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I’d have to get in there and have a look! Is the paint bubbling too?
General 500 rust prevention
- Thread starter Baglady1990
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General 500 rust prevention
I’d have to get in there and have a look! Is the paint bubbling too?
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This is something I do every spring now! Only had my 500 just over 2 years now
So last summer was the first time I’d had all the liners out … I got 4 dustpans worth of soil & grit out from behind ? I’m actually surprised I didn’t get weeds growing in there!
I also strip down my rear beam come spring and then re coat in waxoyl
The spring pans are always full of grit & salt after winter!
I spent days under my car this summer making sure the arches & underside were completely coated in rust prevention
All the time & effort on my car seem to be paying off I got asked at the petrol station this morning if my car was new!? he almost fell over when I said no she’s 10!
The Younger Mrs S.'s Rasputin (named because it's been so hard to kill..
) seems to have suffered a knock in that corner (I think only 1 corner hasn't had a knock and only the roof hasn't been re-painted, to be honest) and the inner wing was evidently pushed in, as well as the outer skin.Nigel Neanderthal, who "fixed" it, did a good job on the outer panel but the inner panel looks a bit crumpled still, though "to be fair" it's obscured by the wheel arch liner, so I can understand why it didn't get a proper fix, even though it's a bit pikey.
Anyhow, the inner wing sits inside the outer wing and it appears to have been spot welded and sealed at the factory. I can tell since the gap has been opened up by the knock and should have been re-sealed at least, although Nigel didn't bother.
Anyhow, it reminds me of a similar problem on the Younger Mrs S.'s Cinquecento.. .water/moisture/salty gets in between the wing panels and it would then fall to the back of the wheel arch and rot its way out, or the front of the wing and rot the rear of the sill.
Yours looks like it's a touch of the former (my old Alfa 155 had similar). Unless that's a paint bubble (bad paint) then it looks like a rust spot, which will be bigger behind the panel and under the paint. You should have a look for any air space between the wings and seal them up. Longer term that bubble may/otherwise get bigger and turn into a blister.
Ralf S.
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I need to look at my rear axle when I'm back there, I cleaned the spring pans out and put some Hammerite in there whilst replacing the springs / shocks but haven't looked at the rest yet.
I don't think the front corner of the front wing rusting is specific to the 500 though or even Fiats in general - most cars rust there eventually if that's where the wheelarch liner ends and the bumper is bolted on, so always a good idea to keep on top of it.
Alfa 156 GTA was a very special case though - the normal 156 didn't rust particularly badly there but the GTA had flared wheelarches which created a little pocket at that corner, and they didn't even bother rustproofing it. The last new (i.e. rust-free) front wing sold in 2015, so guaranteed most of 'em have a nice dollop of filler in their insanely expensive front wings by now
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I was watching a chap on YouTube.. reviving salvage I think .. he has been working on a 500 he got from Scotland and my word the rust on that car!!!!!!I need to look at my rear axle when I'm back there, I cleaned the spring pans out and put some Hammerite in there whilst replacing the springs / shocks but haven't looked at the rest yet.
I don't think the front corner of the front wing rusting is specific to the 500 though or even Fiats in general - most cars rust there eventually if that's where the wheelarch liner ends and the bumper is bolted on, so always a good idea to keep on top of it.
Alfa 156 GTA was a very special case though - the normal 156 didn't rust particularly badly there but the GTA had flared wheelarches which created a little pocket at that corner, and they didn't even bother rustproofing it. The last new (i.e. rust-free) front wing sold in 2015, so guaranteed most of 'em have a nice dollop of filler in their insanely expensive front wings by now
I suppose it’s the climate up there! But it shocked me!
My car must have been garage kept as she is now as I had very little in the way
Except for the usual like the beam but only light surf rust
She is my hobby so she gets more attention than most ? im changing my handbrake cables at the weekend so admittedly I’ll be under there reviewing everything ?
Yep that is paint bubbling I have a feeling there's water between the panels maybe from the aerial or rear loom seal? need to pull out the boot liner
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Oh, reading this is the pic of the o/s/r rather than n/s/f like I thought? If so I'd better pull the rear wheelarch liners at some point to see what fun and games lurk back there...
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Nearside rear not the petrol cap side
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Ah, thought it'd be a bit odd getting bubbles at the front where the wing attached to the bumpers - it seems quite well designed there.
Must have a dig around those rear bumper mounts to see what's there
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Did a bit of investigation - nothing scary in the rear wheelarches behind the liners at all, except spiders
This area, where the rear bumper attaches, is double-skinned so is more likely to rust from the inside out through condensation (prob the issue you've got), but unless it's particularly thin metal there it's pretty much the same as any other car:
Well worthwhile sticking some waxoyl down in that corner the next time the rear trim is out though, to prevent any future issues.
OP
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Look at you with your coil overs 
very very nice 
very very nice 
