Found rust on my car tonight.

Check under the wheel arch lip on the rear :crybaby2: I was not impressed.

Did you have the same problem Dan? I noticed the plastic arch liner doesnt exactly cover this area where the rust is.

My early 2003 model is exactly the same.

Phil

Check these nasties out:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=28110&p=236408

It's a Land Rover what do you expect? :lol:

q-rover said:

It's a Land Rover what do you expect? :lol:

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I expect it to be made from aluminium and never rust is what I expect! Or I expect it to be ridiculously over engineered so it lasts forever like the P38. I don't know why I don't sell this stupid car and go back to a P38. Oh thats right it looks nice and has a heated steering wheel!

Seriously, a thin painted bit of steel in the wheel arch. WTF were they on that day? But then you only have to look at a 10 year old 5 series to see that BMW arent concerned with rust prevention.

Most bodyshops use a very small grit blaster to clean these areas and then apply rust preventer, two coats of primer and then a coat of stone guard.

I think the main prob is that there is nothing inside the wheel arch to prevent serious corrosion from the other side. I pressure wash the car regularly and always keep a nice coat of wax on it. But protecting from rust on the other side of the metal is a nightmare. In the post I linked to I found some rubber bits of trim I thought about installing, but nothing was suitable when I revisited that idea.

I'm loathed to rub down and rebuild the area for fear of making it worse. Bodywork has never been one of my strong points, I don't think I have the patients.

Yeah my Arches look the same as yours Dan. If only they built the plastic arch liner over the metal lip it would have prevented it. When It warms up a bit I'm going to take the arch liners rub the bad bits of rust out with wetndry then go over it all with Vactan. Then just gravitex it (like a spongey stone guard)I restored my 32 year old Ford Torino with Vactan and I don't have any rust coming back through. It turns the rust black and seals over the top with like a clear laquer. What a PITA though. It's going to take up a weekend.

The liner holds in water so after rain or washing ,the doors should be open to drain out water that the seal holds in i've seen no rust yet what so ever on my 03

minnesota mitch said:

The liner holds in water so after rain or washing ,the doors should be open to drain out water that the seal holds in i've seen no rust yet what so ever on my 03

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Good tip.

minnesota mitch said:

The liner holds in water so after rain or washing ,the doors should be open to drain out water that the seal holds in i've seen no rust yet what so ever on my 03

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This rust isnt in the door though, its in the wheel arch lip...

Plus the door is always opened after washing to clean & wax the door shuts