Rear suspension rust - Octavia Scout

[WildernessGuide]

Hello. I am a new poster on this forum. So please forgive any newbie faux pas.

I was wondering if it is normal for year old Octavia Scout's to have rust on the rear multi-link suspension strut as in this piccie. I can't seem to find much about it. I have looked under some 11 plates but obviously no sign of this. But have been told this is quite normal. Can anyone help?

Edited 6 July, 2011 by WildernessGuide

[countryboy]

It is inevitable you will get some surface rust as that area is being bombarded with stones, chippings, water, salt etc thrown up by the wheels and tyres. As long as the rust doesn't become too bad i.e. lots of flaking and the metal losing a lot of thickness then there shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Was it your Skoda dealer who said it is normal?

Ian

[WildernessGuide]

It is inevitable you will get some surface rust as that area is being bombarded with stones, chippings, water, salt etc thrown up by the wheels and tyres. As long as the rust doesn't become too bad i.e. lots of flaking and the metal losing a lot of thickness then there shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Was it your Skoda dealer who said it is normal?

Ian

Ummmm yes it was a skoda dealer. I was just surprised for a car a year old it would have done this and then concerned about what it would be like going forward and how it can be remedied. I'd rather the dealer made this 'good'. I have looked at other Skodas an have not seen this. I've looked under other cars and not spotted anything so marked in a car so young. If it is normal then why don't skoda galvanise and then paint these surface?

[Tech1e]

Cost and they will look at how long it would take before any corrosion would mean the part is no longer serviceable, would be many many years before that became a problem, wishbones etc are all pretty much the same.

Take some comfort that the same arm fitted to an Audi A3 will do exactly the same thing and they paid a lot more for it..lol

[WildernessGuide]

Thanks for the reply. It's good to get some perspective on these things. Having just bought it I felt a bit alarmed seeing this rust. If it's normal then I'll stop worrying and trying to get the dealer to rectify it. As I said I was surprised to see it on a car so young.

So, another question. Can I do anything to stop it rusting more? Waxoyl?

[Tech1e]

you could wire brush it back and give it a coat of hamerite i guess.

[dainott]

My 09 plate is the same on the rear axle and pretty sure its from the previous owner (police) taking the dog down the beach as found loads of sand in the crevices. You could put a bit of waxoyl on it to cover and prevent any more appearing but you aint gonna have any problems with rust there really due to the thickness of the steel and as stated above, it built to take a battering under there.

PS if you are spraying waxoyl under there just be careful not to hit the exhaust or brakes with it or that little bit of rust will be the least of your worries .

[WildernessGuide]

PS if you are spraying waxoyl under there just be careful not to hit the exhaust or brakes with it or that little bit of rust will be the least of your worries .

I once sprayed that silicon bike spray stuff on my mountain bike disk brakes once by mistake. It was remarkable how fast I went downhill after that. I still have the neck brace they gave me on the way to hospital. I'd think it would be rather more serious waxoyling your brakes on a car tho'!

[London Les]

I agree it's a bit disappointing the area isnt better protected - it looks to me to be a result of thin coating on the edges, in an area that gets a lot of salt spray. There's no sign of mechanical damage - stone chips would be visible on the lower painted section too. I would think about pressure washing with water, letting it dry and paint on some anti corrosive gunk.

[London Les]

If its any consolation, I remember the Ford Focus I bought new in 2004 had loads of bare steel in the suspension, which was already well rusted on delivery. I guess just no budget for corrosion protection, and plenty of margin for loss of metal. I suspect this one had been sat in a puddle for 6 months before delivery.

[xman]

I am shocked at the state of what you show. Totally unacceptable for a one year old car! I'm also shocked at how other people seem to accept this.

Suspension components are poorly protected on Skodas (its the same on all VAG cars), I've been banging on for years about how Skoda can get away with just primer on brake drums which turns to rust in weeks. For Christs sake, even GM paint their drums.

I have found a bracket under my 2 year Fabia which is just plain unpainted mild steel - now obviously rust.

Skoda (and VAG) and their suppliers are cutting corners - it would only cost pence to provide a decent finish.

As for that strut, it doesn't look that substantial to apply the "it'll last the lifetime of the car" argument.

Skoda dealers will, depressingly, always say - "its wear and tear". I say its not fit for purpose, particularly on a Scout,