More Rust Woes

[jeffwebb]

My W210 E55 has just started to show a little bit of rust and I am unsure of the best way forward. Is this the sort of thing suitable for a "smart repair" or do I need to use a body shop. A local "Accident Repair Specialist" has quoted me £275 to do it. Is this reasonable? Is this something I could tackle myself? All input gratefully received. Hope you can see the pics OK. Regards, Jeff

 

[GP801]

Is the £275 to do both wings? Probably best to get a "proper"repair. There will be much more rot on the inner surface of the wing that has not yet broken through and this needs to be sorted or you will be doing this again in 12 months or less. The inside of the wing needs some serious corrosion protection. Even if the other side looks ok it almost certainly isnt on the inside and should be treated aswell.

 

[dog68]

As Gp801 says, they tend to rot inside out, take a wing off and have a look on the inside, if its ok, waxoyl it, put it back on, and have it repaired.

 

[jeffwebb]

Thanks for the feedback. How involved is it to take a wing off? I'm not much of a "spanners" person Are new wings readily available/easy to fit/expensive? Regards, Jeff.

 

[renault12ts]

Taking the wings off is relatively easy, however the front bumper must come off and that's where I got stumped.

 

[jeffwebb]

The £275 i quoted was for the one wing. Is this a reasonable amount?
Regards, Jeff.

 

[clk208]

The £275 i quoted was for the one wing. Is this a reasonable amount?
Regards, Jeff.

Seems high to me unless a new wing is included.

Also if the entire wing is being repainted it will have to be blended with the door otherwise there will be a noticeable colour mismatch.

 

[renault12ts]

The £275 i quoted was for the one wing. Is this a reasonable amount?
Regards, Jeff.

For that money I would expect a new wing...not a repair...honestly.

 

[jeffwebb]

I am near Sutton in Surrey (Greater London). Has anyone used a repairer in my area that they would recommend. I am clinging to the hope that this is just surface rust, isolated, and easy to repair but I love this car and what must be must be. The rest of the bodywork seems fine but paranoia is setting in
Regards, Jeff.

 

[renault12ts]

Take the rear bumper off and check each side.

 

[Andy - TFA]

Hello Jeff - and hello everyone!
The only way to truly eradicate the rot is to replace the panel (wing). End of story. As someone has already mentioned, the colour (Brilliant Silber?) would have to be blended into the door if you're doing the job correctly. I can't imagine for a minute £275 includes for a new wing. What does it say on the estimate?
The rust can of course be ground away and the areas treated and repaired but I would question the long term durability of such a course of action.
If the car's a keeper - do yourself a favour, do the job once and do it right! If you're 'titivating' to sell it, get the wing repaired!
£275 not bad at all for the later course of action - bumper needs to come off for access and there's the potential door blend (pic not clear).
Blimey - hope I've not come across too strongly!
Take heed from Charles' tag line from Sir Henry Royce....
Wise words indeed.

 

[312 Sprinter]

Just repairing the visible rust on the front wing is a largely cosmetic exercise. If you want the car to last you're going to have to rust proof it. OI recently saw an ostensibly fairly tidy W210 that was severely rusted once the bumpers were taken off.

If you're on a limited budget I'd spend the money on investigating the structure of the car and injecting rust proofing wax into it rather than on buying the shiniest paint job.

 

[jeffwebb]

Does anyone have an idiots guide to removing the front bumper on an E55 please!

 

[goldestate]

Look on utube

 

[renault12ts]

Unfortunately (I have looked) U tube don't cover it. But here's a guide from another forum:

Instruction for bumper removal, 2000-later model - Benzworld.org - Mercedes-Benz Discussion Forum

See post 8, there's a PDF.

 

[shorty]

Theres 2 13mm nuts at the front , between the rad and cross member
2 10mm bolts on the side of the bumper , there accessed from behind , pull back the wheel arch liner to see them
2 more 10mm bolts that attach the edge of the bumper to the wing , these are at the edge of the wheel arch
4 8mm bolts that attach at the top of the head lights .
Disconnect the wires to the spot lights , air temp sensor and parktronic if fitted

 

[Bleebo001]

Hi,

I have rust on wheel arches on my E320 2001 plate. Advice I have had suggested that colour matching will be very difficult with Brilliant Silver. For a perfect job it may be necessary to respray a large part of the bottom of the vehicle if all four wing panels are affected. Presently rust has only got onto the exterior of one panel, rest is still in arches hence perhaps could get away with spraying in half of one side.

PS it is corrosion rather than rust coming through due to the properties of the underlying metal and not down to the surface being broken.