Rust!

Hi everyone.

Yesterday we took our 1995 Symphony for its MOT. We were not too worried as for the past two years it has passed without even any advisories. However on this occasion we were confronted with a tale of woe! It seems that major parts of the Sills and inner front wings have just crumbled away, and at the rear the corrosion is close enough to the spring hangers to make it structural, hence a "Fail". How did all this (supposedly) happen in just a year? The garage and mechanic were the same as last year, and we trust them as we've used the same one for some years with good result.
Even more worrying, the recommendation was that even if some sort of repair could be done to pass an MOT, we would be advised to sell it as quickly as possible!

We don't want to sell our little motor home, it's one of the family, mechanically sound and all the habitation systems are fully functional. So we don't want a quick botch and sell option. It occurs to us that there are many ancient VW Campers out there that have been carefully restored, is it not possible that a proper repair could be done on our Peugeot Boxer base vehicle?

Has anyone been in a similar position, and if so, what did you do?

kind regards

Jeff and Di

I remember 'Harper22' had similar experience, see here...


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hopefully Neil will read this and give you an update on the final outcome. You could always send him a PM.

You'll need to accept that with a van of this age (same year and model as mine) is going to rust. I've had a few places repaired on mine and if its done properly its fine. Boxers are a lot better for resisting rust that some are and I've certainly no intention of getting rid of mine.
If you have a look at some of these projects [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] it will give you an idea of what can be achieved by a good welder.

Frank

Hi there,

I agree with Frank.

Rust is inevitable and when it hits the progress can be rapid.

I'm intrigued that you had the advice to "sell it as soon as possible" though.

Selling before repair and hiding the fact that there is a serious rust problem (probably the only way you could make a sale at a decent price) is dishonourable at the very least.

The only people who can repair a van and then sell it at a profit after repair are those in the business.  Therefore, selling after repair just doesn't seem to be particularly good advice.

Hope this helps. 

Best regards,

Hi That's a good site that Frank mentioned.I enjoyed reading it.
After you have had the rust done i suggest you get a proper underseal job done. I have seen this advertised many times.It may be 600 pound for a Motorhome. If you plan to keep yours its worth doing. Even if you sell later it will add value.

Best regards

Mike

hi. our camper is a 1992 talbot a/s.we have been chasing rust for the last two years.we have no intention of giving up yet.a good welder is a must then you have a chance.pity you are not nearer us as our man is fantastic.good luck and keep positive.geo.

Hi Mate, We have just got our Duetto back after a months worth of welding and painting. It realy hurt my pocket but driving it home made me realise how much I had missed it. Adding up what we paid for the van and what it cost to have the work done
it still comes out cheaper than a newer van, if we could find one we liked. It will be a hard choice in the end.
As for the MOT issue I agree that amount of rust hasn't appeared in a year but unfortunately we are at the mercy of the tester. Being ex motor trade and MOT tester I dread the MOT, due on Wednesday.
Good luck what ever the decision.

Dave 418 wrote:Hi Mate, We have just got our Duetto back after a months worth of welding and painting. It realy hurt my pocket but driving it home made me realise how much I had missed it. Adding up what we paid for the van and what it cost to have the work done
it still comes out cheaper than a newer van, if we could find one we liked. It will be a hard choice in the end.
As for the MOT issue I agree that amount of rust hasn't appeared in a year but unfortunately we are at the mercy of the tester. Being ex motor trade and MOT tester I dread the MOT, due on Wednesday.
Good luck what ever the decision.

Dave,

Glad to hear that you are sorted, good luck with the MoT (keep us posted) and I sincerely hope that the "pain in your pocket" wasn't too bad. 

I always think that we should try and keep a van that makes us smile every time we get into it.  

Best regards,

Ian

Hi . I have spent some time welding up my 1990 harmony and now it is as solid as a rock. Better than new in places. 
Just bite the bullet and do the work it will last for ages if done right. Be sure to use a good firm to do the work and check the progress. A good firm will not mind. and when you get it back go over the work done and if you have to seal any areas with spray on body guard.

Don't sell it on you will not get a better van just another headache in a few years. It is all part of owning such a vehicle. part of the fun.

Not sure I should have started reading this thread, it has reawakened my worst fears.

I inherited my parents W reg ' Duetto earlier this year as I'd been increasingly the only one using it and my mother decided to pass it on to the next generation, as at 85 she didn't think she was likely to use it any more!

My intention is to keep it going for as long as possible and it's due in to get a new water heater and a couple of other minor things fixed next week plus a habitation check. My biggest worry is that at some point it will need some welding and had heard that this can involved removing parts of the interior. The potential cost of this us what led to the demise of my parents' previous campervan. The replies above seem to have all managed to avoid doing this but does anyone know how easy it is to remove sections of the interior if it comes to this?

There are currently some areas if rust that do need attention, which are next on my list, but fortunately they are the bottom of doors and the front wheel arches, all of which don't impact on the interior. Thankfully, not found any evidence of more structural rust - so far