993 rust bubbles below front screen

[brian7136]

Just looked at 993 with view to purchase. Lovely car but has the dreaded rust bubbles on the front scuttle adjacent the screen rubber for a length of about 75mm in line with the steering column. How big a job is it to let in new metal? The screen has to come out presumably, but does the dash have to come out? Any experience of cost out there? Does it suggest corrosion problems elsewhere?

[skibbatechno]

Common fault I have experienced the same with mine and it was a windscreen out job, I forget the exact price but it wasn't terribly expensive.

[sambaman]

Definate screen out , rust wise depends how bad it is , doubtful the dash has to come
out unless it needs welding .. You won't know until the screen is removed ... More than likely a easy repair ... But yes pretty common ........

[KH]

My experience.

I got a cracked screen from a lorry on the motorway and had to have it replaced. When the fitter took the screen out, he found a couple of tiny rust bubbles in the aperture, and a couple of miniscule ones above the rubber at the top, which meant having to have the scuttle and the whole roof painted. Whic meant finding a bodyshop urgently and getting the car there with no windscreen (in January).

When that was completed, the windscreen place got through 3 Porsche windscreens, supplied by OPC, before they could find one to fit. And then it creaked afterwards. The screen was £75 on insurance, the bodywork cost over £900, the subsequent cost of finding someone who knew what they were doing and rectifying the windscreen fitter's work was £300 (fitting tape properly etc).

2 months off the road, more stress than Jo Brand's knicker elastic, and a whopping bill for two month's car hire to the insurance company who eventually paid up but only after a massive fight and me threatening court action etc.

If the car you are thinking of buying belongs to a dealer, then get him to have it all fixed, and then take it out in the rain before you finally buy it and check that it doesn't squeak or creak because if does, it will drive you insane.

If it's a private sale, I personally would knock off at least £1000 and then add another £6000 to pay for a ten-day stay at somewhere like Champneys to recuperate.

[x12yhp]

Mine has just been in for some rust around the wiper. Like others have said, it was a screen out job (convenient since the blooming screen had just got cracked by a big lump of something solid) but not too painful. I have not got the bill yet but it should be less than £500 (including my screen excess). I am left hoping that the screen has been installed correctly and will listen carefully when i get it back (nearly 3 frigging weeks thanks to some sod coming in with a 'rush job' before a show! GRRR).

[Pickled Piper]

As others have said, you are looking at 500 notes upwards for a proper repair. This means the screen comes out.

Many 993s are similarly afflicted. They are all getting on a bit now. If the car is sound in other respects just factor it into your negotiations.

pp

[Cornish 993]

Just Spent Two grand having my windscreen done. But paid to have a good job done. I had the whole of the Screen surround done and the scuttle panel. All re spayed including the roof which was painted back to the rear spoiler to blend the colour in. Not an easy job with 16 year old metallic paintwork.

[another993tt]

potentially very bad news. Can result in the dash and most of the interior coming out - and then half the front of the car ends up being resprayed to blend the new paint into the existing panels. I'd get some quotes on the repair before committing myself. Once bitten, ...

[Orangecurry]

IIRC Langley Autocraft is apparently the place to use?

Cornish 993 said:

Just Spent Two grand having my windscreen done. But paid to have a good job done. I had the whole of the Screen surround done and the scuttle panel. All re spayed including the roof which was painted back to the rear spoiler to blend the colour in. Not an easy job with 16 year old metallic paintwork.

I hope that included the rear screen?

[Cornish 993]

Orangecurry said:

I hope that included the rear screen?

Yes it did.

[Cornish 993]

This is what lurks under those tiny bubbles.

[Cornish 993]

[Cornish 993]

]

Not many cars that don't need this doing, unless they already had it done.

[KH]

If you think there's no rust on your 993, it's because you haven't found it yet.

And if the car's Silver, even the best painter in the world will never match the rest of the car.

Edited by KH on Friday 10th June 22:24

[cragswinter]

KH said:

If you think there's no rust on your 993, it's because you haven't found it yet

I don't beleive that at all, corrosion like any other car (in the bumper supports or on various nuts & bolts etc) but serious structural rust like the thread is about does not afflict every 993.

I would however, be wary about buying a car that was showing rust around the windscreen (or more to the point I wouldn't buy one without a hefty discount), but the good news is that with the 993 a car can simply be affected in that sole area, it being a bit of a design flaw.

My old 993 didn't have any rust, however there was quite a bit of paperwork from when the car was quite young regarding the noisy front screen. Porsche fitted Teflon tape but I wonder if something else was done at the same time that stopped the wear on the window surround thus negating the user if corrosion there?

[Orangecurry]

KH said:

If you think there's no rust on your 993, it's because you haven't found it yet.

Not true! I had to change my screen a few years back, and I got Camtune to do it for me. There was no rust in the aperture, but there was a big stone-chip spot on the frame which was going rusty, so I had it painted whilst the screen was out.

I've sealed the screens (really? ) so they can't rust in there.

KH said:

And if the car's Silver, even the best painter in the world will never match the rest of the car.

Yep - that's true

[MrCooke]

KH said:

And if the car's Silver, even the best painter in the world will never match the rest of the car.

Simply not true.

Shade differences in silver are easier to spot, but that doesn't mean a perfect match cannot be obtained.

[KH]

What I'm saying is that if the screen on a 993 has never been replaced, or sealed a la Mr Curry from Day 1, you're going to find rust under there.

Re the colour match, even if it's a 100% perfect match, there's always some smartarse body man who will point out that it's been painted.