galvanised body - any good, what cars

tir21

hi ive got a skoda octavia which i believe is galvanised. does this make a car pretty much rust proof? or just less prone to rusting?

if i want a change from octavia what similar galvanised cars are there

thanks

mgdavid

1980s Porsches were galvanised

knightstyle

So were Fiat Stradas and they were rust buckets as many of the panel seams were not galvanised to facilitate welding. At least that is what I was told when mine started to fall apart.
Cars built in the last 10 years are much better at corrosion protection and seem to last much longer, even Fiats and Alfas.

forgotmyname

When the coating gets damaged it will rust like any other steel car.

Most cars have galavanised lower halves at least. If you dont want a rusty car dont buy a 10 year old Mercedes.

Buy a 35 year old one and it may have a little bit of rust by now, But seems they skimped too much and some 10 - 15 year old ones are rusting already.

datostar

knightstyle wrote: »

So were Fiat Stradas and they were rust buckets as many of the panel seams were not galvanised to facilitate welding. At least that is what I was told when mine started to fall apart.
Cars built in the last 10 years are much better at corrosion protection and seem to last much longer, even Fiats and Alfas.

Probably true. Galv is usually ground off before welding. If not it burns off and the fumes are very dangerous. Of course, assemblies can be dip galvanised after welding and that'll be what the factories do.

worried_jim

I thought everything was galvanised now since the 1990's.

cardinalbiggles

worried_jim wrote: »

I thought everything was galvanised now since the 1990's.

Yeah at least, the last few cars I have had (Fiats) have all been galvanised and no problems with rusting. On the other hand I have seen some not so old Fords and BMWs which were the worse for wear!

Tigerprint

Peugeot are galvanised...

fivetide

forgotmyname wrote: »

Most cars have galavanised lower halves at least. If you dont want a rusty car dont buy a 10 year old Mercedes.

Buy a 35 year old one and it may have a little bit of rust by now, But seems they skimped too much and some 10 - 15 year old ones are rusting already.

As will a BMW as will a Ford Focus (lots of 10 year old examples with serious rust on the doors etc). Mazda have big issues with rust and the super cheap ex-Daewoo now Chevrolets are a nightmare for it.

The Merc thing is a bit misleading as you'd say any car hitting 10 years old is getting into rust territory. It stems from the mid-nineties, from 2000 they were all galvinised but as said, they will rust anyway.

Toyota seem to be very good at holding it off though.

jase1

fivetide wrote: »

As will a BMW as will a Ford Focus (lots of 10 year old examples with serious rust on the doors etc). Mazda have big issues with rust and the super cheap ex-Daewoo now Chevrolets are a nightmare for it.

That's interesting -- I ran an old Daewoo to 14 years old and there was barely any rust on it at all.

I personally think there's little point in trying to pigeonhole brands with respect to rust resistance -- the rusty cars I've owned over the years have all been ones that have lived their lives on the coast -- brand irrespective. The Nedcar-built Volvos and Mitsubishis are generally very good for corrosion, but the one I have which lived most of its life in Saltburn now has rusty sills (although it is nowhere near requiring welding yet).

fivetide

jase1 wrote: »

That's interesting -- I ran an old Daewoo to 14 years old and there was barely any rust on it at all.

I personally think there's little point in trying to pigeonhole brands with respect to rust resistance -- the rusty cars I've owned over the years have all been ones that have lived their lives on the coast -- brand irrespective. The Nedcar-built Volvos and Mitsubishis are generally very good for corrosion, but the one I have which lived most of its life in Saltburn now has rusty sills (although it is nowhere near requiring welding yet).

The outlaws ran a Kalos that had incredibly sacabby wings. I may be being too harsh on it but the personal experience on an easily driven (but stored outside) car was it rusted at the wings in the way that would have made 1970's British Leyland motor look fresh.

Mitsubishi aren't too bad. The Lancers/Evo looks good on top but the boot floor rusts out like crazy. Late 90's Mitsi also had an issue of using porous material to bond the roof to the crossmembers in the car. It meant they rusted inside out across the roof line. Mad.