Mg4 corrosion resistance.

[ross]

Had a quick squint under the car yesterday and was disappointed by the corrosion resistance measures or rather lack of to certain parts of the chassis of the car ... Sill lower spot welded flange hanging down has minimal paint applied and no stone chip protection undercoat visible to protect the spot welded flange from abrasion and damage. Every vehicle I have owned has had the full wax injection treatment by myself and I feel I may get the compressor and wax out sooner rather than later as I was hoping to keep this vehicle for some years. Are other owners vehicles the same and if so how has the finish held up to our winter weather and road salt?

 

[gary333]

Not doubt MG will pull this term out when people try and claim in the future "Perforation due to corrosion resulting from a lack of maintenance, as described in the owner’s manual, misuse or abuse". Saying "well, you should have checked under the car once a day to make sure you cleaned the dirt off"

I noticed the same as you, and would have my concerns if I was wanting to keep the car a long time as to how well it will fare. I suppose the problem is it'll likely take over 3 years for any of these issues to even start to show as serious problems, so not many cars are old enough for the chickens to have come home to roost.

 

[ross]

Yes, I swear by my process of wax injection in body sections and underside of vehicles . Local MOT tester always comments on the fact I take 10 to 20 year old cars for mot and the underside and suspension components are like new. He says that he has seen 3 year old cars with corrosion well advanced especially with modern lightweight cross members and suspension arms made of thin pressed steel and minimal paint coverage rotting out long before the ball joints or bushes give any wear issues.

 

[gary333]

These cars should have been galvanised so shouldn't in theory need lots of rust proofing but can we trust it was actually done when there was so much other cost cutting in the design and production of these cars.

 

[Swampy]

Just make sure they complete item 37 on the Maintenance Check Sheet every service. Suppose to do a corrosion check and give you a sheet to confirm it. At least you could point out your issues then and see what they say.

“AT EVERY SERVICE
36 Connect vehicle to HV charge point, ensure charging system is fully functional
37 Carry out annual corrosion/cosmetic inspection - use annual corrosion inspection sheet
Carry out road test, check for correct function of all vehicle systems and re-examine for leaks”.

 

[salty]

To be honest I'm not worrying at all, about the X Power, rusting. Very much doubt it will. And if I do decide to keep it, for a good few years. I'm confident it'll be ok. I'm not worrying what might happen in 5 or 10 years time.

 

[gary333]

To be honest I'm not worrying at all, about the X Power, rusting. Very much doubt it will. And if I do decide to keep it, for a good few years. I'm confident it'll be ok. I'm not worrying what might happen in 5 or 10 years time.

To be fair I'm not sure the OP is soliciting for if people have their head in the sand, but more if other people's cars have same level of rust proofing or not (as this could be variable, as it's a costly process)

 

[gazza487]

There is a cross member under the radiator at the front (behind the standard grill on my se sr) that is starting to look a bit ropey on a sunny day - well surface rust. It’ll need tidying up at some point I’m sure.

 

[ross]

Thanks will give that area particular attention !

 

[ross]

To be honest I'm not worrying at all, about the X Power, rusting. Very much doubt it will. And if I do decide to keep it, for a good few years. I'm confident it'll be ok. I'm not worrying what might happen in 5 or 10 years time.

The problem is 'Salty ' ! (Sorry ! ) now IS the time to be worried to protect before exposure to 1st winter SALT ! on roads on a new car. I remember the early 80s buying a 4 year old mark 1 fiesta that had a hole the size of your fist in the bulkhead and sills made of cornflake packets and filler or my 90s Mercedes that even with loving care dissolved before my eyes !
I can understand that current trends are not with outright / hp purchase and more with lease or pcp deals etc so drivers perhaps don't have the same connection with a vehicle as they are already resigned to the 3 year cycle of surrendering the vehicle against a future new purchase .
I listened to tales of horror from our young apprentices who took out deals on Corsas with free insurance ( handy when you have just passed your test ) and before they handed them back at the end of lease ' happy slapped ' them which amounted to sticking it in reverse and going as fast as you could in circles revving the nuts off the engine While your mates filmed the show ! Pity the poor next owners ..!
As an 'older fart ! ' now , I don't have the same wish to make endless car sales persons rich so I'm hoping, with care, and a bit of luck with reliability this car might see me out. As the local MOT tester says, with every vehicle I treat , I don't see the benefit but the next owner will ! Horses for courses as they say ! Mind you in this current weather my enthusiasm to çrawl under a car injecting protective wax is diminishing rapidly !

 

[salty]

I can see your reasoning. But I'm presuming (hoping) that modern cars these days, are well protected. No way am i messing about under a new motor, injecting wax. And I'm certainly not doing it, for the next owner to benefit. But as always, each to there own.

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[ross]

Modern cars are generally a lot better with some galvanised panels and modern paint protection systems but a quick look under this one does not fill me with confidence when the sill flanges have minimal paint coverage and no stone chip under treatment to protect against stone impact or indeed a jack being used in the official jacking points. No doubt injecting cavity wax or applying polyurethane stone chip guard may void corrosion warranty. Then again , if the untreated car rots at 5 years old I can't see them saying no problem here is a nice new replacement .

 

[salty]

Modern cars are generally a lot better with some galvanised panels and modern paint protection systems but a quick look under this one does not fill me with confidence when the sill flanges have minimal paint coverage and no stone chip under treatment to protect against stone impact or indeed a jack being used in the official jacking points. No doubt injecting cavity wax or applying polyurethane stone chip guard may void corrosion warranty. Then again , if the untreated car rots at 5 years old I can't see them saying no problem here is a nice new replacement .

Fair enough. Go for it.