Rust in Peugeot Boxer Autosleepers?

Hi all,
Looking to buy an Autosleeper after having a 1973 Bedford CF2.3 for 10 years some time ago ( I was always impressed with the quality of the conversion)
My budget is up to 10K, but must be petrol with PAS as we live just inside the LEZ near New Malden, Surrey.

Been looking at Ebay for Symphony/Symbol/Harmony versions ranging from 1995 to 1999 and the same issue with rust/corrosion seems to crop up when the previous MOT's are viewed on the DVLA/.GOV website.
Whilst most of the time these failures are not failures but advisories, my concern is for the longevity of the Boxer vans. Are they really rust traps and made of very poor quality thin steel?
Or are the advisories being a bit OTT?
So where are the areas of concern? I know subframes crop up fairly often but also inner wings, sills, seatbelt mounts, etc, etc. How easy are these areas to patch up (I can weld with MIG) and are they a DIY repair or best left to professionals?

Any assistance gratefully received!
Thanks.

The main rust problem with Boxers is the poor drainage system from below the windscreen which affected the battery tray and front cross member.
I would have thought that as the problem was well known most of these vans would have had a "home brew fix" by now.   (Subject covered many times on this and other forums)

Have a look under the bonnet and see what condition the battery tray is in then look down through the engine compartment and see if you see rust on the crossmember.  If in doubt get under and look.

Thank you roli, your answer prompted me to look in the 'Members Factsheets Section' where I found your March 2013 'X 250 Skuttle Parts Breakdown' to identify part no 18 being the drain pipe. My interest being that a recent wash down of the van realised water not draining away from below the windscreen. Discovered the pipe had easily disconnected from the scuttle and completely blocked with vegetation. With the aid of a long flexible piece of plastic, it took almost a hour to force the detritus out from the bottom of the down pipe that seemed to exit behind the front inner wheel arch. I still don't think that it is completely clear for easy drainage as I need to loosen the plastic wheel arch to give access to the bottom of the pipe which appears to be squashed or pinched constricting free flow draining. Regards

mickywillis wrote:
Whilst most of the time these failures are not failures but advisories, my concern is for the longevity of the Boxer vans. Are they really rust traps and made of very poor quality thin steel?
Or are the advisories being a bit OTT?
So where are the areas of concern? I know subframes crop up fairly often but also inner wings, sills, seatbelt mounts, etc, etc. How easy are these areas to patch up (I can weld with MIG) and are they a DIY repair or best left to professionals?

Any assistance gratefully received!
Thanks.

The sills are not structural BUT parts of them are in prescribed areas [near a suspension or seatbelt mounting for instance] which means they should be free of corrosion, according to MOT rules.
Not sure what you mean by subframes? the only items I can think of are the main crossmember which carries the engine, transmission etc. and the front one under the radiator.
I've had mine for 15+ years and it wasn't new then. Areas I've repaired or had repaired are:
Front jacking points  'beefed up'.
Outer sills on both sides.
Chassis outriggers behind the rear wheels.
Inner sills behind rear wheels.
Inner side of rear valance - not structural but in a prescribed area.

Most of the welding has been done by myself, but I have paid to get some bits done.

I've also removed, de-rusted & painted the front crossmember as advised by my MOT tester, its a bolt on section under the radiator.
The driver's side inner wing is subjected to 'acid rain' from the battery where rainwater leaks onto the battery then onto the inner wing. I keep mine coated in Waxoyl.

I had to remove the rear bumper earlier this year as one of the brackets had rusted through.

Frank

Similar experience as Paramedic, water failing to drain from below the windscreen, near the wiper housing, on the offside of the van. Almost convinced myself that there was no drain hole fitted. Difficult to find. After cleaning out dirt, leaves etc, eventually found the drain hole. Probed the hole with a long piece of wire-problem solved. Thankfully the drain pipe was not blocked, given the difficulty of access to it.
Mel

I think i must have been lucky with my Symphony 1997 and hardly any sign of rust, apart from last year when i found a hole in the crossmember so i got a new one from ebay and just bolted it on.
Been waxoyled twice though, once by previous owner and again two years ago by me.

Dave

Yet more comments on corrosion.

Our boxer had typical problems. I cured them as follows.

Improve the fit of the drain hose to the heater inlet box. I epoxied the hose in place then coated its inside with underseal. I fitted substantial supports to the drain hose to hold it in place.

Ingress around wiper spindles. I fitted close fitting grommets around the spindles.

The joint between the body steelwork and the scuttle below the windscreens was very poor. I have bedded this in polysulphone sealant, using electrical tape as a parting agent to allow for future removal.

There was corrosion to the offside "Jacking point". I have fabricated covers in a heavier gauge of steel, 1.6mm, which I have welded in place. After welding I have put a large dose of Waxoyl into the section's interior via a 20mm hole, which was them covered by a blind grommet.

We now carry a bottle jack instead of the factory provided mantrap. This is carried on a purpose built carrier on the nearside wing. helps to free up space in the accommodation.

Hope this helps