelarch is a weak spot for stones, would apply some paint protection film if you have a repair done

Edited by cuneus on Monday 24th July 22:53

[pcn1]

Id guess about £250 to clean up the arches and paint, maybe more as it must be a days work. Depends on the quality of finish you want etc. I would be happy just to remove all the rust and protect the metal again. The pait could just be "touched" up or have the whole lower wing/door painted. Pays your money .......
Davey, you have had a 944 before, what brings you back to one ?

[HAB]

I think this came up in another 944 rust thread,but anyway...

There is drain slots running along the bottom of the sills, that must be kept clear to prevent moisture building up and rotting the sills from the inside.
Easy to get to with a thin blade screwdriver on the Lux and S,not so easy on Turbo/S2's due to the black plastic trim that runs along the sill.

[davey68]

I really liked my last 944 turbo. Always liked the style, performance and handling. We have a daily driver car so i wanted a fun 2nd car that could sit on the drive and just get weekend use and not depreciate like a stone in the process. I thought of a few other cars but bang for buck couldnt think of much better than a 250 turbo. If i get bored i can always go see promax :-)

[pcn1]

Is it true all the turbo's have A/C as standard ? I need AC in the next car as I find I dont want to drive the S2 when its 30 oC +. I jump in the old Saab 9000 and keep cool !!

[zcacogp]

pcn1 said:

Is it true all the turbo's have A/C as standard ? I need AC in the next car as I find I dont want to drive the S2 when its 30 oC +. I jump in the old Saab 9000 and keep cool !!

Yes, it's a bit sticky in weather like this, but do you really need to lug around all that heavy Air Con stuff for 52 weeks of the year, to only use it for 2 of them?

Add in the costs of maintaining it, fixing bits which go wrong, re-gassing it every 2 or 3 years and the dent in fuel economy when it's on, and I find that a removable sunroof is a winner hands down!


Oli.

[anonymous-user]

As I've mentioned before, I think 944s were built using galvanised panels, not the whole bodyshell dipped. (It would be nice if someone could prove me wrong on that one).
Therefore rust will sooner or later take hold.
Apply a cavity wax like Waxoyl or Dinitrol to your arches and sills and you will preserve your car, or slow down the rust that may already be there.