Corrosion under the car

[Davey7]

Hello,
new MK3 owner here 2015 September. I just bought the car and realised that there are some rust spots underneath the car. How normal is it for a 5+ year old car (sorry, I don't have much experience with cars)?
Also on one of the passenger door there was a chip which they tried to fix but I can see the corrosion under it. Should I be worried about these?

[Westy36]

Welcome to the forum. 

In answer to your question, I wouldn't be worried about the corrosion in photo no2. Fairly normal for the underside of a car IMHO.

Photo 1: The area needs cleaning to asses what is actualy there. I wouldn't be happy with corrosion on what looks like the underside of the bonnet.

Photo 3: It's not clear where that is, or what size it is. If it is on the door panel, then that is a concern. Needs to be taken right back to metal, treated, primed and painted. To my eye, that just looks like a big stone chip years ago that was never treated.

Where has your car lived for the first 6yrs of its life?

You say 'they tried to fix'. Was that the dealer? How long have you had the car? Painting over rust is not treating the issue.

HTH
 

[langserve]

Photo 1 looks more like the underneath of the rear. I wouldn't worry about a bit of surface rust there at this stage.

Overall, there does seem significantly more rust than I had on my much older Mark 1 - salt on the roads where you are?

[Davey7]

Photo nr.1 is the underside on the back of the car, just below the boot. On the door the chip fix is about a small fingernail size.
The car was registered in Edinburgh based on the reg plate check.
I bought the car from Cazoo, strange used car buying experience, and I have up until today to return the car if I decide to, to get a full refund.
Car is in great condition otherwise, I hope these rust spots are not that big of a deal that I should return the car.
Yesterday I tried the air condition that was a bit weak, but that might just need to be regassed.

[Westy36]

Having had a closer look at photo no 2, the union of the brake flexi to the pipe. That looks very corroded indeed. My 2012 Jazz with 95k on the clock looks better than that.

Add in the chip in the door that was never treated showing it's not been loved and wheezy air con......

Ask yourself this. Had you seen these things prior to purchase, would you have handed over your hard earned money? Or was it priced so much lower than everything else that it's worth it?

It's far from terminal corrosion, but if you've paid top book for it, I'd be tempted to return and find a better example.

[Davey7]

Having had a closer look at photo no 2, the union of the brake flexi to the pipe. That looks very corroded indeed. My 2012 Jazz with 95k on the clock looks better than that.

Add in the chip in the door that was never treated showing it's not been loved and wheezy air con......

Ask yourself this. Had you seen these things prior to purchase, would you have handed over your hard earned money? Or was it priced so much lower than everything else that it's worth it?

It's far from terminal corrosion, but if you've paid top book for it, I'd be tempted to return and find a better example.

This was the deal: https://www.cazoo.co.uk/car-details/c6914243-1dad-5692-a03d-ceecb216905c/
To be honest I think it was priced a bit lower than similar cars

[Westy36]

The ball is in your court. Either way, it's a Jazz and will provide years of reliable service if looked after. They are great cars.

Interesting the condition you report and the blurb on their website https://www.cazoo.co.uk/car-quality/
"We spend hundreds of pounds reconditioning our used cars to our highest standards and we do our best to fix any cosmetic imperfections." seems somewhat at odds with a touch up pen over a rust spot IMHO.

Buying online without viewing the car first seems to be the way the market is moving, so learning of your experience is interesting.

[monkeydave]

yeah my tow eye has a streak of rust comming from behind the bumper at the top of the bar, i put some rust eater on in and painted it but it will be back

i am really considering getting the thing cut off the car before it spreads onto the bodywork like yours has

this is a bad design, the mk2 had a screw in eye behind the rear bumper which is a lot better, saving money again welds with no rust protection

any ideas on how to cut through the 4 welds so i can remove the tow eye without damaging the underside of the cars bodywork?

thanks

[olduser1]

If in doubt reject the vehicle, have asked for money off to correct the defects?

[madasafish]

We have a 2003 Yaris with minimal rust due to regular body maintenance.

You can DIY the underbody rust with brushing off flaky stuff with a  wire brush, apply a rust killer treatment and then Dinitrol or Black Waxoil. That will stop corrosion for years.
The rust spot on the door is a professional job if you want it to look good. ChipsAway ## or similar will do it at home. Probably £200 as they may have to respray the door to match the paint.

If you don't want to do the above , reject it and look more closely at cars you want to buy.

# my local one did a superb job on scratches and a BIG dent on the boot.

[Keekster71]

As someone who lives in Scotland, where we salt the roads 6 months a year, this is normal. There is very little paint or sealer underneath a jazz from new. I underseal all of mine with Dinitrol when I buy one. It extends the life of the car significantly. But once the rust starts it will continue indefinitely until it rusts through. The rust has only started though and it will take many years to hole, so it depends on how long you intend to keep it.

[MartinJG]

Photo nr.1 is the underside on the back of the car, just below the boot. On the door the chip fix is about a small fingernail size.
The car was registered in Edinburgh based on the reg plate check.
I bought the car from Cazoo, strange used car buying experience, and I have up until today to return the car if I decide to, to get a full refund.
Car is in great condition otherwise, I hope these rust spots are not that big of a deal that I should return the car.
Yesterday I tried the air condition that was a bit weak, but that might just need to be regassed.

Thin end of a nasty corrosion wedge. Sorry Jocko et al but as we know, cars in Scotland are well known for horrendous corrosion probs. I would return it and look for a replacement from a less risky area, somewhere like the leafy lanes of Surrey where they change them every few years just to keep up with the neighbours.