Corrosion timebomb on MG 4 ?

[Auto Surgeon]

Certainly on the front suspension it looks like the spray gun has missed target as to the inner sill, it looks galvanized so possibly not on the spray gun/robots path. In any case definitely worth at least wax protection at the earliest, unless it voids warranty

 

[Macadoodle]

Yep - you definitely need a new phone…

Aye. it's a cheap Chinese thing. Sensing a pattern in my buying decisions

 

[Ayoull]

Aye. it's a cheap Chinese thing. Sensing a pattern in my buying decisions

Need to stop mentioning the word as its swaying my decision making for what I want for tea

 

[Macadoodle]

Thanks for the photos, but I still have no clue about where do I need to look up.

Would it be possible to take some other photo(s) with a wider vision to get a better idea of where those areas are located?

A guide for dummies, I mean

Yep, first dry weekend I plan to get her up on ramps and see if I can get the sill covers off to spray a little waxoyl in there, I'll borrow wifey's i phone and take some better pics
The 'mini swimming pool' cups that the track control arms locate in can be seen from under the bonnet if you pop the big plastic cover off that lives under there.
Crap design IMO, the tyres splash a huge amount of water inboard as it's so open and exposed in the front wheel wells, all the underbonnet components are covered in salt residue on mine after only 400 miles

 

[Ian Key]

I'm thinking of getting a couple of tins of Jenolite Rust Shield spray to protect the exposed parts. It's supposed to be "Ideal for automotive applications"
https://amzn.eu/d/cZyTXuw

 

[bobbleknob]

4year PCP then sending the car back, MGs problem

 

[Deleted member 10041]

4year PCP then sending the car back, MGs problem

Depends how thoroughly the inspect on returning the car, one of those variables in the small print of PCP deals, to confirm the condition for the exact figure they value your car at.

 

[TallPaul]

Dynax-UC - Bilt Hamber

See-through long term anti-corrosion wax for bare metals or painted surfaces. Supplied with a 145mm application straw.

bilthamber.com

This stuff is excellent for under your car and wheel arches. The cans are massive too.

 

[Paulie68]

I've noted during the last few (about 10 to 15) years, many manufacturers are now skimping on underbody finishing with almost no use of coatings, underseal/sealants these days. The cars just get left in the (now less effective, but environmentally better!) factory primer dip and modern galvanised metal means they are extremely unlikely to rot out during the warranty period, so they just cheap out and save the money. It doesn't bode well for longevity beyond warranty though and it'll be interesting to see how long these cars last in old age.

My brother had until recently a 30 year old Audi 100 in it's original paint, the underbody was entirely covered in polyurethane underseal about 3mm thick. All cavities were heavily flooded with cavity wax, so much so that it still oozed out the drain holes in hot summers, even after decades! It was also an early galvanised car & I think at the time the zinc used was some microns thicker than current. It had also been dipped in the nasty hot phospate primer, used at the time to negate the fact most sheet steel used in car making wasn't yet galvanised. (this was rich in heavy metals & terrible environmentally!) This left a layer about 10x thicker than todays thin film zirconium cold dipping that new cars get. It was virtually perfect underneath even after 100k+ miles when he sold it on, and he doesn't look after, or clean his cars properly underneath as I do either!

He now drives (he's a tight git!) a 1999 Skoda fabia, it's also finished as the above Audi was and is utterly free of any underbody corrosion at going on 140k miles.

Compare that to my last MG, a Mk1 ZSEV that had more underbody rust setting in underneath around the seams when I sold it at less than 18 months old with 16k miles! (top of the car was perfect and looked brand new though!)

 

[Paulie68]

Dynax-UC - Bilt Hamber

See-through long term anti-corrosion wax for bare metals or painted surfaces. Supplied with a 145mm application straw.

bilthamber.com

This stuff is excellent for under your car and wheel arches. The cans are massive too.

I've heard good things about this too. The massive can would be a pain to use in some areas though I'd think. My current favourite is Dinitrol.

 

[TallPaul]

I've heard good things about this too. The massive can would be a pain to use in some areas though I'd think. My current favourite is Dinitrol.

I have never had any issues applying. It comes with an extra long flexible spray wand to get in cavities and awkward places.

 

[Macadoodle]

I've noted during the last few (about 10 to 15) years, many manufacturers are now skimping on underbody finishing with almost no use of coatings, underseal/sealants these days. The cars just get left in the (now less effective, but environmentally better!) factory primer dip and modern galvanised metal means they are extremely unlikely to rot out during the warranty period, so they just cheap out and save the money. It doesn't bode well for longevity beyond warranty though and it'll be interesting to see how long these cars last in old age.

My brother had until recently a 30 year old Audi 100 in it's original paint, the underbody was entirely covered in polyurethane underseal about 3mm thick. All cavities were heavily flooded with cavity wax, so much so that it still oozed out the drain holes in hot summers, even after decades! It was also an early galvanised car & I think at the time the zinc used was some microns thicker than current. It had also been dipped in the nasty hot phospate primer, used at the time to negate the fact most sheet steel used in car making wasn't yet galvanised. (this was rich in heavy metals & terrible environmentally!) This left a layer about 10x thicker than todays thin film zirconium cold dipping that new cars get. It was virtually perfect underneath even after 100k+ miles when he sold it on, and he doesn't look after, or clean his cars properly underneath as I do either!

He now drives (he's a tight git!) a 1999 Skoda fabia, it's also finished as the above Audi was and is utterly free of any underbody corrosion at going on 140k miles.

Compare that to my last MG, a Mk1 ZSEV that had more underbody rust setting in underneath around the seams when I sold it at less than 18 months old with 16k miles! (top of the car was perfect and looked brand new though!)

Yep, manufacturers made great strides with corrosion protection over the decades and now seem to be slipping backwards by all accounts.
Galvanizing is great and works well on it's own if only exposed to rain water, like a galvanized gate for example.
Under a car is a far harsher environment and salt is an excellent promoter of this electrochemical process.
Spot welds are a major weak point, as the galvanising is compromised in the process, the sills on the 4 are totally exposed at the bottom inner and outer sill joint with it's row of spot welds

 

[4ND]

4year PCP then sending the car back, MGs problem

Isn't EV ownership about the environment, tomorrow's generations, new horizons, green pastures, clean futures, sustainability etc etc? I'd have thought specifically having a new car built every 4 years, via ordering, defeats one of the objectives?

 

[4ND]

Getting on your hands and using a hose on the underneath of the car does wonders. I do this weekly during winter and it does wonders. At the MOT in Nov, Mr ugly, the NISMO, was commented on by the guy that the undercarriage area was in very good condition. And that wasn't me asking him first, either. 5 years and 46K miles isn't loads, but still, I swear by doing this. It hardly hard.
Again though, if you've a PCP car, unless you're the uber altruistic sort, pointless doing this just for the next owner.

 

[Macadoodle]

Getting on your hands and using a hose on the underneath of the car does wonders. I do this weekly during winter and it does wonders. At the MOT in Nov, Mr ugly, the NISMO, was commented on by the guy that the undercarriage area was in very good condition. And that wasn't me asking him first, either. 5 years and 46K miles isn't loads, but still, I swear by doing this. It hardly hard.
Again though, if you've a PCP car, unless you're the uber altruistic sort, pointless doing this just for the next owner.

Yep, I tried to do the same with my last car, unpleasant and easy to forget to do though.
Anything that shifts road salt before it can do its worst helps immensely .
The bigger consideration is will this car's major components last long enough to justify spending effort on preserving the structure ?
Who knows. I have an unloved 2014 leaf parked in the weeds down the side of my garage, 125k miles, still functions perfectly in every way apart from having around 16 kWh capacity.
Any component can be replaced of course, but major EV components seem to be priced in the thousands

 

[4ND]

Yep, I tried to do the same with my last car, unpleasant and easy to forget to do though.
Anything that shifts road salt before it can do its worst helps immensely .

I know, it isn't the nicest job. I clean the wheels weekly at the same time, so just look at it as part of the job. My MX-5 only gets driven 1X a month-6 weeks or so at most in the winter (as I'm paranoid about the disks pitting, which is silly to think in only 6 weeks)on dry roads but after lots of rain to wash a lot of the salt away, so only need to do the undercarriage twice or so in the winter. Dec and Jan are nightmares with the rain, and the roads never really drying out, as if they do it usually means it's cold enough for the gritters do do their stuff again.