Hi,

My 83 300D has a few rust spots here and there. Nothing that seems too serious, just a few spots of bubbling up under the paint, none much larger then the size of a silver dollar, and one of the welds on the body by the back rear bumper seems to have cracked slightly, thus cracking ther paint and allowing water in, rusting slightly along the seam.
What I would like to know is can rust like this make the car unroadworthy? I do indeed plan on getting it fixed, but I just want to be cautious. I dont want to end up spending a few $K on repairs to find that the body will never last. I have spent $1000 on general maintenance and will spend about that for a bit more maintenance and a few parts to be replaced. It s no big thing to me as I think Ill get lots of good usage out of the car, but I just want to know about how cautious one must be with a car that hasd a little rust, so that it is safe and roadworthy. Of ocurse I see lots of rusty cars and trucks, and think nothing of it, but its better to be cautious...
Thanks

JMH

I've been wondering of the same myself. I just bought the 300CD. When I first got it, a host of minor things didn't work, but after a few days of cleaning and fixing (cost me nothing but time) it's so much better looking now. It always starts after one pre-glow in the coldest of Boston weather (20F a few days ago). The transmission shifts very smoothly once it's up to temperature that i sometimes wonder why people think the 300D shifts hard..

I went to a MB dealer today to get oil change. They actually charge a fair price *I think* compared to those Mobil/Sunoco/Hess, etc stations. Plus, service is just really good.. people are really friendly despite the fact that I drove the oldest Benz in the whole shop. The second older one was the 560SL...

But, the 300CD looked just great among the new MB's..

BTW, I also saw a 600 in person. It's an awesome awesome car. It's like a boat, huge and just over-built. Just the way I like it. Two 500E's just completed my day.

I was quoted about $850 to do a complete rust repair on the 300CD. I think I will go for it unless I change my mind tonight.
The main reason why I wanna do it is because I think I will definitely keep the car *at the very least* until I get my BA. Then I might source for a 500E but I might not
I really like these W123's. I didn't expect much from it, but so far it's just exceeded my expectations.

One body shop told me that my car will not pass Mass. Inspection. He was quite shocked when he saw the 2003 sticker...

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2008 BMW 335i Coupe

There are several areas that have rust problems on W123s, usually as a result of leaking window gaskest or plugged drains.

The rear fenders go just behing the tire if the drains plug or the rear window gasket is bad (and it is by now). Rust appears as small blisters in the paint, but the metal is all bad since it is rusting from inside out, not outside in.

The front fenders above the tire will rust, similar problem but from mud and crap stuck up there.

The firewall will rust at the corners under the intake grilles -- usually as a result of plugged drains from the sunroof and/or front windsheild leaking.

Floorpans will rot (front and rear) from leaky windows, too. Also insidious as the undercoating will be the last thing to fail -- looks sound but the metal can be gone completely.

Check inside the panels that show rusty blisters -- the damage can be quite severe before much shows outside!

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!