I've had my Panda for almost 7 years and the older it is the more addicted I am to it. I don't like the new Panda at all, I mean at all, so I cannot buy a new panda I would like again, so I hope I can keep this panda as long as possible. Of course, at this time, after 7 years of mostly minor, but annoying problems, all of them due to some inadequate factory mounting (all kinds of noises from all corners of the car) and not a bad design, still I love this car and the first thing I am afraid of, fear and nervously await is the first signs of rotting... Have you guys seen any signs of rust in your Pandas at all yet? And where can I expect them and how, if possibly, can I prevent them or postpone them? And once they do appear, what is the first aid? I am from the Czech Rep. and here car owners just passively watch their car being eaten by rust, or sell them right away and the used car lots offer cheap, rusty cars , that are then driven for years, even twenty years until they basically fall apart. On the other hand, I see cars In the UK, Holland, Germany, France, Italy etc run around basically rust free. I only saw rusty cars in Amsterdam where they are owned by cycling painters who forgot they actually once had a car and now their cars just wait forever next to the canal. otherwise, no rust in the West, as far as my experience goes. So with more or the same amount of rain in these countries like my place, how do the owners keep the 80s and 90s car rust free, or almost rust free when you compare the situation to Poland or other Eastern European countries? Shortly, how can I follow the example of well maintaned cars in the West and keep my Panda healthy for another 10 years at least like a proper middle class Dutchman who saves his every cent? Thank you for tips.

I can assure you that the biggest culprit by far for rot in cars is SALT - on the roads in the winter.
Cars in the UK are not immune by any means, I would imagine your car will easily last as long as a UK car.
When I see pictures of the engine bay or underneath of UK cars (when people are working on them) It is hard to believe the amount of corrosion even in cars 12 months old.. Even the alloy on the engine corrodes - but, that is more cosmetic.
Proper cleaning and rinsing underneath in salt areas, good old waxoyl is excellent - as is parafin and engine oil sprayed underneath or in box section - but - waxoyl is still best though.
Some corrosion is built in to the car, but construction methods are far better these days. if a seam, for example, is corroding behind the seam sealer and paint and underneath the underseal then there is not a lot you can do.
Buy new and look after it, or if possible and you have LHD, but from a hot med country if buying second hand, somewhere where there is no salt.
I would imagine the UK is probably one of the worst areas for corrosion. Salt salt and more salt, poorly maintained roads, foul weather.. not a lot going for it really lol.

It's not rain that makes cars rusty, it's the dreaded salt (+ rain) that is the real killer 30 years ago most UK cars used to fall to pieces in les than 10 years or so until the car manufacturers finally got their act together and protected them properly from the ravages of salt. Do roads in the Czech Rep. get salted in the winter? If not then maybe your cars don't get the same level of protection as in the UK - I really don't know? I don't think that many UK owners do ANYTHING to protect their cars, we are a lazy lot, most people don't even know how to top up the oil Honestly!

No idea about rusty Pandas - I guess someone will know.

duncx said:

It's not rain that makes cars rusty, it's the dreaded salt (+ rain) that is the real killer 30 years ago most UK cars used to fall to pieces in les than 10 years or so until the car manufacturers finally got their act together and protected them properly from the ravages of salt. Do roads in the Czech Rep. get salted in the winter? If not then maybe your cars don't get the same level of protection as in the UK - I really don't know? I don't think that many UK owners do ANYTHING to protect their cars, we are a lazy lot, most people don't even know how to top up the oil Honestly!

No idea about rusty Pandas - I guess someone will know.

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panda supposed to have galvanised body shell, def saw it in a advert from fiat

All Pandas are galvanised from about 1986 onwards. The body itself will probably remain rust free for at least 20 years, you still see old MK1 Puntos with no rust on them. It is the chassis which will possibly rot and also suspension bits.

You can get underseal to put under the car, which will help. Apart from Fords modern galvanised body shells don't seem to rust.

I'm not expecting mine to rust away...

JD82 said:

It is the chassis which will possibly rot and also suspension bits.

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Eh There is no 'chassis' to speak of - it's a monocoque construction. If the 'shell' is dipped after construction then it should last a very long time

Suspension parts will indeed rust away much more quickly.

My chassis I meant the floor, people will know what I mean, it is the bit that will rust quicker because it is more prone to getting salt due to grit etc.

I have seen plenty of cars that are rust free in terms of the panels but underneath they are rotten to bits.

JD82 said:

My chassis I meant the floor, people will know what I mean, it is the bit that will rust quicker because it is more prone to getting salt due to grit etc.

I have seen plenty of cars that are rust free in terms of the panels but underneath they are rotten to bits.

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Ah ok, sorry, I thought you meant that the chassis/floorpan was not galvanised whist the rest of the shell was. Hence my comment that if the floorpan (as part of the shell) has been galvanised then it should stay good for a long time.

Nope, I realise it is all the same shell. I actually made the mistake of buying a none galvanised Fiesta, looked perfectly fine on the outside but when I got it MOT'ed and he showed me how rusted it was underneath I was shocked. Scrapped it.

My back box on my Panda has rusted after 4 years, but but you can't really moan about that.

Thank you for the replies. Nice to know about the galvanized body but I am now confused about the floor pan. Is it not galvanized then? Or it is? I will try to google images of floor pans, not sure what exactly it is, I mean I know what it is, but not sure how it is designed for Panda.

OK, saw all kinds of floor pans, didn'd find Panda's floor pans, but I think I know what they are basically, now, are they galvanized, or not... I pray.

Are there any major costs to expect as for some parts at this age of the car or later? I remember I had to pay for a new lambda sensor for an Escort that was only 7 years old. The equivalent of about 500 UK pounds.

JD82 said:

All Pandas are galvanised from about 1986 onwards.

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Shells were, but Fiat didn't think it necessary to do any removable panels such as doors until 1995> on the mk2's :bang:

Just for future reference, being a mk1 mx5 enthusiast I have been forced to use many different types of rust proofing over the years and become rather knowledgable on the subject.

Waxoyl is no longer the class leader, Dinitrol products are much better, the cavity wax is great but the spray on rust proofing is amazing. It doesn't drip everywhere like waxoyl and it dries to a black rubbery consistency. I did the whole underside and interior of the chassis rails on my roadster for less than £80 and the bottom of it looks like brand new, I would never use waxoyl ever again.

I live in probably the worst climate regarding rust: Denmark.

We have salt on the roads for 4-5-6 months, high level of moisture and temperatures around 0° in the winter. That means salt everywhere and condensating moisture inside panels...

I have observed 2 spots on the body on my MY 2005: One bubble on the rearmost egde of the rear wing and some surface rust on the flat face around the filler cap (only visible when I fill the tank)

On non-body parts I see rust on sump, gearbox end cover and suspension parts. They all just get some Dinitrol spray when I notice new rust.
I have also seen a bit of bubbling along the seal strip on some of the doors, but nothing serious. Hole drilled, Dinitrol ML applied inside !!

Compared to other cars it seems to be a quite well protected construction