Rust on late 90s Mercs.

[CLK320E]

My father has had 3 mercedes, a 96 C180 classic, a 98 C230K elegance wagon and currently has a 99 CLK320 elegance. The second two cars have both shown a tendency to rust. The C230K had a small rust patch on the corner of a door and around the tailgate handle and the CLK has bubbling around the drivers side rear wheel arch. Now when my father replaces the CLK next year i am having it from him. We are getting the wheel arch done in Jan but i was just wondering if anybody could give some insight into why these cars seem to rust and what can be done to lower the risk.

I just dont want the CLK rotting away on me. Its sad really because the bodies aside, they were both stunning cars and lovely to drive. Its just a shame the bodies seem to be weak, especially when i consider my current car ( a 96N peugeot 306) has no rust or evidence of rust anywhere despite some very deep scratches.

 

[television]

I think it is down to the "where you buy your metal" from as a number one.

Citroen were badly his with the same thing in the CX range, you could have one car with rusty doors and the rest perfect, and vice versa, even though the paint was all the same.

You could possibly say its also down to painting or a combination of both.

The wheel arch design leaves a lot to be desired where mud can fill up in the wheel arches and stay wet all Winter.

When the cars are resprayed they are etch primed in an effort to get the paint to stick, and it needs a good quality one to work on mild steel

 

[rf065]

In the 70's, Lancia got the deal of a lifetime, cheap steel from Rumania.

We all know the outcome on that one.

Russ

 

[television]

In the 70's, Lancia got the deal of a lifetime, cheap steel from Rumania.

We all know the outcome on that one.

Russ

The scuttle could rust right through in under 1 year, an all time record

 

[CLK320E]

rust

It just seems sad that a 98 Merc costing £29750 new and a 99 Merc costing £36k new rust when a 96 peugeot costing £10000 new doesnt. It does seem to be a weakness with german cars, my mates dads 98R Audi A4 quattro has also suffered with body rust as did my tutors 96 BMW 3 series.

 

[BTB 500]

my mates dads 98R Audi A4 quattro has also suffered with body rust

Yet we have a P reg. Audi A4 that's got no rust whatsoever. Has been hard used as a 'shopping car' and transport for kids and dogs, 110k miles, washed maybe once a year, various (untreated) stone chips and minor scratches / dings.

 

[Matt45]

I was told it depended on where the car was built. Not exactly sure of the dates involved but MB started having some cars made in South Africa and South America and the quality of steel aquired more lacally was not so good. This was combined with ther use of water based paints to help the environment. Combine water based paints, cheap steel and lower than average workmanship and you have a bad combination. Other cars built in Bremen etc didn't suffer so badly.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

It just seems sad that a 98 Merc costing £29750 new and a 99 Merc costing £36k new rust when a 96 peugeot costing £10000 new doesnt. It does seem to be a weakness with german cars, my mates dads 98R Audi A4 quattro has also suffered with body rust as did my tutors 96 BMW 3 series.

It affects newer and more expensive cars that that too.

 

[television]

My R plate V70R has not got one spec of rust, its water based paint,so it can be done, I have never seen a rusty V70 ever, and most still look like new.

The 230's never get any rust, and many panels are steel.

 

[vijilants]

On my c230k 1999 Ive had the bootlid rust, the channels around the bootlid rust and all four wheelarches rust.

All the work was done under Mobilo over the last year> I had to fight tooth and nail to get them to do the job.

The wheel arches were finished four weeks ago. It took two months to do the wheel arches as the car had to be returned SIX times due to shoddy workmanship. On one occasion when it was returned, they hadn't even bothered to clean out behind the arches. When I complained about it, I was told that it was not part of the job !!!!!!!

So you see, even when it comes to getting the damn thing repaired, at some of the body shops they use, the quality of workmanship is also poor quality.

 

[esox]

my current car ( a 96N peugeot 306) has no rust or evidence of rust anywhere despite some very deep scratches.

We have a 306 of similar vintage that is used and abused,battered,bruised,bloodied,and generally neglected,has scratches,chips and scars,but amazes me that it has absolutely no rust whatsoever!
OK,the interior is self-dissasembling,has recalcitrent electrics,but has never broken down or failed to start in five years.
Thats why i am shocked to see modern MB`s with rust - they really fooked up there....

 

[television]

Just take the design of the 4 arches on an MB , the plastic liner does not extend to the edge of the flair on the arch, so mud and dirt builds up and stays wet all winter. any thing will go rusty when left like it. When was the last time you cleaned yours out.'

Going back to the Volvo, they cant rust at the wheel arches as the liner stop any dirt or mud going in

 

[rf065]

My last car, Nissan X Trail bought new, had a stone chip at the front of the bonnet, through to the bare metal underneath the paint. It happened some months after I got it and I kept meaning to buy some touch up paint and fix it. I never did get round to it, and 5 years later when I sold it, no rust, I still could see the bare metal. Obviously galvanised metal, but it shows it does work if done right.

Russ

 

[stevesey]

The wheel arches were finished four weeks ago. It took two months to do the wheel arches as the car had to be returned SIX times due to shoddy workmanship. On one occasion when it was returned, they hadn't even bothered to clean out behind the arches. When I complained about it, I was told that it was not part of the job !!!!!!!

You mean you don't do that every time you wash the car? No wonder they had rusted.

 

[glojo]

The official line for this corrosion is down to the presses they use which allegedly stretch the metal in an adverse manner.

John

 

[television]

The official line for this corrosion is down to the presses they use which allegedly stretch the metal in an adverse manner.

John

I do not think so, there are cars out there with much more pronounced profiles that do not rust, and stretching/ stamping metal is not a recipe for rust, its more to do with Cheap metal and bad design coupled with poor stamping tool that leave burr's, that allow water in

 

[glojo]

I do not think so, there are cars out there with much more pronounced profiles that do not rust, and stretching/ stamping metal is not a recipe for rust, its more to do with Cheap metal and bad design coupled with poor stamping tool that leave burr's, that allow water in

I do think so

(I'm the mnessenger and merely repeating the official line) The cutting tools were also an achilles heel.

If it was the steel then the rust would quite literally be everywhere but it's not, it is in known areas. Plus do Mercedes-Benz manufacture their own steel or do they buy it? My point being if the steel is purchased then I would expect all the other items made with the same sourced material to suffer from this problem.

Regards
John

 

[television]

I do think so

(I'm the mnessenger and merely repeating the official line) The cutting tools were also an achilles heel.

If it was the steel then the rust would quite literally be everywhere but it's not, it is in known areas. Plus do Mercedes-Benz manufacture their own steel or do they buy it? My point being if the steel is purchased then I would expect all the other items made with the same sourced material to suffer from this problem.

Regards
John

Wheel arches are the worst affected because of the build up of mud, the bottom of the doors hold water and mud. the tops of the doors hold water. the boots have lousy stampings that allow water to sit, and not dry.
This is exactly the way Lancia , Citroen, Fiat and Alfa rusted in the 60's-70's and never in the middle of a panel ever.

MB do not make their own metal

Run your fingers round the inside of you E class it will be full of caked mud, and most of the rust comes from the back side. One guy has had them done 6 times on this thread.

I met up with a guy with a CLK 1999 at MB SW where the arches were crumbling away, no metal left, and he got 4 wings out of them.

I will never budge on this, I have owned and done too many cars

 

[glojo]

MB do not make their own metal

I respect you will not budge but follow your logic through and think about what I have politely suggested. The problem is not the steel, it is the way it has been pressed and cut.

If it was the steel then most German cars would suffer the same fate, they don't. The reason is quite simple, they are using different manufacturing techniques. The wheel arches on the 211 'should' be okay as should all the other places where rust is so prelevant on the 210. Same water based paints, but different presses, different cutting equipment.

I respect you will not budge, but we can sometimes compare our cars to vehicles built in yester year and draw the wrong conclusions. A good example of yester year rust problems with dodgy steel was Vauxhall and Ford, the two biggest UK manufacturers. Both the Vauxhall Victor and the Ford Anglia would rust whilst you stood admiring your new vehicle. These vehicles were built from cheap steel and every body part was prone to rust. On the Mercedes it is specific areas, which even though you will not budge I would suggest eliminates the suggestion it is inferior steel being the weak link.

It is where and how this steel is fitted. Poorly pressed stretches the steel and creates fault lines which are prone to rust, poorly treated edges which are burred. The actual steel is exactly the same as used on BMW's and unless you know different then I would respectfully suggest they do not suffer the same fate?

You state I should check the wheel arches of our E-class because someone has had theirs repaired six times?? I think you are confused? I cannot recall anyone having their 211 E-class repaired due to corrosion issues. (apart from the black trim on the roof which is probably electrolysis?)

John

 

[glojo]

I will never budge on this, I have owned and done too many cars

WAKE UP!!!!!

Sorry about that but you were snoring.

regards
Cheeky young John