Ford Puma Rust !?

[whunt18885]

Hi

I am new to this forum, I have just purchased (for the princely sum of £850) a 99 V Reg red Ford Puma 1.4 with FFSH and 12M MOT. All is well and everything works as it should however there is some bubbling on the rear arches and the sills (small amount looks to be surface rust). Its does not look too serious, similar to this but not quite as extensive:

http://www.turbosport.co.uk/showthread.php?t=163290

Note - The above is NOT my car but just shows a similar level of rust - My car is a bit less rusty that this.

Obviously without close inspection it would be tricky to give specifics, When I get chance I will post pics.

My question is simple:

Given that it already has a new MOT with no mention of rust can I assume that with regular cleaning / polishing it can last for another 1-2 years before the rust becomes a MOT failure ?

I am getting a brand new Focus on finance probably in 18 months time so it would be nice knowing that I can just drive this temporary car for a year or so without having to spend any money on it - I know that I will probably only get a few hundred for it when I sell but that is fine.

Also any cheap fixes to delay the onset of rust - Can I just use that KRust paint on stuff from Halfords and then paint over with a pot of touch up paint ?

Cheers

[L666JER]

Depending on exactly how bad it is, if you start trying to remove the rust it could turn into a very big job very quickly, I know this from my experience with fiestas :D

KRust, Fertan or similar will certainly slow down the rust, for the next year or so before it NEEDS some serious attention.

To get a perfect finish (which I don't think you are bothered about) you will probably need to fill, sand and spray, after treating the rust.

[whunt18885]

Thanks for reply - I will give the KURUST stuff a go and get the top up paint pots (not messing about with rattle can) and just see what I can do. The paint is a non metallic bright red so should be fairly easy to make it look passable. Basically I want to slow the rust down enough to allow me to pass another MOT if required next Jan - Hopefully by mid 2016 I will have a brand new car and rust will no longer be on my mind !

Thanks

[L666JER]

Yeah, a solid red should be easy to match as long as it hasn't faded pink.

As long as the rust hasn't eaten all the way through the metal you should be fine.

[whunt18885]

Good stuff, thanks for the advice - I will give it a bash this weekend, I think the paint is slightly faded but still better to have slightly mis-matched paint on the sills than horrible orange rust. Cheers

[L666JER]

With the sills, if there is clear evidence of corrosion you may end up with an advisory. if the tested can feel that it's soft with his little hammer thing then, if may fail. Just make sure the metal on the sills is solid enough, or it may need a little more attention.

[whunt18885]

I tested with my in depth 'bang with a spanner' test and it seems really solid - When I knock it with my knuckles its a solid sound (i.e not hollow or flimsy) so hopefully should be ok.

I will book next years MOT in on a Fri afternoon at 4.30pm when its raining - Hopefully then it will fly through ! :)

[thewizardofswad]

You have probably done this now but i bought a pair of peugeot 206 front wings and cut the wheel arch panels out of them as the profile is spot on the left front wing makes the right rear arch. also there is enough spare steel in the wing to make the inner arch that usually rots out. pics if you need them :-)