Technical 100HP/4x4 rust?

[BlueDan]

Ok, now the oldest ones are approaching 10 years old (4x4 anyway... 100HP not quite yet, I think), has anyone taken the plastic cladding off the arches or sills and found any tinworm lurking underneath?

Just curious how they generally get on with age - being the owner of a 100HP which recently turned 5 years old myself.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

4x4 is a little way off a decade yet, looking at 8 years, wasn't available from the outset of the mk3 range.

 

[AAB1992]

Ok, now the oldest ones are approaching 10 years old (4x4 anyway... 100HP not quite yet, I think), has anyone taken the plastic cladding off the arches or sills and found any tinworm lurking underneath?

Just curious how they generally get on with age - being the owner of a 100HP which recently turned 5 years old myself.

I've got a 2004 1.2 8v (9.5 years old) and I haven't noticed all that much rust.

The main areas I have noticed (on earlier cars) is under the rear wheel arches, particularity around the fuel pipes because earlier cars don't have rear wheel arch liners (I have in installed some from later models to prevent further corrosion).

Also the rear suspension, the design of the cup where the spring sits, water, muck and salt tends to cause corrosion.

In addition, it’s worthwhile taking the rubber bungs out of the chassis and sills and having a look at these areas because I have known water and damp to accumulate in these sections. A good cavity wax prevents things from getting worse as well as a good under body seal (which I have carried out).

I believe the 4x4 and 100hp have rear wheel arch liners and I wouldn’t expect to see rust behind these, only panda’s without them. Just check along all the seams as the factory protection can flake or chip.

They are nevertheless solid cars, better than Punto mk2’s which do rust a fair bit!

 

[BlueDan]

Cheers for the advice, I was mainly concerned about my 100HP in case there were horrors lurking under the plastic parts (thinking they may be trapping water and filth, like the parts at the front side of my Cinq Sporting's rear arches did).

 

[Dan Friel]

Would hope the Panda 169 model is fully galvanised throughout the range.. and suspect that the Cinq wasn't. Should be a long way off real rust worries.

 

[BlueDan]

Cinq was, in fact they may have been the model Fiat started really dealing with rust

It wasn't rotten through, just a little bubbled paint where water and mud had been trapped - seemed pretty good for 14 years old at the time. The 100HP already has a little rust bubbling up around one of the screws under the filler flap, however.

 

[AAB1992]

The 100HP already has a little rust bubbling up around one of the screws under the filler flap, however.

Just how mine started, but mine didn't have a wheel arch lining to start with. Looking from underneath it was more grim once the under-seal had been peeled back. The later models have a pretty extensive cover, I would seem difficult for water and muck to get in and cause corrosion. Its been a year later since I installed the rear covers and under-sealed, now I have no more corrosion.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Would hope the Panda 169 model is fully galvanised throughout the range.. and suspect that the Cinq wasn't. Should be a long way off real rust worries.

Fiats have been galvanised since the 90s, even the mk2 Panda was galvanised

 

[Dan Friel]

Fiats have been galvanised since the 90s, even the mk2 Panda was galvanised

Ah ok, didn't realise that they were fully galvanised, thought it was just outer panels..

 

[BlueDan]

Just how mine started, but mine didn't have a wheel arch lining to start with. Looking from underneath it was more grim once the under-seal had been peeled back. The later models have a pretty extensive cover, I would seem difficult for water and muck to get in and cause corrosion. Its been a year later since I installed the rear covers and under-sealed, now I have no more corrosion.

Argh, absolutely the last thing I wanted to hear. At least I know about it now while the weather is still half decent, though.

 

[AAB1992]

Argh, absolutely the last thing I wanted to hear. At least I know about it now while the weather is still half decent, though.

It won't be excessive corrosion, no more than surface rust that is easily treatable