Rust again

[Bongomatic]

This is the underside of the Bongo I've put a deposit on...

The rest of it is great, and think this is just surface rust, rather than structural.





Should I be worried, any advice would be appreciated

Thanks

[francophile1947]

Can only really see the rear axle. If the chassis looks OK, see if they'll waxoil it before you take delivery. Main Bongo rust problem area seems to be the rear wheel arches.

[Bongomatic]

John,
Thanks, will do
I intend to do the waxoyl myself if not include.

Any thoughts on painting over the rust POR15, Hammerite??

It's gone off for its import MOT today - everything crossed! Hopefully registered at the end of the week and ready to collect.

Cheers

Tre

[haydn callow]

Thats what I would call light surface rust and it wouldn't bother me one bit. A good pressure wash and waxoyl will sort it. If in doubt get them to put it on a lift and have a look at the rest of the underside. Look at the area around the rear aircon in/out and the rear wheelarch nearside in particular. Don't forget it is not a new car and a certain amount is acceptable depending on what you are paying. Our Bongo had a badly filled rear arch and a bit of rust underneath. Cost me £600 to have cut out patched and panel resprayed. Good as new now and still good value. I think a good smooth engine and solid drive are what should also be high on the list.

[RADAR]

looks the same as mine did last week before undersealing..mine had 2 holes in the rear crossmember , one in the front crossmember next to the bottom of the radiator, and 2 small holes in the inner seals all plated and undersealed for £150

[Bongomatic]

I'm happier now, and relieved that it's not too serious

It's knowing what's reasonable to expect at this late date...

The engine was the best runner I've tried, and it handled well too; the inside was about the cleanest I've found, so on balance the whole package seems good.

Looking forward to having the Bongo, and getting out there

Cheers

Tre

[mikeonb4c]

Bongomatic - for some reason I cant explain, I dont like the sound of hammeriting at all. I think you want to be able to spray on something that is relatively innocuous, will 'seek' into areas effectively when sprayed through the holes in chassis members etc., and will passivate the (light) rust. Start sparying hammerite and - even if it did fit the bill, which I doubt - you'll have a hell of a mess everywhere. Waxoyl seems to be the weapon of choice, with no special preparatoin provided rust is light. But I'm no expert - perhaps one of the BF experts might comment.

Mike

PS - it would be nice to see a pic of the actual chassis / floor areas before making a final comment on your Bongo - the diff is neither here nor there I think (and I've been advised one should be careful about spraying areas like the diff and (more importantly) the gearbox as it could causing overheating by effectively 'jacketing' the area and preventing heat dispersal / radiation.

[Glynanderson]

Hi,
You should maybe check the engine bay and front cross members, as well as the rear slam panel, under the plastic cowelling where the bottm door catch is.
I had light rusting in these areas and traeted them with spray on hammerite.
I posted a thread on this site somewhere about it.
Hope this is of some help.

[smartmonkey]

Whatever you do don't waste time painting anything. It will crack and flake resulting in the paint holding water and salt against the metal. You will never do enough prep to make sure the paint adheres reliably.

Waxoil is ideal and much easier to apply and longer lasting. It will creep into abraded areas and self-heals. It also won't crack and flake off. Spend a good two hours pressure washing the underneath and then let it dry overnight before applying the waxoyl. Don't forget to use the insertion lance for the box sections and sills. If you want it to look prettier then you can get black waxoyl for the same cost.

I would have no quarms about liberally covering the back axle - it will never get hot enough to cook the oil unless it is completely worn out.

[dandywarhol]

I go along with all you say smartmonkey, and with 99% of what you write (wouldn't want you to get big headed now ) but I'd wait longer than a day to allow the underside to COMPLETELY dry, otherwise you'll be oiling over wet bits what are difficult to evaportate (unless it's midsummer and not humid) and the corrosion will continue underneath it. I power washed mine and waited 4 days before going over the entire underside with compressed air.

[johnzbenson]

It looks like quite a bit of what is fair to say light rust on your rear diff. It makes me wonder what the state of the thinner metal surfaces are like especially where they join one another. But a photograph is quite limiting and until you check how heavy the rust is (with a soft wire brush typically) then its only abest guess Ideally you want to remove your space saver (and ultimately replace with afull size spare)
Buts thats another story/thread!
With the spare removed brush away any light surface rust untill you have a clean dry solid base to paint on. I would then apply zinc rich paint such as Ku rust/Galvafroid /hammerite which will "sacrificially" bond with any remaining rust and so inhibit any further rust buildup. A word of warning though, painting over seals/plastics and bushes etc can degrade these items so painting should be done sparingly. then I believe a a well oiled rag and with some elbow grease should remove any of the more stubborn bits of rust on the diff etc. Finishing off with Waxoyl should only benefit the rust prevention so long as you ensure that the drain holes in the Bongo's body panels remain free to drain away. But do check those wheel arches and get behind those wheel arch liners if you have them!