1998 W202 C class Sill rust & rot or lack of it

[Laters]

After seeing the photos and threads dealing with rust and rot on w202 c class cars some the same age as mine some newer some older I decided that it was time to have a look at mine in closer detal.

I know my car is starting to show on the front wing above the bumper in front of the wheel arch, a little on the front arches, a couple of spots here and there on the body and doors, a little on the rear arch lip and round the boot lock (again) so I was getting concerned at the state of the sills under the plastic covers.

The plastic side skirts /sill covers got taken off today and I got a surprise. I was expecting rust. Not sure I expected major rot like some but I expected a little rust.

What did I find?

Nothing at all to worry about put it that way.
Most of the sills on both sides are pretty much as they left the factory. Sold and with the paint looking like new once it had the dirt wiped off.

Right at the back end of the sills there is a litte surface rust that has started on the lip and crept round the corner. It cleaned up to shiney steel very easy.

I must admit its shocked me.

A few photos of the sill as it was with the 15 years worth of dirt.




All I need to do is find out the part numbers for the clips that hold the top of the sill cover now as most of them were very brittle and snapped parts of themselves off. One of the ones at the bottom of the wing snapped too on either side.

Overall not bothered about the broken clips as I doubt they will be expensive and its reassured me that it might be showing its age around the edges a little but overall its still not a bad car considering its age.

 

[andy27168]

Hi,
Good result, glad you did,nt find the horror story I found under the skirts of my AMG.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

How does it look under the jacking point areas?

 

[tonyc280]

Think i'm really lucky and my 1997 w202 2.8 it totally rust free.

 

[andy27168]

Think i'm really lucky and my 1997 w202 2.8 it totally rust free.

Hi,
Do you have side skirts? (A 97 car is right on the changeover).
As it is behind these that the rust starts and only indication that it had got so bad was a creaking and cracking noise when I jacked up the car on the standard jack.
Theres a thread somewhere, that I posted loads of pics of the damage and the subsequent repair work, but be warned it will make you cringe to see the rot.

 

[Laters]

How does it look under the jacking point areas?

Totally solid on the jacking points with no corrosion at all.

When I got it there was a waxoyl sticker on one of the rear windows so that could explain it being better than most.

 

[Laters]

Couple more photos of the jacking pad areas and down the underside of the sill.
Front


rear (can see where someone has jacked it at some point and bent the lip over. I will get that seen too before the sill cover goes back on)


Shot down unside of sill from back to front


Really happy its not a bad one just a shame its showing on a few of the places it is. Saying that the wings, doors and boot lid all bolt off and can be changed at some point if needed I suppose.

Going to give it a good dose of waxoyl before I put the sill covers back on to keep it that way but need to find the part numbers for the clips and the rubber bits on the sill cover(the rubber bits seem really hard, I suppose with age).

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Wow! That is in good nick.

This time last month I had a bag of all facelift sill clips etc etc but as I was moving I needed to clear my shed asap and too many people have messed me around in the past I binned them

 

[gurpz]

Agreed your sills are mint indeed. I hope that cars a keeper for you its rare finding a W202 like that body wise ! I suggest you wash them down and spray a healthy dose of dynax underseal everywhere to prevent any possible future rust before you re fit the sills. Having just spent a fair bit on clips etc for mine I have all the part numbers. Once I have figured out which are which again I will post them up for you.

 

[tonyc280]

Yes have side skirts and took them off and not a sign of rust anywhere. not even the tiniest bubble

 

[tonyc280]

Actually not "Side Skirts" but just "Sill Covers". Cheers

 

[Laters]

Agreed your sills are mint indeed. I hope that cars a keeper for you its rare finding a W202 like that body wise ! I suggest you wash them down and spray a healthy dose of dynax underseal everywhere to prevent any possible future rust before you re fit the sills. Having just spent a fair bit on clips etc for mine I have all the part numbers. Once I have figured out which are which again I will post them up for you.

Thanks everyone else keeps telling me how great it is but because I know where every small blister and scab is I dont always see it that way.
With it starting to show on the wing in front of the wheel arch I had decided that it was a turning point and that if the sills were bad it was getting time to start saving up but since the sills are as good as they are I will be keeping it for a while yes.

I already have a few tins of waxoyl as it has been treated by them at some point (there was a window sticker fitted when I bought the car the 6 or 7 years ago now) and tend to spray certain areas from time to time that get scraped over the local speed mountains (yes a normal ride height elegance still scrapes if not carefull.).

Going to give the sills a good dose before I refit the plastics thats for sure.

I am not worried about the arch lips as I have some of the amg rubber lips to put on and the arch lips are not that bad as I have always dealt with the small scabs when they appear.

The kids have some sore of weird attatchment to the car anyway its just the scabs that have appeared that let it down. I suppose in reality its not that bad and has maybe 20 rust spots and then the wing (which I am getting taken off at some point to have a propper look).

The part numbers would be a great help thanks as all the online epc's have long gone that I can find.

 

[horgantrevor]

its looking great your blessed with the lack of rust i wish all were like that

the only other one i knew like that was a hotel car with 40k on it and it really never got used in bad weather and stored in doors

 

[Laters]

Heres the thing for over the last 6 years its been kept on my driveway as my quantum is in the garage and if I am honest the Merc will fit but its a tight fit.
I live fairly close to the seaside & the area is known for its sea air.
On the upside as I said it had a waxoyl sticker on one of the windows when I got it plus it gets used nearly every day. It had 70,000 ish on it when I got it and its now got 106,000 miles so not had a lot of use but gets used.
Over that time its had the bodywork cleaned up of minor scabs a couple of times but only ever been touched up never sprayed (apart from the accident damage it got while it was parked in a car park).

Overall I like the car, its got a few niggles with a front suspension rattle thats taking some finding and a bit of a smoking issue at idle (already have some injectors to put in its just finding the time to do them) plus the scabs thats appeared on the door bottoms, wing and boot lock.
The way I see it is that the car now owes me nothing and the use I get from it now is virtually free as its value cant really go much funther down.
Hopefully we will get a good few weeks of nice weather where I can sort the scabs out hand hopefully resolve the other issues then treat the car to a once over with the machine polisher to get it looking sparkly again as a car it really stands out and thats one of the things I like about it.

 

[tonyc280]

Well i know what you mean about car "Standing Out" from the crowd. When mine's just been washed and leathered it looks amazing but a couple of days later its dusted up and covered in sandy muck. Suppose that's the price of living right next to some fields. Hope your restoration work goes as planned.

 

[Dieselman]

I live fairly close to the seaside & the area is known for its sea air.

Myth. Salt cant evaporate with the water that does.

 

[David Bird]

Got an amazing lack of rust on my 1999 C200 also - It was up on the ramps at Kwik fit and an independant Merc garage and they both commented how its condition belies its age - does have some slight surface in a couple of places on underside where the black wax/bitumen has flaked or scraped off - Was advised just to get stean cleaned and apply some more blackwax spray.Body is superb did have a little rust on arch area that former keeper rubbed down and treated .It was then painted on arches proffesionally.

 

[Laters]

Myth. Salt cant evaporate with the water that does.

Yep agree 100% but the local council still push that as one of the virtues of the area.

The thing that isnt a myth though is the salt spray when things get wild when the tide is in and the general amount of salt and sand that get blown around at certain times of the year.

Must admit that I have been known to wash the car off in the rain when I have had to drive on one of the more affected roads (sadly to get the certain places its unavoidable to go down either a road thats open to all the weather has got the throw at us & even sometimes I have to go down a tidal road, but I try to avoid the tidal road whenever I can, especaially when the tide is in (unlike some)).