uno_94,
"it seems strange that since starting this thread all uno owners have rushed out to there cars and gave it a gd once over"
Good point!
Here are some of my 'rust spots' common to the five Unos that I've owned
- Take off sealing rubber around hatchback. Rust tends to start above/behind rear light clusters.
- Similar to above, wash off mud inside rear wheelarch, scrape off loose underseal, take out rear light cluster. Look for rust holes here (behind bumper, which can also come off easily if needed).
- Similarly, look inside below rear hatch lip. I don't think this area received much paint at the factory.
- Look under front wing top lip about 5cm forward of bonnet hinges. The inner wheelarch (that the wing bolts onto) tends to rust through here.
- Remove sealing rubber for rear side windows (3-dr). Check that rust is not starting at the welded lip.
- Remove seals for door window glass. Again, check for rust at the welded lip covered by the rubber.
Rectification for all above places is simple: chip and wirebrush the rust away, paint with anti-rust paint, cover with Waxoyl (as Chas suggests). These spots are fairly hidden (if you catch them in time).
Then we have the serious rusting areas (!)... these need WELDING to rectify:
- Edge of the floor, where it meets the sill, on the left side. You notice this one as you try to jack up the car with the standard jack... the sill bends...
(I have seen three Unos with rust here)
- Top of the sill, under the door. Remove the sealing rubber and clean up - if no holes or only holes 5p-piece sized, then treat as for other rust spots above
- Front crossmember near gearbox mounting - has a haphazard construction that leaves spot welds exposed, particularly after crash damage. (one Uno like this)
- Rear shock towers as already described (you need to remove rear seatbelts, parcel shelf supports, and carpet/plastic that covers the wheelarches).
- Door bottoms (very common)... In the best cases, the frame disappears completely and the door loses all its strength, leaving the skin hanging free.
I think these are the most common areas... I've also had Unos with rust in the roof edges, under the windscreen, at the front of the sill behind the front wing, and the tailgate (so rusty in one case that the rear window popped out)...
-Alex
