Bodywork 2001 S203 - Wheel archs and corner door sils

[BillianBenz203]

Hey MBClub, what are the best repair options to deal with surface rust, notably on the wheel and door rim corners, some rust bubbling on the tailgate, for a 2001 S203?

It has been a fantastic vehicle and I would like to repair the rust spots and bring it back to it's former glory, but not sure if it is actually worth it for it's age.

The engine (C200k, still purr's fine) has only done 142k, so it's kinda telling me to keep to make it so!

Any advice or suggestions will be much appreciated, thanks.

 

[John77]

Hey MBClub, what are the best repair options to deal with surface rust, notably on the wheel and door rim corners, some rust bubbling on the tailgate, for a 2001 S203?

It has been a fantastic vehicle and I would like to repair the rust spots and bring it back to it's former glory, but not sure if it is actually worth it for it's age.

The engine (C200k, still purr's fine) has only done 142k, so it's kinda telling me to keep to make it so!

Any advice or suggestions will be much appreciated, thanks.

Hi, I think that some photos would help people to see the extent of the rust, but without seeing it, you may have to go back to bare metal and prime, colour coat and laquer, other wise it will just come back next winter, if not before.

The thing about surface rust is that it is still telling you that water is getting through the paint to the metal. So personally I would find the spot it is getting through and go back to the metal and recoat, otherwise it will only get worse and need more work later on. With surface rust it can be a tiny hole, but the surface rust spreads over a larger area, so it may not be as bad as it looks as you strip back the paint. Maybe others will have simpler ideas.