Front cross member corrosion
Just a general warning to all Pinin drivers - the front cross member can corrode badly (obviously depending on age and location of vehicle) leading to failure of the attachment are for the tie rods. I'd thoroughly recommend everyone checking their cross member for signs of corrosion and then taking preventative action.
I'm about to scrap a perfectly good mechanically and anesthetically Pinin. Pic for reference of where to look:
Non-broken but badly corroded left side:
Badly corroded and broken right side:
So just a word of warning! I posted the same pictures in my 'hello' thread but I appreciate not everyone is going to see them...
Yeah, Fordem, you did mention
Yeah, Fordem, you did mention that. It is going to be the first thing I am checking when buying a new one in a week or so!
I wonder what kind of rust protection these cars have on them? They don't seem particulalry resiliant to rusting compared to say the L200 of similar age (2000 ish).
My partner just bought a 1999
My partner just bought a 1999 io and I found some rust in the front crossmember....nowhere near as bad as in the photos here....but really disappointing and concerning. Does anyone know if an unaffected crossmember from a wreck be removed and welded into an io that has a rusted crossmember?
rust
I think Bob mentioned something with his battery leaking and the over flow of the radiator too.
Couldn't this be noticed during the oil change on the poor car and act on it before it get that bad....
Getting this car out of the road is a real pity but a very safe and smart move (unless properly fixed). I am very lucky in Canberra the weather is very dry, far from the salty sea and no salted road for frost and we don't have that type of problem.
Happy io
Yeah the car was uneconomical
Yeah the car was uneconomical to fix so it has gone to a scrap yard. Real shame but obviously the metal used for the cross members isn't great.
My mum who's in her 60s said something about the Japanese using recycled metal in their cars so are more prone to rust. Probably nonsense but the pinin does rust here in Europe.
Syndicate
I think I mentioned this in your 'hello' thread also
One possible cause of the corrosion is spilled or leaked battery electrolyte - the battery sits just above the cross member on the right side and any spillage runs down the inner fender onto the cross member - I was lucky enough to find mine early and treat it to rust neutralizer.
Definitely worth checking.