Rust on Transit

rubbledoubledo

Hi all.
Need some help here
I am going to look at a 97 High Roof Transit camper van coversion
These vans were known for rust, engines were good ok.

Where should i start looking for rust.
What places were they most prone for rust.
The DOE is out 4 or 5 months.

I was told to bring who ever i want to check the chassis no problem
What do e think
Any advice

The Bishop Basher

rubbledoubledo wrote: »

Hi all.
Need some help here
I am going to look at a 97 High Roof Transit camper van coversion
These vans were known for rust, engines were good ok.

Where should i start looking for rust.
What places were they most prone for rust.
The DOE is out 4 or 5 months.

I was told to bring who ever i want to check the chasis no problem
What do e think
Any advice

Check the wheel arches, sills and chassis. That said, these can rust anywhere. A handy trick is to bring a magnet and check for filler as it's not unusual for rust to be patched up with cheap repairs. The magnet will tell you straight away whether it's metal or filler.

rubbledoubledo

Thanks swanner
Was only looking at a 99 transit this week. Not on the road any more.
The mechanic was using it to store a compressor.

Just as you said the wheel arches, the iron had rotten away inside the rear wheels.
Where are the sills

JoeySully

1 - Wings - if the seam at the top of the arch has been filled smooth then its likely to be all filler. Towards the very front of each wing also likely.
2 - Rear arches -
3 - behind the plastic bumpers at the rear each side, they pull off easily so have a good poke behind
4. the front door steps - lift the plastic cover on the door step. They pop up easily enough. can be rotten under there.
5 - just inside the door on the floor there is a triangle shaped moulding holding down the "carpet". take a look at the screws, if they are badly corroded then its likely that under the mat is rusted too. They may allow you to remove them to check if you are a serious buyer.
6 - The battery Tray(s) and underneath them.
7 - the around the windscreen
8 - behind the shiny sliding door guide
9 - near the bonnet hinges, can leak into the passenger foot-well from here too
10 - Bottoms of the doors, yes all of them
11 - everywhere else


don't forget your DOE will now cost €110 and will only be valid from the date of expiry, so use that to your advantage in your bargaining.

rubbledoubledo

JoeySully wrote: »

1 - Wings - if the seam at the top of the arch has been filled smooth then its likely to be all filler. Towards the very front of each wing also likely.
2 - Rear arches -
3 - behind the plastic bumpers at the rear each side, they pull off easily so have a good poke behind
4. the front door steps - lift the plastic cover on the door step. They pop up easily enough. can be rotten under there.
5 - just inside the door on the floor there is a triangle shaped moulding holding down the "carpet". take a look at the screws, if they are badly corroded then its likely that under the mat is rusted too. They may allow you to remove them to check if you are a serious buyer.
6 - The battery Tray(s) and underneath them.
7 - the around the windscreen
8 - behind the shiny sliding door guide Thanks for that.

9 - near the bonnet hinges, can leak into the passenger foot-well from here too
10 - Bottoms of the doors, yes all of them
11 - everywhere else


don't forget your DOE will now cost €110 and will only be valid from the date of expiry, so use that to your advantage in your bargaining.

Never knew about the DOE.
The new DOE starts when the last one expired.
So if the DOE has expired 6 months, and i test it now, il be testing again 6 months time. Is that correct, Same as the NCT system so.

Good job i posted here today

JoeySully

yes according to the FAQ's you will only get it for 6 months

http://www.cvrt.ie/en/Certificate-of-Roadworthiness/Pages/FAQ.aspx

rubbledoubledo

JoeySully wrote: »

yes according to the FAQ's you will only get it for 6 months

http://www.cvrt.ie/en/Certificate-of-Roadworthiness/Pages/FAQ.aspx

Thanks that answers that

Moomat

rubbledoubledo wrote: »

Where are the sills

The sills are between the front and rear wheels underneath the van. Very prone to rust. Also when you look under the van from the back the rear panel usually rusts.
Get underneath and have a good poke with a screwdriver, especially chassis legs. If the van is as good as the seller claims he'll have no worries about you poking.
If it's not serious I wouldn't be put off though. If you're buying an old transit you can almost expect to have to stick a panel in or 2! You can even buy metal wheel arch covers on ebay for them, does the trick if you need to cut some rust out.

rubbledoubledo

Moomat wrote: »

The sills are between the front and rear wheels underneath the van. Very prone to rust. Also when you look under the van from the back the rear panel usually rusts.
Get underneath and have a good poke with a screwdriver, especially chassis legs. If the van is as good as the seller claims he'll have no worries about you poking.
If it's not serious I wouldn't be put off though. If you're buying an old transit you can almost expect to have to stick a panel in or 2! You can even buy metal wheel arch covers on ebay for them, does the trick if you need to cut some rust out.

That is true ok.
A guy told me his son do alot of work for test centers.
Where a van fail on rust, say the chassis, the rotten parts cut away, you can buy a new section and weld it in