Will my rust-free 300D survive the Midwest? - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Wodnek · #16 06-06-2007, 02:56 PM

In the last 10 years we have not really had all the snow like we have in the past. Doing all the preventative stuff mentioned above will go a long way. I pull my door panels off every year and paint drain oil in the insides of the door. I do the same in the trunk wells. POR 15 the trailing arms and body mounts. It all helps.

bgkast · #17 06-06-2007, 03:28 PM

I'll take care of it for you.

cewyattjr · #18 06-07-2007, 05:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodnek

In the last 10 years we have not really had all the snow like we have in the past. Doing all the preventative stuff mentioned above will go a long way. I pull my door panels off every year and paint drain oil in the insides of the door. I do the same in the trunk wells. POR 15 the trailing arms and body mounts. It all helps.

So when you POR 15 on the underside, I'm assuming you had to remove a lot of that rubbery undercoating material?

Thanks!

Wodnek · #19 06-07-2007, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cewyattjr

So when you POR 15 on the underside, I'm assuming you had to remove a lot of that rubbery undercoating material?

Thanks!

I didnt POR the whole underside. Just the trailing arms and body mounts. I also hit the areas where the undercoat was peeling. Where the undercoat was intact (99% of the underside) I left it alone. The trailing arms are quite prone to rust and are expensive to replace. POR was cheap insurance.

MonsieurBon · #20 06-13-2007, 01:06 AM

Thanks for all the replies, folks.

People I've talked to in Madison say that the city doesn't use salt, since it would all go into the lakes there.

It's certainly not in "pristine" condition, but it doesn't have a speck of rust anywhere. Is there any truth to the idea that spraying the underbody with a relatively "drying" (fast-oxidizing) vegetable oil will penetrate and help keep rust off? (I know, I know, ya'll must think I'm nuts!) Some people say it works, and some people say it attracts a good number of squirrels and rats and such.

I totally understand the comment about selling it here for a heck of a lot more money. I tried to sell my '83 BMW 320i in Chicago one summer (it spent its whole life in the Pacific NW), and no one would take it seriously or even come look because they all assumed it was a rust-bucket and didn't believe me that it had none.

I think in the beginning, I may not have a garage there, so I can't count on that. And as far as I can tell, there's no biodiesel available in the area. I'll hopefully be working at the University, and within walking distance, so I may not even need a car.

So then I just have to convince the girlfriend that she should drive her beat-up Camry across the country with her cat.

But first I have to convince her to get the oil leaks, power steering seal, and all 4 struts fixed!

Towel Rail · #21 06-13-2007, 01:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodnek

In the last 10 years we have not really had all the snow like we have in the past.

There ya go. Due to global warming, we won't have to worry about this in a couple years.

- Scott

300sdToronto · #22 06-13-2007, 08:39 AM

The other issue to watch for is gravel.

The wheel arches are not well designed and the flared painted metal at the outside of the wheel arch will get chipped if you drive on gravel roads or if the salt contains gravel ..... these are old cars and the bodies are just not as well designed to avoid corrosion as a new car.

If you drive an old MB in the winter in true winter territory it WILL rust quite quickly. End of story.

300DFarmer · #23 06-13-2007, 08:48 AM

I have a 83 300D that has spent all but two of its years in Vermont, where it is quite salty in the winter. It definitely has rust, but you can tell that the PO chased it down whenever it popped up by using touch up paint. As a result the body looks pretty decent.
The more troublesome areas are those that you can't see while standing up, but preventative measures can make the car last a long time. I have seen a lot of this cars that are totally rusted out and they all rust in the same places.
Here's my treatment:
1.Remove the rubber liners under the fenders that are supposed to keep the dirt out.
2. Spray out through the drains where the hood hinge areas. Make sure that this area is always free of leaves, dirt, etc.
3. Continue to spray downward from under the fender toward where the panel is bolted to the body just in front of the door. Use a lot of water, and let dry.
4. Repeat procedure for rear wheel wells.
5. Remove any loose undercoating from these areas and from under the car using a blowtorch (careful!) and a scraper.
6. Buy an undercoating gun and apply chainsaw bar oil liberally to all of these areas. Spray a lot in the trailing arm rust cup where the rear shock attaches. Also coat around the door gasket and under the plastic door sill.
7. When you wash the car, pay particular attention to flushing out from behind the moldings and rubber trim.
8. Make sure none of the windows are leaking and allowing water to get into the cabin
9. While you may not want to, I also spray oil on the entire exterior of the car below the trim line and then go on a long ride on a dusty dirt road to cover the oil.
The idea here is that in my experience is is not so much the salt (which washes off easily) that will rust the vehicle, but the sand that the road crews usually mix it with. The sand builds up and traps moisture which causes rust. So pay particular attention to wherever sand might accumulate.
I am of the belief that washing you car in the winter -in a severe environment like Vermont or the Upper Midwest -is the WORST thing you can do as is puts moisture in strange places where it combines with trapped road sand and salt. Better to wait until the spring when you can really flush it out and let it dry. Also, try to drive the car in as many torrential rainstorms as possible to wash the underside of the car.
I make a day each fall to oil my rigs and each spring to wash them out as well a regular washing and waxing throughout the summer, dealing with the rust as it occurs.
No car will last forever in a salt environment, but you can help it last a long time.
Drive your car and enjoy it.

veggie190 · #24 06-13-2007, 10:13 AM

What a great thread to find, I'm moving to Madison for graduate school this fall!

After reading, it seems I'll be bringing my 300TD to a better weather area then Minnesota. My car has only been in MN for one season the rest of it's life was spent in Los Angeles where I bought it.

Before I found all the advice here I was planning to buy this kit. Anyone have an opinion on this kit, has anyone used an Eastwood kit? Thanks!

http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=1119&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=373&iSubCat=374&iProductID=1119

300DFarmer · #25 06-13-2007, 01:41 PM

Veggie190,
I don't use that kit, but I do use their 2 part rust converter covered with underbody enamel to treat and cover rust spots before oiling.
Please don't use the rubberized undercoating. As soon as it fails (which it will) it will provide more hiding spaces for salt and sand wherever it cracks and peels. Oil undercoating is the best, especially if done every fall. Even better is to heat the oil and melt a tube of grease into it. Think of how the military stores weapons for long term. I have seen 50 YO rifles unpacked and degreased with nary a spot of rust on them and ready to fire.

veggie190 · #26 06-13-2007, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 300DFarmer

Veggie190,
I don't use that kit, but I do use their 2 part rust converter covered with underbody enamel to treat and cover rust spots before oiling.
Please don't use the rubberized undercoating. As soon as it fails (which it will) it will provide more hiding spaces for salt and sand wherever it cracks and peels. Oil undercoating is the best, especially if done every fall. Even better is to heat the oil and melt a tube of grease into it. Think of how the military stores weapons for long term. I have seen 50 YO rifles unpacked and degreased with nary a spot of rust on them and ready to fire.

Interesting, I would have thought rubber was the way to go. Is this the two part rust converter you use?

http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=15974&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=373&iSubCat=374&iProductID=15974

Would I need the gallon kit to do my 300TD? As of now I have very minimal rust, there is only one dime sized spot on the body. After I coat it with the rust converter I'll buy an undercoating gun and spray it with oil.

You really know your rust treatment, thanks for the help, my wagon will be thanking you for years to come!

300DFarmer · #27 06-13-2007, 05:04 PM

I usually buy the smaller kit each year. It's enough to treat the various rust issues that I have to deal with. A little goes a long way, and I'm not sure what the shelf life is.
Rust is a way of life here, I have a 2004 F-250 that already has its fair share of nicks and bruises. Without the yearly oil treatment it would never last more than ten years.
Regardless, we accept rust, and the passing of our favorite vehicles as a way of life. Maybe that's why we drink so much...

veggie190 · #28 06-13-2007, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 300DFarmer

Regardless, we accept rust, and the passing of our favorite vehicles as a way of life. Maybe that's why we drink so much...

Ha! Two weeks ago I looked at an 85 300TD that was covered in rust. It was hard to stomach and if my car turns into that I will definitely be drinking a lot!

cgunderm · #29 06-13-2007, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken300D

A Mercedes W123 in salty road conditions will melt like a sugar cube in hot water.

Park it during the winter months and drive a junker with good traction. Something 4WD.

I think this, as many other opinions posted here on this thread, are WAYYY exaggerated. My 85 123, originally from Florida, has been in Vermont and Mass for the last 5 winters. It's seen quite a bit of salt as I considered it the car to be driven on days when the salt was bad and I wanted to save the other ones. It was rust free 5 years ago, and still is. Two years ago, I started getting all my cars oil-undercoated in the fall. I've heard so much good things about this from really competent people that I stopped being scared of the winters. Granted, the Northeast is not the Mid-West, but I think you can manage it....With global warming, we had our first snowfall in late January last year.....

Hatterasguy · #30 06-13-2007, 09:05 PM

Notice the 1995 VW in my sig, guess what that is?

Buy a winter beater, and store the good car. I store my SDL in a heated garage from October-April. Gives me time to work on it, and it avoids all the crappy weather. Just get a cheap beater that you don't care about when the roads are salty. I didn't wash my last beater all winter, it turned white and I didn't care.