Don't know what to do with rust on wheel arches.

[Printer]

First of all I want to apologise for asking a question I am sure has been answered. I have been searching for a while but it all gets too techie for me very quickly.

To sum up:
Bought a Bongo in May 2011, it had some minor rust spots on arches when I bought it as did most other ones I looked at.
I took it in to get rust treated, sorted and resprayed. It cost me €300 and it looked like a great job.
4-5 months later little bubbles are starting to appear again.
I took it back to the guy in the garage and he rang today to say they had treated the spots of rust but there must have been a "pinhole" spot beside it that is now bubbling up.
He says I am going to continually have this problem and that it would be a pretty massive job to fully sort it out, think he means cutting it back and rewelding.
he thinks only way to sort it is to replace the sills fully and he asked me to see if you can buy wheel arches for the Bongo.

So...
What should I do?

Do I get new arches and cut out the current ones... if so how much will this be?

Do I just let it get worse and get it treated later... (I don't want to do this)

What are my options here.

I really want to keep my Bongo for at least 3-5 years so I need to make sure the rust doesn't get too bad. From what I can see it is only on rear sills for now.

What advice can I give him about waxoyl and protecting it. Im really annoyed that the job wasn't done right in the first place but I want to make sure the can stays alive!!

Any advice would be great. I feel a bit lost as to what I should do here to be honest...

[Velocette]

First of all I want to apologise for asking a question I am sure has been answered. I have been searching for a while but it all gets too techie for me very quickly.

To sum up:
Bought a Bongo in May 2011, it had some minor rust spots on arches when I bought it as did most other ones I looked at.
I took it in to get rust treated, sorted and resprayed. It cost me €300 and it looked like a great job.
4-5 months later little bubbles are starting to appear again.
I took it back to the guy in the garage and he rang today to say they had treated the spots of rust but there must have been a "pinhole" spot beside it that is now bubbling up.
He says I am going to continually have this problem and that it would be a pretty massive job to fully sort it out, think he means cutting it back and rewelding.
he thinks only way to sort it is to replace the sills fully and he asked me to see if you can buy wheel arches for the Bongo.


So...
What should I do?

Do I get new arches and cut out the current ones... if so how much will this be?

Do I just let it get worse and get it treated later... (I don't want to do this)

What are my options here.

I really want to keep my Bongo for at least 3-5 years so I need to make sure the rust doesn't get too bad. From what I can see it is only on rear sills for now.

What advice can I give him about waxoyl and protecting it. Im really annoyed that the job wasn't done right in the first place but I want to make sure the can stays alive!!

Any advice would be great. I feel a bit lost as to what I should do here to be honest...

There are quite a few threads on wheel arches if you do a search. People have successfully used Audi TT and Ford Transit Arches and possibly others with good results. Before you spend too much I would get it up on the ramp and see if anything else is deteoreating too

[nigelgibson]

Transit mk2 arches are a reasonable fit but it requires major surgery by a very competent bodywork and paint shop to do a good job. Expect to pay between £650 to£800 minimum. There are some excellent guys on here just search the forum and you will see the same names recommended.

The guy that did the work is right that it will come back if not replaced and if you got a few months you did well.

He could perhaps have told you this at the start as he would have known this.

I had one a few years ago that a good body shop repaired [ similar price ] and he warned me up front of strong chance it may re appear and the invoice carried a disclaimer stating rust work was not guaranteed. It started to bubble ever so slightly within 10 days ! The garage said whilst it wasn't guaranteed it should have lasted a few months and returned all my money.

I agree before you do anything check all the rest of underside for any other rust before you commit further.

[Printer]

Hi guys

Thanks for the updates. So, really what options do I have and how much?

My take on it is:

1. I leave current wheel arches as they are and try and get it all repaired and treated... no idea how much this will be though??
2. Buy new wheel arches, cut out the old ones and weld on the new ones... how much am I looking at here?

I love my Bongo and I want to keep it for at least 3-5 years BUT my money is not bottomless... I have spent approx £6500 buying it, plus another £500 on repairs and service in last 6 months, plus £280 on the rust work already done....

I understand I need to get it up and looked at the underneath. I am trying to get this organised. Any advice please tell me...

[Printer]

Hi guys,

Have been on to a member here about using plastic spats. Anyone used these before can offer advice on them? Will it not just trap water and make rust even worse??

[mikeonb4c]

Hi guys,

Have been on to a member here about using plastic spats. Anyone used these before can offer advice on them? Will it not just trap water and make rust even worse??

Yes I think it will, though it sort of buys you time in terms of appearance. I also feel that with a bit of intelligence, the underlying problem could be contained (provided the rust hasn't extended beyond ar earea the spats will cover) by cutting out the rusted through bits, using the holes to access the interior of the wing and thoroughly treating everything (its this lack of access which makes stopping the problem from starting so tricky), and then putting the spats on (with suitable care to prevent water ingress by using sealant or mastic). Just possibly, you could arrange for the spats to be easily removable in order to inspect and re-treat the area (I think vaseline is a very under-rated product for inhibiting rust, sealing, and still keeping things removeable). And the spats would hide the missing metal.

Anyone got any thoughts on this?

[321Away]

Yes I think it will, though it sort of buys you time in terms of appearance. I also feel that with a bit of intelligence, the underlying problem could be contained (provided the rust hasn't extended beyond ar earea the spats will cover) by cutting out the rusted through bits, using the holes to access the interior of the wing and thoroughly treating everything (its this lack of access which makes stopping the problem from starting so tricky), and then putting the spats on (with suitable care to prevent water ingress by using sealant or mastic). Just possibly, you could arrange for the spats to be easily removable in order to inspect and re-treat the area (I think vaseline is a very under-rated product for inhibiting rust, sealing, and still keeping things removeable). And the spats would hide the missing metal.

Not sure about the vaseline Mike! , i've seen this a few times recently with cars that have disaster areas for back ends, the backs are just being cut off and 'boxed', seme principle for the wheel arches, the rust originates from just above the vertical outter most panel where the inner and outer meet and the condensation etc sits, so you can cut out some and 'box' it, similar has to be done when new arches are put in anyway as the inners have to persuaded to meet the new outer lol, the problem with spats is fixing them to the (now missing) body after you've cut out the arch!

Julian

[dom_e]

Would there be a market for a press tool mould to shape original Bongo arches?

I've not had time yet, but am able to 3D scan sections of the Bongo and CNC cut mould templates or custom fitting widgets. I'm sure that with some time, I could create a mould to custom beat an arch. The inner skin would be a bit more tricky though.

[mister munkey]

You need a pair of 2006 LWB Transit arches which cost around £75+vat per pair, available from Hadrian up north who are contactable on 01373 865684.

The part numbers are:

30 53 508 - right hand arch
30 53 509 - left hand arch


Then source a local bodyshop with the facilities, intelligence & reputation to take the job on, these are a pretty good fit but need a little fettling to make them snug.

With labour & paint should work out to be about £200 per side which could be a long term bargain if you intend to keep it for a while.

[Printer]

You need a pair of 2006 LWB Transit arches which cost around £75+vat per pair, available from Hadrian up north who are contactable on <span class="skype_pnh_print_container_1320968569">01373 865684</span><span class="skype_pnh_container" dir="ltr" tabindex="-1"><span class="skype_pnh_mark"> begin_of_the_skype_highlighting</span> <span class="skype_pnh_highlighting_inactive_common" dir="ltr" skypeaction="skype_dropdown" title="Call this phone number in United Kingdom with Skype: +441373865684"><span class="skype_pnh_left_span" skypeaction="skype_dropdown" title="Skype actions"> </span><span class="skype_pnh_dropart_span" skypeaction="skype_dropdown" title="Skype actions"><span class="skype_pnh_dropart_flag_span" skypeaction="skype_dropdown" style="background-position: -2001px 1px !important; "> </span> </span><span class="skype_pnh_textarea_span"><span class="skype_pnh_text_span">01373 865684</span></span><span class="skype_pnh_right_span"> </span></span> <span class="skype_pnh_mark">end_of_the_skype_highlighting</span></span>.

The part numbers are:

30 53 508 - right hand arch
30 53 509 - left hand arch


Then source a local bodyshop with the facilities, intelligence & reputation to take the job on, these are a pretty good fit but need a little fettling to make them snug.

With labour & paint should work out to be about £200 per side which could be a long term bargain if you intend to keep it for a while.

Hey, have you gone through this process yourself? £200 per side, seems very good to me. Are you sure it wouldnt cost a lot more than this? If this indeed is the best option for getting them fixed, how long can you leave them before this wouldnt work?? I mean, could you let rust get quite bad and then do this or would you have to do this when rust first appears?

[mister munkey]

Have a read through this & decide yourself . . . .

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... es#p480495

[gill+berniebann]

looked at stuc s bongo on a meet he had merc sprinter arches on well they looked great sure there is some pics on here good luck with them

[stuc]

looked at stuc s bongo on a meet he had merc sprinter arches on well they looked great sure there is some pics on here good luck with them

Thanks for that, nice compliment from a fellow painter. Still not sure why others have not opted for them yet, as you saw they are a great match for the original shape, like on the front wings. I think takes a while to change peoples thinking. I know i would not have been happy with the shape of the transit ones. Have a look at the photos.

http://s1088.photobucket.com/albums/i33 ... eelarches/

[Fordfreda]

I have been considering getting the rear arches done on my Freda and having read just about every post on the forum on the subject it seems that by far the most popular and best solution is to have them replaced with Transit mk6 ones. I am based in Southsea and wonder whether anyone has had this done locally to me or knows somebody in the profession that would do a good job. I would need it to be completed right through to final painting as I am useless at this sort of thing! Would be grateful for any advice.

Many thanks in anticipation...

[Printer]

So it seems really if you are getting them replaced it has to be merc sprinter ones or the transit mk6 ones. I'm holding off on this for a while yet I think but hopefully doing it next year.