A rusty 210226
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- E55K SL500 E250X2 Smart44 Brabus Track car E450Cabriolet X350 Pick up
I had one in recently which as two collapsed spring mounts and a 4 inch hole in the battery tray!
The front chassis rails I could put my fist through them. It was a E430 210.
There is no excuse for such a rusty car.
The front chassis rails I could put my fist through them. It was a E430 210.
There is no excuse for such a rusty car.
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As the guys said doing this one , its the same paint that other firms use, the paint build is correct, just lousy South African metal, and thats what I say as well
Looks just like my Dad's '97 E230 model - even his petrol cap is rusty!
Future classic's though - 10years time how many will still be on the road?
Future classic's though - 10years time how many will still be on the road?
Vlad
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I thought that W210's were made in Germany and that it was the W202's and W203's that came from South Africa....or is it that the steel for all Merc's comes from South Africa?
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It has to be South African steel thats why its so bad,,, there is no steel in Europe, the Germans took most of that
MBManInKen
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Dieselman
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Having been involved in W210 corrosion I can't agree about the steel being the cause.
The corrosion always starts where the paint coat is breached either by being chipped or simply not covering properly in the first place.
I have never seen one where corrosion simply starts inside the metal.
The corrosion always starts where the paint coat is breached either by being chipped or simply not covering properly in the first place.
I have never seen one where corrosion simply starts inside the metal.
Thats the question if it was covered properly or was a suitable surface why would the door frames corrode??? They are impossible to chip yet all 4 of mine have pin pricks of rust developing
I think its the paint finish rather than the steel. The paint chips too easily and then the rust tracks out under the paint some call this spiders legs, almost every chip on my car has ended up this way but if you touch it up the corrosion doesnt get any worse.
This may be the same as other modern finishes but it chips easier than any car i have ever owned.
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We have been over this car with a magnifying glass and the rust bubbles had no outside damage at all. The door was sanded in front of me.
The bonnet had 5 stone chips, the rest were blisters,, the wings had no blisters and were painted in the same plain as the bonnet.
It was not poor paint that killed Lancia or gave Alfa and Citreon a bad name.
This is a late 210
glojo
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As a lay person with no specialist knowledge this problem does appear more to do with the steel than the paint, but this is an observation inviting debate? The underside of the car corrodes far worse than the top of the vehicle and it reminds me so much of the old Vauxhall\Ford problems way back in the 1950's early 1960's when we saw the first Vauxhall Victor's and the Ford Anglia with the inward sloping rear window. These cars were made from cheap, reconstituted steel which had a the life span of soggy paper.
I do agree though that most if not all these problems are surface rust, as opposed from rust coming from the inside out.
Regards
John
MBManInKen
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I have no specific expertise when it comes to car steel, its composition and its wider environment, so I can only offer a general observation.
Metals (and other substances) can corrode in different ways. Most well-known are (1) the electrochemical reaction between metal and water+oxygen and (2) galvanic corrosion between different alloys or metals. But of course any electrochemical reaction between a metal and another component that leads to irreversible change to the metal structure is a form of corrosion.
Critically, it seems to me then that there are several possible reasons for the perceived/described W210 situation:
(a) The steel used in its production is roughly the same as for other cars, but its paint/lacquer coating was less effective in preventing corrosion due to different composition, different application or both.
(b) The steel used is of different composition than on other cars, while the paint/lacquer are similar to what is found elsewhere. Certainly it is true that not all metals or alloys are equally sensitive to corrosion.
(c) Some steel types are more sensitive to the effect of welding or heat treatment that result in the formation of chromium carbides, resulting in its alloy crystal structure having less chromium present in its boundaries, which could lead to corrosion due to the galvanic couple with the alloy material nearby.
And of course in practice, there could be a combination of factors playing a role, as in the real world cars will corrode for different reasons. Yes, damage to the paint work that exposes bare metal will cause one type of corrosion, but other types of corrosion are also likely due to other factors.
I would think that Mercedes has examined the situation with their cars, as in their place I would want to fully understand what is happening. Whether or not they are going to publicly admit to any of it/say anything about it, is a quite different matter.
Metals (and other substances) can corrode in different ways. Most well-known are (1) the electrochemical reaction between metal and water+oxygen and (2) galvanic corrosion between different alloys or metals. But of course any electrochemical reaction between a metal and another component that leads to irreversible change to the metal structure is a form of corrosion.
Critically, it seems to me then that there are several possible reasons for the perceived/described W210 situation:
(a) The steel used in its production is roughly the same as for other cars, but its paint/lacquer coating was less effective in preventing corrosion due to different composition, different application or both.
(b) The steel used is of different composition than on other cars, while the paint/lacquer are similar to what is found elsewhere. Certainly it is true that not all metals or alloys are equally sensitive to corrosion.
(c) Some steel types are more sensitive to the effect of welding or heat treatment that result in the formation of chromium carbides, resulting in its alloy crystal structure having less chromium present in its boundaries, which could lead to corrosion due to the galvanic couple with the alloy material nearby.
And of course in practice, there could be a combination of factors playing a role, as in the real world cars will corrode for different reasons. Yes, damage to the paint work that exposes bare metal will cause one type of corrosion, but other types of corrosion are also likely due to other factors.
I would think that Mercedes has examined the situation with their cars, as in their place I would want to fully understand what is happening. Whether or not they are going to publicly admit to any of it/say anything about it, is a quite different matter.
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We had the days with the French cars, on a CX you could have perfect doors and a rusty front an back, or a perfect front and back and rusty doors, so that would discount the paint.
I think that the only way we can solve this is if someone gets hold of seemingly good panel and takes the paint off with stripper. sanding does to much damage to the surface to see
Maybe I will just do that. That would make good sense
We had the days with the French cars, on a CX you could have perfect doors and a rusty front an back, or a perfect front and back and rusty doors, so that would discount the paint.
I think that the only way we can solve this is if someone gets hold of seemingly good panel and takes the paint off with stripper. sanding does to much damage to the surface to see
Maybe I will just do that. That would make good sense
Or we can just choose not to agree thats perfectly ok as well
Looking under my car yesterday , its not the grade of steel that i'm concerned about but the poor paint coverage and unsuitable materials , where the car has been treated correctly there is no rust where the paint is thin and poorly applied with no underseal there is corrosion
If the steel was the problem the corrosion would be more uniform imo.
Not that it matters its kinda like having to choose to be punched in the face or in the testicles, either way its not nice
