Currently driving a rental car as mines off the road after an accident. Been given a 58 plate Ford. Already the bonnet is rusting (i assume after a stone chip).
I remember old Fords always used to rust but it appears nothings changed on modern ones. Anyone know why though - surely its galvanised same as any other car? Never had any rusting problems on previous cars (Renaults and Peugeots) even after various stone chips and accident damage.
Shame because its a really good car to drive but I think the rusting problem would put me off buying one.
Edited by alex823 on 26/07/2009 at 20:29
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Which model is it and is the rust just on the area of exposed metal or has it gone further ?
In general galvanization acts as a sacrificial anode if the galvanized barrier is damaged.
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I remember old Fords always used to rust ...........
I don't remember Fords being any worse than any other make of a similar era. For example, Vauxhall Crestas were very prone to rusting of the rear wings (because of a mud trap at the top of the wing) and it was fairly common to see some which had holes the size of a football !
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Slightly strange thread this - stone chip rusts shock.
There was a six-inch nail in my tyre the other day.
Do you know it went down?
Always said Michelins were rubbish.
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Slightly strange thread this - stone chip rusts shock. There was a six-inch nail in my tyre the other day. Do you know it went down? Always said Michelins were rubbish.
My thoughts exactly! By the way, mentioning rust issue on 50 year old Crestas is a bit unfair on the modern stuff.
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By the way mentioning rust issue on 50 year old Crestas is a bit unfair on the modern stuff.
I was merely replying to the OPs unfair comment that "I remember old Fords always used to rust ...........
(Bold/italics are mine).
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I've had numerous other cars though with stone chips and more that haven't rusted. In fact out of the last 5 cars in our house none have any visible signs of rust - Honda, Citroen, Mazda, Renault.
Btw not saying Fords are rubbish are anything - just that they appear to be prone to rust. I'm sure they are not the only brand but you definately see more rusty Fords around than other makes - seen a few rusting fairly new Transits recently.
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Stone chips are a part of motoring and should be treated as soon as seen or the dreaded tin worm will appear except on glass fibre panels and the like.
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I suspect if it's been hit hard enough then it will break through all the coatings and you'll get a bit of surface rust, and than can happen whenever - I had my windscreen maimed by a large rock 2 weeks from new - if it had hit the bonnet then it could have done the damage.
My CMax has done >75k now and there's no rust on it, despite a lot of stone chips brought on by life at high speed. As another poster noted I get out there and wash it myself as it's a great way to spot new chips and then whip out the touch-up pen (£8 from Ford at the time).
Likely that if it's a hire/fleet car then it's not been shown much TLC - certainly the other half's company Vectra is very much a second-class citizen at ours.
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If you want to see a large collection of stone chips, jsut look on any two year old BMW, they seem worse than anything else for paint quality
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If you want to see a large collection of stone chips jsut look on any two year old BMW they seem worse than anything else for paint quality
It's not the paint quality, it's caused by driving 3 feet from the car in front at 90mph. ;-)
But more seriously, alot of new ford's will be company cars and recieve very little TLC so stonechips will not be attended to. This could also apply to the OP's hire car.
Edited by Mookfish on 28/07/2009 at 19:41
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But more seriously alot of new ford's will be company cars and recieve very little TLC so stonechips will not be attended to. This could also apply to the OP's hire car.
I agree. I get a lot less stone chips and windscreen damage since I retired and no longer do 50 miles per day on motorways.
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Well, if my daughters Ford Ka is anything to go by, they must have been made with recycled
Alfasuds !
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I'm a great fan of the Focus but I do have some concerns about the bodywork which might explain the OP's stance. Ours is a 2007 model:
1. The paint appears to be very thin and chips very easily. If you don't touch these up straight away they rust. Every time I was wash the car I find more chips to touch up - I've not had to do this on other makes so regularly and my journeys are no different to what they've always been.
2. I have found one or two spots on the roof where rust is beginning. These are in areas where I can't see how a stone could cause it (technically it's not the roof, it's the very top of the tailgate). I have intervened with my anti-rust touch-up pencil and topcoat.
3. Opening the boot, there is evidence of rust bleeding out from the welded seams by the hinges. Again quite minor but I have intervened with some waxoyl to prevent problems down the line.
4. Not rust, but one or two 'foreign bodies' can be found in the paint.
If the Focus is galvanised then it's either poor quality or mine missed its turn in the bath. I don't know anything about galvanising but assume it's possible for the quality of the process to vary from make to make.
Overall we like the Focus (it's been 100% reliable), it's probably the best Euro box money can buy. Would definitely have another.
Edited by The Melting Snowman on 29/07/2009 at 22:08
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Depending on their standards, everyone's perception of unacceptable rust is different. At one end of the scale it will be where a single stone chip has gone down to the metal and allowed superficial rust to develop locally. At the other end of the scale it will be a hole in the bodywork or an area where you could literally poke your finger through.
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