Thread: PUMA's and Rust - what to look for?

When I bought mine in 2008 (now lone gone), it came with complementary surface rust on the underside which I got sorted before delivery. I didn't keep it long enough to establish where it would rust longer term, but I'm assuming it will rust where most of the other models do. It might help to look in the water ingress manual for some ideas. Others should be able to help out with long term ownership rust problems.

http://www.landroverweb.com/Pdf-file...ess_Manual.pdf

Rear cross member, chassis rails if not flushed regularly, where chassis steel and aluminum body meet, and the firewall, particularly if the windscreen leaks, seem to be the main places, from what I've read. I regularly shove a high pressure hose up the chassis rails of ours, and also use a sprinkler under ours. Keep the floor dry inside. When polishing the roof, push polish into all the grooves to repel water.

Mine is three and a bit, years old now and the only corrosion I can find is the rear chassis cross member. The Sun destroys the paint, what ever it is. It's done two tours of Frazer and four days out of seven is parked at a tug berth. The rust has not gotten any worse than surface rust. Curiosity has prevented me from re-coating it, but it's been to ugly for too long and I'm tired of waiting for a pit to appear. All the surfaces with paint on them including the insides of that one cross member are fine. As Mick said, you have to keep it flushed and clean.

Mines got gravel rash underneath with what is I suppose surface rust but nothing you could call real corrosion. Rear member and chassis regularly washed out on a prevention is better than cure basis.
Same with most things about Defenders (and other vehicles), if you let them go they'll only get worse.
AlanH.

Rear cross member, top and bottom of windscreen and roof itself...

Our 90 is about to receive a new windscreen frame and roof... it's 2 years old.

WOW..... Geez that's not good around the Windscreen. I would never have thought that you would see that only after 2yrs.... Are u getting that replaced under warranty or is it out of warranty ??

Thanks for the heads up....

All under warranty.

I would only add to Tombie's list the tub reinforcement. I snapped a picture for this thread:



I've never seen corrosion like this is older Defenders/110s - and unlike Pumas some have seen long, hard lives (corrosion wise) on the Sunshine Coast.