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General Rusty Sump Guard

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General Rusty Sump Guard

Alex4x4

Alex4x4

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2014 4x4 Sump Guard -wonder why fiat never bothered to galvanise!? Thought i heard a knocking under the car!!
Apparently it wasn’t as corroded last year!
Car received an Advisory for this on recent MOT so have just changed to another OE one but treated with waxoyl.
Apparently its a testable item if originally fitted to the car!!
Guess some run without it on but its there for a reason
 
That is extraordinarily rusty... do you live by the sea? The tray on my 2018 car is still 'as new'. but the previous two 4x4s showed signs of flakey paint on the tray after a few years, but nothing like that! Does it get regularly hosed off throughly, especially in winter? (and the rest of the underside, especially the suspension parts?) That is the very best way to stop things rusting -- wash the salt and salt-laden mud off, weekly if you can. But if you live near the sea and have to drive through salty puddles, even that may not be enough.
 
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Hi.
I've been a fan of waxoyl for long and weary. The issue with many parts like these is the fact they are powder coated which is a very hard and brittle coating. Once it begins to peel the rot sets in and it lifts more and more of it.
I'd shot or sand blast off the powder coating, clean off any rust, use bilt hamber rust converter and then paint with a few coats of hammerite. These days I use a Lanolin based rust preventative fluid rather than waxoyl. Doing this will make those powder coated parts last a long time.
 
Herts Hillhopper said:
That is extraordinarily rusty... do you live by the sea? The tray on my 2018 car is still 'as new'. but the previous two 4x4s showed signs of flakey paint on the tray after a few years, but nothing like that! Does it get regularly hosed off throughly, especially in winter? (and the rest of the underside, especially the suspension parts?) That is the very best way to stop things rusting -- wash the salt and salt-laden mud off, weekly if you can. But if you live near the sea and have to drive through salty puddles, even that may not be enough.
Click to expand...



Hi Herts,
No we are about 20 miles from the sea on Kent / Sussex border! Not sure if the previous owner did though?
I too was also surprised how rusty it had got! Think the last time i looked under front of the car was 2019! I remember saying to my mechanic there is a random knocking sound under the car when going up hill but he couldn’t replicate it-guess it was this shifting about!
Then lockdown etc for best part of a year did less than 1k miles so sat about a lot!
We don’t do a massive amount of green-laning but it does get washed regularly!!
 
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murphyv310 said:
Hi.
I've been a fan of waxoyl for long and weary. The issue with many parts like these is the fact they are powder coated which is a very hard and brittle coating. Once it begins to peel the rot sets in and it lifts more and more of it.
I'd shot or sand blast off the powder coating, clean off any rust, use bilt hamber rust converter and then paint with a few coats of hammerite. These days I use a Lanolin based rust preventative fluid rather than waxoyl. Doing this will make those powder coated parts last a long time.
Click to expand...



Yep powder coating seems a bit hit n miss nowadays! Guess they recycled an old Lancia Beta-lol- they used to rot out like this if i remember rightly?!
This one though was falling apart snd rusting through in places and was beyond economic repair!
There are other products out there and prevention better than cure as the part wasn’t cheap and i could only source via main dealer!! After market stainless steel ones to be had but they fit over original guard i think!
 
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Alex4x4 said:
Yep powder coating seems a bit hit n miss nowadays! Guess they recycled an old Lancia Beta-lol- they used to rot out like this if i remember rightly?!
This one though was falling apart snd rusting through in places and was beyond economic repair!
There are other products out there and prevention better than cure as the part wasn’t cheap and i could only source via main dealer!! After market stainless steel ones to be had but they fit over original guard i think!
Click to expand...

Yes, the aftermarket guards 'fill the gap' ahead of the Fiat guard (at the bumper) and beyond it (towards the rear)... https://www.tbruk.com/gear-box-skid-plate-5844-p.asp
Powder coating is cheap but not great on any surface likely to get knocked as it then cracks. As others have suggested, stripping that off (by shot blasting) then using tough paint will protect it better.
 
Mines just been treated today, although not as bad as yours, it's been stripped down, wirebrushed and rust treated, slathered in red oxide primer and 2 coats of black stonechip.

Staggered how bad the paint was on mine and mines only done 11k.

If you could have a replacement knocked up in stainless, I reckon you'd have loads of takers
 
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lunchbeers said:
Mines just been treated today, although not as bad as yours, it's been stripped down, wirebrushed and rust treated, slathered in red oxide primer and 2 coats of black stonechip.



Staggered how bad the paint was on mine and mines only done 11k.



If you could have a replacement knocked up in stainless, I reckon you'd have loads of takers
Click to expand...



There doesn’t appear to be many companies out there that do them!
One said to me that they make over 200 sump guards and even do one for previous model but not this model! Looking at developing one apparently.
I guess Stainless Steel would cost more but must be lighter, but then would Insurance Companies want a notification of change from OE?
Guess most owners wont realise how with the OE one-how low grade metal it is, almost like it’s made of cast iron going by the weight of it! I guess i should have got the hammerite when i purchased the Beast 4 years ago!!
As somebody else said once the powder coating gets scratched or flexes the rot sets in!! Guess if i left it any longer it may have dropped off??
 
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I had a mate used to run a fabrication shop, who's made me replacement bits in stainless for my BBQ amongst other bits, I guess it would cost more, but according to ePer, the OEM one is about £140-odd (don't know if this is what you paid to replace) but if you knew it was sorted for life then probably worth paying a little more?

I'm hoping as mine was a bit scabby then it's been saved, if it goes later I can take it off to be sandblasted and refinished in POR15 or similar.

Hard to say what caused mine, it was gone on the rear and the 2 outer supports on front panel, also coating had blown on the inside too. Using a wallpaper screper, I was able to scrape great chunks of it off, and it was paper-thin.

Guess it's designed as a sacrificial part, hopefully you'd have some warning before it finally dropped off, can't imagine it rusting through the 2 most rear-ward mountings easily.

Mines being refitted tomorrow with new stainless fasteners with some copper grease.
 
What amazes me is how some have go so bad without it being noticed? The tray has to come off to drain the oil. Here’s what mine looks like at not quite three years old, and after 30,000 miles. It’s not perfect by any means and I will take it off and Hammerite it at some point.
 

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Herts Hillhopper said:
What amazes me is how some have go so bad without it being noticed? The tray has to come off to drain the oil. Here’s what mine looks like at not quite three years old, and after 30,000 miles. It’s not perfect by any means and I will take it off and Hammerite it at some point.
Click to expand...

Luck of the draw, or more likely they had to replace a number under warranty so started making them properly.

Mine's a mid-13 model so coming up 8, but covered low miles and garaged when not in use.

Looking at the clearance I'm guessing they'll be prone to speed bumps?
 
lunchbeers said:
Luck of the draw, or more likely they had to replace a number under warranty so started making them properly.

Mine's a mid-13 model so coming up 8, but covered low miles and garaged when not in use.

Looking at the clearance I'm guessing they'll be prone to speed bumps?
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No - not speed bumps. If right across the road, then (as with any car) the wheels will lift the car clear long before the undertray is at risk. And if the 'cushion' type, they'd have to be over 6 inches tall to hit that (which they're not). Speed bumps on a highway should allow you to drive over them at the speed limit of the road without damage. The thing that catches mine is off road routes with deep ruts, where the Panda's comparatively small clearance (compared to a Landrover for example) shows up. Although its narrower track means it can often run with one wheel on top of the centre rut and so keep going better than might be expected. Deep snow is also very abrasive, so that too can strip the powder coating.
 
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It was the cushion ones I was thinking of, for a car with increased ground clearance, it seems pretty low under there.

Unlikely mine'll be going through snow, just waiting until I can stretch it's legs off road
 
Prompted by the photos in this post, I’ve taken my sump guard off today and with very little effort from a wire brush have flicked away a lot of ultra-thin paint (don’t think it is powder coat). Interesting to see a ‘tide line’ where water has sat in a depression near the front - and not sure why that’s there? Nothing on my MJ needs that shape. Two coats of Hammerite will go on for now. Also gave a chance to wash mud from between the tray and ‘the works’.
 

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lunchbeers said:
It was the cushion ones I was thinking of, for a car with increased ground clearance, it seems pretty low under there.

Unlikely mine'll be going through snow, just waiting until I can stretch it's legs off road
Click to expand...
It’s not that high - for sure. But is (about) 50mm more than a regular Panda.
 
lunchbeers said:
I had a mate used to run a fabrication shop, who's made me replacement bits in stainless for my BBQ amongst other bits, I guess it would cost more, but according to ePer, the OEM one is about £140-odd (don't know if this is what you paid to replace) but if you knew it was sorted for life then probably worth paying a little more?



I'm hoping as mine was a bit scabby then it's been saved, if it goes later I can take it off to be sandblasted and refinished in POR15 or similar.



Hard to say what caused mine, it was gone on the rear and the 2 outer supports on front panel, also coating had blown on the inside too. Using a wallpaper screper, I was able to scrape great chunks of it off, and it was paper-thin.



Guess it's designed as a sacrificial part, hopefully you'd have some warning before it finally dropped off, can't imagine it rusting through the 2 most rear-ward mountings easily.



Mines being refitted tomorrow with new stainless fasteners with some copper grease.
Click to expand...



Yep as per ePer £140-00 plus vat on top of that!?
So i guess a Stainless steel one would be double that but lighter more durable & no need to paint!? Last the lifetime of the car!
 
It's be interesting to see if it could be done, it doesn't seem too hard to construct, the original is pressed it seems.

You might lose a bit of cover where the tray mounts through to the subframe, but it would easily outlive the rest of the car.

Bet it would cost though
 
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