Hi all,

So when checking fluids today, I noticed some rust on the bodywork inside the engine bay. The photos of it are attached.

Has anyone had rust in a similar location? Also, is this a serious problem that requires urgent attention?

I have searched through some old threads about rust on the Mk2/Mk2.5, and if this is a serious problem I might approach Ford and try to get a free repair.

They all do that tried a free repair if you didn't pay extra for the paint check at a service and have it stamped they tell you where to go some sanding kurust and corrosion resistant paint does the Job

paint warranty wont cover that definatly

Thanks for the replies Arthur and iantt,

Unfortunately I don't have sand paper, Kurust or paint. (Let alone a decent toolset.) I live in a tiny flat at the moment, and permanently park on the street. So can't do much in the way of DIY I'm afraid.

Arthur: I have no idea how the water got in there, maybe it got in when snow built up on the car a few weeks ago. When you say "they all do that", are you saying rust in that specific area is a common occurence? I know Focii rust a lot, especially in the wheel arches, and near the tailgate, but I have never heard of rust in my location.

What I want to know is, is it something that can be left alone, or is a must to get fixed??

If the latter, I might try chasing Ford up, seeing as I had literally all my services done at $tealerships. (The service book also has one paint check stamp done a few years ago, I know it might not mean much, but every little helps in an argument.) I have nothing to lose. If they outright refuse, then I guess I'll have to pay a garage to fix it or something. Ridiculous that these cars rust so easily!

They all do that, mine has done the exact same in the same place. In the summer it will be attacked with a wire brush, kurust and hammerite paint.

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That's not bodywork that's rusting, it's the base plate of the strut brace which is bolted to the suspension turret and into the strut top mount.

It's fitted after the car has gone through all the e-coat processes etc in paintshop and is similar to most of the suspension parts under the car in terms of being painted black but can eventually have paint come off and go rusty.

Would be very surprised if the bodywork protection warranty covered it as I'd expect Ford to classify it as a suspension/chassis component.

That's not bodywork that's rusting, it's the base plate of the strut brace which is bolted to the suspension turret and into the strut top mount.

So is it even worse/more important than the bodywork rusting?

Is it something that needs urgent attention, or can it be left alone?

I wouldn't worry about it, its not really any different from there being rust on a subframe or wishbone or something, its not body work. If it was me i would treat with kurust and paint it with hammerite at some point, but only because I keep my engine bay clean.

As James says, it's a similar situation to most of the chassis components under the car - they're all made of metal which is a lot thicker than body panels and would probably take many many years before any corrosion got significant enough to affect it's strength. In comparison body panels can be as thin as 0.8mm.

As James says, it's a similar situation to most of the chassis components under the car - they're all made of metal which is a lot thicker than body panels and would probably take many many years before any corrosion got significant enough to affect it's strength. In comparison body panels can be as thin as 0.8mm.

Ok, thanks for the reassurance.

Here you go OP, here is mine...

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Here you go OP, here is mine...

ImageUploadedByFord OC1426690524.980378.jpg

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Looks exactly like mine; welcome to the rust club.