General Check your Bottoms!!

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General Check your Bottoms!!

Joined
May 2, 2008
Messages
43
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10
Location
Shropshire
Hi All,

Just had a shock last week when putting my 20Valve through the MOT.

It passed,but only just.The advisory was corrosion on sections of the floorpan towards the rear of the car,and sections of the sills (Towards the front of the car).Also some brake pipes where on the way out as well.

I clean the car on a regular basis,get the wheelarches jetwashed,and as much of the floorpan/underneath as possible...but it wasnt enough with this seemingly endless crap weather and seemingly endless road salt.

The MOT guy said that stones (Summers crap on road!) bounce off the underneath now and then and perforate the plasticy underseal protection.Then the old tinworm gets in with a good diet of salt when winter comes!.Our Mareas are all getting on a bit now,so given the age of my car (2000),it hasnt done too bad.Cant Blame Fiat at all...not like the old days with 131's etc.

So,get it on a ramp!..and have a look before you HAVE to decide how much you love your car,does it just keep your bum off the ground,or does it touch your soul?...AND how much dosh you have on hand to repair it.Am getting mine sorted,but its going to cost the best part of 300 quid to keep it alive for possibly a few years more...chemotherapy springs to mind.:-(

To say i was/am gutted was an understatement...and to think we actually pay the goverment for the what can only be described as "Assault" on our cars given the state of the UK's roads summer OR winter.

Out of sight,can be certainly out of mind,and we cant let these nice cars go quietly into history.
 
Yup Mareas are starting to reach that point where they can be falling off the road thanks to rust. My mums 20v went almost 2 years ago and it wasn't the first time I've heard of it happen.

Time to start treating them like older cars I suppose. :(
 
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Yup Mareas are starting to reach that point where they can be falling off the road thanks to rust. My mums 20v went almost 2 years ago and it wasn't the first time I've heard of it happen.

Time to start treating them like older cars I suppose. :(

Yes,i bet you she was sad to see it go!.The 20V especially has that something you dont find in cheap cars.

Gutted me,it really has.Your right,many owners will have to decide is it a classic,or just another old Fiat.
 
good advice, I first sprayed mine with Dintrol 5 years ago. It's still perfect, I washed the salt off last week and checked it, no corrosion at all. Mareas were very well protected from new so mine responded well to some attention. This is the 10th year we have owned that car and this forum has been a big help in keeping it going.
 
good advice, I first sprayed mine with Dintrol 5 years ago. It's still perfect, I washed the salt off last week and checked it, no corrosion at all. Mareas were very well protected from new so mine responded well to some attention. This is the 10th year we have owned that car and this forum has been a big help in keeping it going.

Really Pleased you have done so.:)

Wish i was as wise.

We all seem to concentrate on the mechanical issues,and not so much on the real nitty gritty of a cars life.Guess thats the same in many ways with life in general.We think we look at the big picture,but miss so much.
 
Had to do mine, for the mot, last year. So will check it all again for this years mot, i've got a bit of rot on the o/s sill, where it joins the rear wheel arch to attend to, thanks to the salt.
 
Had to do mine, for the mot, last year. So will check it all again for this years mot, i've got a bit of rot on the o/s sill, where it joins the rear wheel arch to attend to, thanks to the salt.

Good going mate!,

Gotta keep an eye on the old girl :)

Hope it goes through the MOT ok & best wishes.
 
a friend of mine has failed the mot big time on rust here are a few pics

boot floor (spare wheel well)

23012011448.jpg


and rear floor pan

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and the leather interior i took out for my car

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i heard this last year from a few guys on boo, so i straight away went out to check mine, mine is a 98 cars with 83k on the clock, there were a few scabs underneath which i scraped back with a screw driver and and wire brush, i then used underseal and stonechip paint, checked at the weekend after i washed it and i have 1 more small bit coming through, so i will scrape that out at the weekend and and protect it, i also have a friendly welder on stand by so i may have my rear jacking points looked at and my rear tow point, but once that is done, i will get the whole underside dinotrolled up and waxoiled i want my car to last for as long as i can!
 
A bit cold and dark now,but I will get some pics of the floor pan.This seems to be the latest one I have with that car in it, taken early Sept last year, the MG is a new aquisition then and I'm just getting penetrating oil on its wheel nuts.
DSCF5504.jpg
 
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Finally got the Marea up on the hoist to check the condition after a rough winter. I just peeled back the seperated underseal wirebrushed the rust and painted Dinitrol 4941 over the areas where the underseal has failed. That should see it through the next 10 years. These was the only area that needed doing but i went round the whole car while I was there. If you leave this sort of damage the car will need welding after 2 or 3 years.
DSCF5792.JPG

DSCF5793.JPG
 
met up with kee69uk off here yesterday up in swindon his old now dead marea was eaten alive on the floorpan i bought some items off him tidy guy pm him see what parts he got if anyone is after something..
 
Why dosent he advertise what hes got on here its free.

i dunno tbh . kee is on here cos he pm'd me over the wiper motor ..tidy guy as well..he's keeping me a front bumper and 2 headlight units cos the standered ones on my w/ender are crap..
 
Got an advisary about the floor pans on my MOT yesterday, getting the underneath sprayed on Friday. Hopefully this should keep it under control
 
Hope the marea i'm getting this friday is all good! i know it'l be rusty thats for sure, but mainly suspension components i suspect!

By the way guys, when refering to floor pan, is that the whole underbody of the car?
 
Aye, gota hate uk winters thats for sure, im so happy my marea hasn't really seen the light of day in the last 3 years ! although rust on the sump and even the engine block angers me! There should be a plastic guard at the front of the car for the underside, there is tons of space! (I will get round to making one soon hopefully!)

Started using a wire brush and drill (Drill piece wire brush) and removing rust of my marea today, applied first coat of rust remover, gna need another though im sure! But the marea is not as bad as i thought >< wire brushed the rear right drum too then hit with WD40 (Did this on my micra and all the metal come back together again, well chuffed!)
 
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