Although I haven't posted here much yet, I hope to buy a P5 in the coming spring and hope to be more active here. Regarding the rusting on P5s I have been doing my own study since the P5 was introduced in 02,I admit it is not very scientific but here goes. I had a 323 when the P5 came out still have it, and it is still in mint condition. I thought of the P5, here is a replacement sometime down the road for the 323.
To that end I have kept a close watch for rust and in general an inferior product. I check them out in parking lots, on dealers lots. I talk to owners at every opportunity. I have literally checked hundreds of P5s over the last 6years.
This is how I research a vehicle I am contemplating owning. I haven't seen anything glaring in 6 years that has changed my mind about owning one. I don't think the P5 is any worse than the competition in terms of rusting, and in many cases fares much better than any of the domestic offerings, I have seen Ford Focus with the rockers rusted off after 3 years, similar for the dodge neon, and the cavilier, Sunfire. Civics and Nissans of a similar age to the P5 all show signs of rust in the same places.
I don't doubt here the experience of members writing in, the vast complaint seem to center on the lips in the rear wheel wells and in particular the P5 emblem on the tailgate, and in honesty that is definitely an area here that I see also. Why in Gods name they punched holes for a stupid emblem is beyond me, that is a recipe for rust right there.
Incidently I live in Ottawa and we know salt here, last year the city dumped over a 100,000 tons of salt on the roads.
Incidently on repairing the rust, sanding down, priming, and top coat won't do, the rust will be back in no time. There is actually 5 steps involved, sand to bare metal, then use metal prep this chemically cleans the metal and gives the new paint something to bite on, then 2 coats of zinc Chromate, then prime, then top coat. I had the paint flaking on the rear lips of the 323 when I bought it and this is how I treated it, I used a 2 part epoxy paint in place of a regular primer and then top coated.
5 years later the lips in the wheel wells still look new. I also have the car oil sprayed every year at Krown Rust proofing, and I always hand wash, this way you find stone chips and spots before they get out of hand.
Again this is only my own humble observations, I hope my suggestion for dealing with rust is helpful.On another note although it is nice to climb into a warm snowfree car in winter, parking your car in a heated garage is the worst thing you can do. Salt does all the damage when it above freezing temperature. So do your car a favour if where you are parking is heated and you cannot turn off the heat park it outside
Pat.
To that end I have kept a close watch for rust and in general an inferior product. I check them out in parking lots, on dealers lots. I talk to owners at every opportunity. I have literally checked hundreds of P5s over the last 6years.
This is how I research a vehicle I am contemplating owning. I haven't seen anything glaring in 6 years that has changed my mind about owning one. I don't think the P5 is any worse than the competition in terms of rusting, and in many cases fares much better than any of the domestic offerings, I have seen Ford Focus with the rockers rusted off after 3 years, similar for the dodge neon, and the cavilier, Sunfire. Civics and Nissans of a similar age to the P5 all show signs of rust in the same places.
I don't doubt here the experience of members writing in, the vast complaint seem to center on the lips in the rear wheel wells and in particular the P5 emblem on the tailgate, and in honesty that is definitely an area here that I see also. Why in Gods name they punched holes for a stupid emblem is beyond me, that is a recipe for rust right there.
Incidently I live in Ottawa and we know salt here, last year the city dumped over a 100,000 tons of salt on the roads.
Incidently on repairing the rust, sanding down, priming, and top coat won't do, the rust will be back in no time. There is actually 5 steps involved, sand to bare metal, then use metal prep this chemically cleans the metal and gives the new paint something to bite on, then 2 coats of zinc Chromate, then prime, then top coat. I had the paint flaking on the rear lips of the 323 when I bought it and this is how I treated it, I used a 2 part epoxy paint in place of a regular primer and then top coated.
5 years later the lips in the wheel wells still look new. I also have the car oil sprayed every year at Krown Rust proofing, and I always hand wash, this way you find stone chips and spots before they get out of hand.
Again this is only my own humble observations, I hope my suggestion for dealing with rust is helpful.On another note although it is nice to climb into a warm snowfree car in winter, parking your car in a heated garage is the worst thing you can do. Salt does all the damage when it above freezing temperature. So do your car a favour if where you are parking is heated and you cannot turn off the heat park it outside
Pat.
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