How much is too much rust?

[Jimbob010]

Morning all, new joiner and potentially about to buy a Z4 Coupe :dance2: , having come from a Lotus Elise.

Really grateful for some advice as i'm looking at a 2006 with 60k on the clock but it does has some rust around the subframe. Underbody rust is pretty normal for a Lotus but i'm not sure what the norm is for a Z4. Whats the view on the pics below? Normal or excessive? Thank you

 

[pvr]

That is nothing compared to what mine was when I got it, but mine is a Scottish car from Aberdeen

 

[Zedebee]

Nothing unusual there. Most of it will come off with a wire brush. Rust in the steel panels is more of an issue, although not common. Check the wheel arches and the underside of the tailgate.

 

[Jimbob010]

That is nothing compared to what mine was when I got it, but mine is a Scottish car from Aberdeen

I got my first Lotus from a guy on the Scottish coast, genuinely thought the bottom half half had been sprayed orange . Did you brush and treat with Lanoguard etc?

 

[Benderloch]

That looks reasonably good from the photos. I spent some time last year treating the underside of my coupe with Lanoshield,great stuff for preventing any corrosion getting worse.
I would also suggest you check the base of the rear wings where they meet the sill that runs under the door. In my experience this is often one of the first places on the body to rust, and as the rear wings on the coupes are unique to the car,worth protecting.

 

[Jimbob010]

I would also suggest you check the base of the rear wings where they meet the sill that runs under the door.

Top tip, thanks

 

[Jimbob010]

I would also suggest you check the base of the rear wings where they meet the sill that runs under the door.

Benderloch - Looking at your profile pic, do you mean the bit immediately to the right of the rear tyre?

 

[pvr]

That is nothing compared to what mine was when I got it, but mine is a Scottish car from Aberdeen

I got my first Lotus from a guy on the Scottish coast, genuinely thought the bottom half half had been sprayed orange . Did you brush and treat with Lanoguard etc?

Weeks of sanding, brushing, scraping and then rust protecting. Does not appear on the MOT as an advisory anymore but it really was a lot worse than what you are showing.

My rear guards were rusted through and that was a problem as it meant the hand brake failed and just about everything else there, costing £2200 to fix

 

[Jimbob010]

My rear guards were rusted through and that was a problem as it meant the hand brake failed and just about everything else there, costing £2200 to fix

Ah, £2200 is fairly vomit inducing... When you say rear guards, as in under the read wheel arches?

 

[pvr]

No, the brake guards. The handbrake pulled through that, but replacing that meant wheel bearings doing, replaced the rear disks and callipers and so it went on, just to get a working handbrake. And it still only holds on a 1% incline :lol:

 

[Benderloch]

I would also suggest you check the base of the rear wings where they meet the sill that runs under the door.

Benderloch - Looking at your profile pic, do you mean the bit immediately to the right of the rear tyre?

Yes there is a lip at the base of the wing where a plastic bracket clips it to the sill. A quick way to see if there is much rust there is to remove the fuel tank filler unit, this will allow you see what it’s like on that side.
If you do decide to remove the sill from the wing you will require new plastic brackets because the originals will need to be cut to get them out.

 

[Jimbob010]

Really useful, thanks Benderloch

 

[RMB]

I would also suggest you check the base of the rear wings where they meet the sill that runs under the door.

Benderloch - Looking at your profile pic, do you mean the bit immediately to the right of the rear tyre?

Yes there is a lip at the base of the wing where a plastic bracket clips it to the sill. A quick way to see if there is much rust there is to remove the fuel tank filler unit, this will allow you see what it’s like on that side.
If you do decide to remove the sill from the wing you will require new plastic brackets because the originals will need to be cut to get them out.

Like this?…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E58AgbmUHcw

 

[bigwinn]

That is nothing compared to what mine was when I got it, but mine is a Scottish car from Aberdeen

+1

Mine looked like it was parked in a salty Scottish loch for its whole life

 

[paddy wright]

That all looks fine to me.

 

[STC_Zed]

Looks ok to me. Parts of my car are a bit crusty having spent a fair few years in Swansea by the sea.

It’s an old car as well don’t forget.

 

[pvr]

Only garaged cars will now be rust free from this age.

My '93 Golf has been garaged its entire life, so the underneath is as new.

 

[Robster68]

I recently had the chance to look at an 03 car near Toulouse which had come from Italy,no rust whatsoever underneath.

 

[pvr]

But anything near Toulouse is rust free, hence the abundance of historic cars

 

[Robster68]

But anything near Toulouse is rust free, hence the abundance of historic cars

when i do finally get round to renovating my rear subframe and driveshafts,they should stay mint forever.