Hi guys

I just went to get some quotes on some rust I have on the inside edge of the rear wheel arch.

The first guys (Smart car UK) said £175 + VAT. The second said over £300 and that it would not go away, probably come back in less than a year.

I'm just wondering, do I go for the first guys and get it fixed up with it probably coming back or should I go get some paint and cover it myself then hope for the best?

Winter is coming up and I don't want it made so much worse by grit- the paint has peeled there you see.

Thanks for any advice guys!

If you just put paint over it yourself it will definitely come back and probably quicker than you think. You need to actually remove the rust completely to stop it coming back. It will need rubbing down to expose all of the rust and remove the worst of it. It will then need treating with rust killer before you even think about painting over it. I think what the second person is saying is that it may come back as the mk1 focus is a little prone to it - possibly because it has fabric rear arch liners that hold in moisture more than plastic ones if I can remember correctly?

A proper body shop should be able to get rid of the rust I think they are probably just covering themselves due to what I mentioned above. I would be a little weary of companies that do 'smart repairs'. Smart normally just means cheaper price in my opinion and therefore the work will not be as good as a proper body shop with an oven. A smart repair is typically mobile so they have no oven etc and certain companies may tend to cut corners to get the job done quickly (hence the price). Just my opinion anyway -_-

I always say 'buy cheap - buy twice'.

I totally agree with James, cheap fixes may look good but is the fix quality work or a learning task for an aprentice?

Thanks for the reply guys. The second guy basically told me it wasn't worth the money really and I am wondering if he's right. The car cost me £500 and I've seen rust in other places (frame welds under the bonnet, in the recesses of the spare wheel well and just under a small scratch in the rear passenger door foot plate. Its only don 76k miles but it is 2001. I wonder how much it is worth spending on the car now.

I did want to spruce it up, maybe add a few silly things like light clusters and stuff but I wonder if I am better off saving for a newer model (late mk2 maybe) before splashing out? Its my first car and I want to look after it well while I have it. Just not sure how far I should go on repairs and maintenance.

Thanks for the reply guys. The second guy basically told me it wasn't worth the money really and I am wondering if he's right. The car cost me £500 and I've seen rust in other places (frame welds under the bonnet, in the recesses of the spare wheel well and just under a small scratch in the rear passenger door foot plate. Its only don 76k miles but it is 2001. I wonder how much it is worth spending on the car now.

I did want to spruce it up, maybe add a few silly things like light clusters and stuff but I wonder if I am better off saving for a newer model (late mk2 maybe) before splashing out? Its my first car and I want to look after it well while I have it. Just not sure how far I should go on repairs and maintenance.

At the end of the day it's your car so it's up to you what you feel it's worth spending on it not someone else? Would you be confident enough to give it a go yourself to save money?

You're right. I will look for a guide and have a go myself. Thanks.

I had the same dilemma with the Fiesta last year, decided to give it a go myself. Stripped back to bare metal, applied rust converter, primer, colour and lacquer. Spent days doing it.

8 months and only 400 miles later (under cover until 2 months ago) its coming back :(

Don't want to put you off or anything but you might need a couple of goes at it. :)

Once you start it's deciding when to when to stop,i started to treat a few small bubbles on the rear arch and by the time i finished i had to replace the whole cill

Once you start it's deciding when to when to stop,i started to treat a few small bubbles on the rear arch and by the time i finished i had to replace the whole cill

Yeah, as you uncover some rust you keep finding more and more and end up with a much bigger job than when you started!!

I have a mk1 focus too and have heard that it is prone to rust. Mine doesn't have any in the wheel arches thankfully but does have it on the bottom of the rear doors and bottom of the boot lid. Already removed what I could and treated with rust killer ready for paint!

Have you guys got any reccomended products to use?

I always use Halfords spray paints. The prices seem reasonable (if you buy the bigger can) and the paint is much better than cheaper ones I've used. Don't buy cheap primer, it's not worth it.

I use filler primer then grey primer on top.

Hammerite kurust is ok but I have heard some good things about a product called Fertan. It's supposed to be pretty good. Not the cheapest but they do it in various sizes.

Cheers all! I'll pick up some of that Hammerite stuff tonight as I want to try and get it done this weekend. I'll report back on the effectiveness after the weekend.

before you paint it though, get some rust treatment, you can pick some up at the likes of eurocarparts for next to nothing. I have a few small rust spots on paint chips I will at some point get rid of, and I will be sanding down the bonnet, treating the spots, then spray painting the repair on!

Just keeping this topic alive and updated. Didn't manage to get the rust sorted this weekend due to awful weather. Hoping next weekend will be less wet.

Ok, I managed to get some not-raining time in over this weekend and worked at the car. In a moment of idiocy I went and bought the Hammerite rust repair kit rather than just the kurust stuff. Several coats, washes and grinds with a wire brush disk later and most of the rust has gone. I threw a thick but crude coating of the anti-rust undercoating paint on as the weather was closing in.

I'm now probably looking to grind away the remaining rust if I can get a dry day next weekend but I've got to put some body filler on it now a couple of small holes (2-3mm) have been made where its just rusted through.

The main thing I have to do before I can come close to finishing the job though is clearing the pitted and rough metal where the rust once was. Would a grinding disk do it or would that be too much?

Rob

I would say a grinding disk would be ok if you're careful and then use a thin coat of filler with wet and dry paper to smooth it out totally.