4D_Signs
Member
As a result of having to change a tyre this morning I happened to notice a lot of rusty stains inside the spare wheel recess of my 2000 E320CDi Estate. on further inspection I have found that the panel is rotted through under the (bubbled) paint. I managed to push my finger through it in several places. Just above the curved part of the panel, which seems to be a sort of inner wing assembly, there is a plastic moulded grille with spring loded flaps. The rust seems to be emanating from the edges of this fitting. I examined the other side of the car and a similar thing is happening there. It seems the paint film around here is thin and lacks any serious coating of laquer (the stuff which protects from water) Surely this is a simple design error and as such is a built in problem! I don't know what these grilles do as they seem to vent straight out into the space between the inner and outer wings which I note are open at the bottom and have a lot of mud trapped up under them (another design flaw) I checked the drain bungs in the recess bases on both sides and thay are free and clean. the rust seems to all be higher up and no water is trapped by the bungs. The car has some minor rust on the O/S door corner and on the bonnet tips between the lamp cut outs I cannot see any other obvious decay.
Any suggestions as to best method of repairing this area?
There seems to be a lot of felt padding around too so welding could be hazardous.
Any suggestions as to best method of repairing this area?
There seems to be a lot of felt padding around too so welding could be hazardous.