Corrosion spots

[Maxz]

Early IS are starting to get on now in terms of years and miles. Just wanted to ask if anyone has spotted any bodywork corrosion starting to creep in and where? On a previous vehicle I owned, the lower forward most corner of the rear wheel arches started to bubble up (due to the muck that collected and stayed damp behind bits of plastic trim. I also owned an old Capri once and it rotted inside the headlight housing and the top of the rear wheel arch. I would prefer to identify and keep clean + protect any potential corrosion points ahead of the dreaded bubbling. I already jet wash and clean around the inside of the wheel arches, fish the leaves out of the cavities of the bonnet hinges plus around the rear boot water run off cavity when they get stuck there. Any other recommended watch points welcome! Thanks.

[wharfhouse]

46 minutes ago, Maxz said:

Early IS are starting to get on now in terms of years and miles. Just wanted to ask if anyone has spotted any bodywork corrosion starting to creep in and where? On a previous vehicle I owned, the lower forward most corner of the rear wheel arches started to bubble up (due to the muck that collected and stayed damp behind bits of plastic trim. I also owned an old Capri once and it rotted inside the headlight housing and the top of the rear wheel arch. I would prefer to identify and keep clean + protect any potential corrosion points ahead of the dreaded bubbling. I already jet wash and clean around the inside of the wheel arches, fish the leaves out of the cavities of the bonnet hinges plus around the rear boot water run off cavity when they get stuck there. Any other recommended watch points welcome! Thanks.

Only things on mine (2014 IS 300h 140K miles) was a chip on the drivers door near the handle - had started to rust so cleaned it, rust proofed and touched it up and then a couple of stone chips on the edge of the roof above the windscreen, again had started to rust so cleaned, rust proofed and touched up. Nothing else I've noticed.

[Maxz]

23 hours ago, wharfhouse said:

Only things on mine (2014 IS 300h 140K miles) was a chip on the drivers door near the handle - had started to rust so cleaned it, rust proofed and touched it up and then a couple of stone chips on the edge of the roof above the windscreen, again had started to rust so cleaned, rust proofed and touched up. Nothing else I've noticed.

Agree any chips or scratches that go deep enough through the laquer and paint will need attention. My concern is where by design there are dirt, grime and moisture traps that will eventually cause issues. There were a few underside parts I spotted and posted about previously but other than that seems like they designed all the run offs pretty well. My previous car the boot run offs were not angled enough for my sloped drive, so water used to sit and corrode the hinges (that were located outside the boot space). The boot then struggled to open or in freezing temperatures not at all!

[wharfhouse]

1 hour ago, Maxz said:

Agree any chips or scratches that go deep enough through the laquer and paint will need attention. My concern is where by design there are dirt, grime and moisture traps that will eventually cause issues. There were a few underside parts I spotted and posted about previously but other than that seems like they designed all the run offs pretty well. My previous car the boot run offs were not angled enough for my sloped drive, so water used to sit and corrode the hinges (that were located outside the boot space). The boot then struggled to open or in freezing temperatures not at all!

Nothing like that at the moment I have seen. I'm hoping to keep the car a few more years - might get to 200k miles - so will be keeping an eye on things. As I do a fair amount of mileage I think that is sometimes better for the car - for example these past few weeks with so much wet weather the underside of the car has been well washed down...! I also keep it on the drive so again gets washed in the rain and then is able to air dry properly when the weather is fine.

[e46guy]

Japanese makes don't seem as well rustproofed on the underbody, so I suspect some are staring to show signs of corrosion.

[Boomer54]

26 minutes ago, e46guy said:

Japanese makes don't seem as well rustproofed on the underbody, so I suspect some are staring to show signs of corrosion.

I guess my question is what gives you that viewpoint regarding Japanese cars?

Rationally thinking about competitive factors I can't see how you can just lump "Japanese" manufacturers and think that somehow they all just failed to match up on that qualitative issue to other global manufacturers. My commercial experience alone tells me that is unlikely. This is of course totally a separate issue from any cars that start showing some corrosion simply due to age.

[Maxz]

The main point with corrosion is identifying the "muck traps" that collect dirt/mud/debris, retaining moisture. This is also higher risk for any parts that are not painted or otherwise rust proofed, or an area of the vehicle what a deep scratch in this coating puts things at risk of rotting. See my most recent post on front inner wheel arch muck, where mud slowly builds up between the wheel liner and the arch rim over time.

On my previous vehicles only discovered as I went along after corrosion already kicked in, just trying to keep ahead this time, keep the key areas clean and clear. Prevention is actually less work than trying to cure, as the finish you get after repairing an area of rot, is never going to look as good as keeping the finish original.

[Bluemarlin]

17 hours ago, Maxz said:

The main point with corrosion is identifying the "muck traps" that collect dirt/mud/debris, retaining moisture. This is also higher risk for any parts that are not painted or otherwise rust proofed, or an area of the vehicle what a deep scratch in this coating puts things at risk of rotting. See my most recent post on front inner wheel arch muck, where mud slowly builds up between the wheel liner and the arch rim over time.

On my previous vehicles only discovered as I went along after corrosion already kicked in, just trying to keep ahead this time, keep the key areas clean and clear. Prevention is actually less work than trying to cure, as the finish you get after repairing an area of rot, is never going to look as good as keeping the finish original.

When I bought my 2009 car I too was concerned about muck traps and possible hidden corrosion, so what I did was clean the underside with a lawn sprinkler (nothing but minor surface rust) and apply some rust protection (Dynax and ACF-50). I also removed the wheel arch liners to see what the state of things was under there. I doubt they'd ever been removed before, as there was a lot of built up mud/muck, especially on the rear. I cleaned all this off with one of those plastic/rubber brush drill attachments and was pleasantly surprised to find the paintwork underneath to be like new. I then liberally spayed these areas with Dynax before refitting the liners. Once a year (just before winter) I spray the underside with ACF 50 and apply some corrosion block grease to the inside lip of the wheel arches.

So, in my exprerience, the rustproofing seemed pretty good compared to my previous car (Jaguar).

Like you say, prevention is easier and cheaper than cure, so I'd get a good look at as much as you can, clean it up and apply some rustproofing. It's also worth having something like clear nail varnish to hand, to apply to any stone chips, to prevent them from rusting until you get round to a repair.