rust prevention?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

steve333

MB Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 22, 2009
Messages
4,201
Location
Dorset
Car
Cls350cdi in palladium,C200k in tenorite,Slk320 in red.
Hi all,read a few threads on here regarding w208 rust problems(mostly seem to be around arches/headlamp surounds/boot locks)seing as i own a 2002 w208 is there any precautions i can take before the almost inevitable rust starts to appear?
 
I've only had the car a couple of months:eek:,no signs of rust anywhere yet so gathered prevention would be my best bet judging by the amount of posters on here that own/have owned w208's 7 have had rust problems,thanks for your input though Howard:rolleyes:
 
I was kidding ...

Seriously though , they all suffer to some extent , its just the way the metal was prepared on this era of car ...

Best thing to do is when it starts to rear its ugly head , get the bits replaced and get them sealed and painted properly before they are fitted..

I am just starting to show some rust on the front wings of mine , next summer i will have them replaced and sealed inside before they are fitted.

As to any preventative measures , not a lot you can do ... wash out the arches / underside well once winter comes and they start using salt on the roads.

P.S. i am just across the river from you in Hampton.
 
I guessed you was kidding Howard,Hampton not far away mate,thanks for the added info,will get arches/underside pressure washed at the end of each winter,know some people get cars treated with waxoyl but it's quite expensive so will take 1st option;)
 
You could do it with waxoyl , but in the current climate you would need a garage where you could leave it for a good length of time to dry out after you washed it and before you apply the waxoyl .... maybe next summer.
 
...
Best thing to do is when it starts to rear its ugly head , get the bits replaced and get them sealed and painted properly before they are fitted..

I am just starting to show some rust on the front wings of mine , next summer i will have them replaced and sealed inside before they are fitted....

Hey Howard,

When you say this, do you mean remove the wings, have them stripped back to bare metal, treat them in some way, then re-paint and re-fit?

If so do you think that economically viable and (being cheeky:)) how much do you expect that to cost?

Cheers
R
 
No , i mean replaced , new wings ...

Once the rust is there its very hard to get rid of it ...

I would expect about £500 ish - 2 new wings , painting , fitting .
 
Mine's overdue work on the front wings and one rear arch - will post quotes when I get some

Sad face :(
 
Search for ankor wax its pretty good and sticks like you know what, and it still hasnt washed of yet unlike the waxoyl that i did put on.
Approx £5 a gallon.



Lynall
 
Er, i checked on Ankor wax recently,rang the factory & found a dealer, but its £25 a gallon,either from the factory (+p&p on top) or same price (no P&P) from the dealer.




:bannana: Sherwood Forest GTG Sunday December 13th, 12noon :bannana:

All welcome, see thread for more details.
 
No , i mean replaced , new wings ...

Once the rust is there its very hard to get rid of it ...

I would expect about £500 ish - 2 new wings , painting , fitting .

ouch £500.

why on earth did they not galvsnise them.

to have to spend that much is not very economical.
 
On mine, I made sure that mud did not build up on inside of wheel arches and treated the inside edge of the arches with waxoyl...never had any problems with rust...sold it in May 2009...loked pristine!
 
Yeah, I drove up to my mother's place last weekend just after they salted the roads, she found it funny that I was hosing off the car at 11pm :D
 
On mine, I made sure that mud did not build up on inside of wheel arches and treated the inside edge of the arches with waxoyl...never had any problems with rust...sold it in May 2009...loked pristine!
Sounds like a good idea.

How did you buy the Waxoyl x332race? (i.e. what container did it come in?)
How did you apply it?

I've seen some companies offering "the full waxoyl treatment", but I'm not sure it's worth the £xxx's cost.

I might give this a go too if it's easy enough to get hold of. :thumb:
 
The secret is to keep those little wheel arch lips free from mud and grit. Not as easy as it seems if you don't wash them out religiously every week. Next best thing is to carefully go over them with plenty soapy water and an old toothbrush. The problem is that if there is a large accumulation of dirt the very act of cleaning out the mud and grit can abrade away the existing paint/primer layer which isn't particularly robust anyway and give a foothold for rust. Just apply lots of water and let it soften the mud/grit first. Once cleaned up and dried out waxoyl or a similar antirust protection can be applied-again a tooth brush is quite good application tool. Almost inevitably you will be fighting a losing battle as Howard says but can delay the onset considerably. I would concentrate my efforts on the rear wheel arches since they cannot be easily replaced unlike the front wings.
 
I'm taking my car to a local bodyshop tomorrow to see how much it'll be to repair what rust is there already. On the inner lip of the arches only. The rest of the underside was waxoyled when I went to see Olly at PCS last.

Haven't taken the wheels of yet to get what mud there is out, but have been going round with an old towel to try and clean/dry the insides of the arches off a bit when putting the car away.

It being in a garage might not be helping as I guess it keeps it more moist than it if was allowed to dry in the open. Considering a dehumidifier and running that for a few hours if I come home and put the car away when wet.
 
I was quoted £950 to de-rust both rear wheel arches on a 2000 W210. This included taking off side skirts and rear bumper, rubbing back and re-spraying arches and rear wings, re-spaying rear doors to blend in with the rear wings (the car is silver, it's an obvious difference between old and newly sprayed bits apparently) treating arches with waxol or similar and re-fitting side skirts and rear bumper. The body shop refused to guarantee the work as they said it might keep the rust at bay for anywhere between 6 months and 6 years! At least they are honest!!?? I've decided to paint any bare bits of metal myself and then waxol the inside of the arches and esp the inside lip.

It doesn't look pretty but the car is a workhorse and won't stay looking pretty for long even if I get it done so I'll just try and keep it at bay for as long as possible them ditch the car when it starts failing the MOT due to the rust.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom