RichardL

I really want to drive my '89 Carerra most days. It's only got 30K miles from new and is in lovely condition. The problem is that, unlike most of you guys, I live in Ireland!! It rains a lot! It rarely gets very cold so we don't really have an issue with salted roads but I often have to put the car away wet. Is this likely to lead to rust problems? Is there anything I can do to avoid it? (other than leaving the car in the garage for the winter which seems like such a waste!)

David0514

My opinion,buy some POR-15 and coat anyplace on the body that water may not run off like under the wheel wells where the metal bends back upward or around the rocker panels. Not in visible places. Anyone know of a reason not to, please let us know.

Bob's flat-six

Hi Richard: Move to California? Sorry. But You could keep some terry cloth towels handy and wipe her down when you bring her in. You might also want to check out other p,cars of your vintage to see were they develop rust and watch those areas.
And Keep a good coat of wax on her.
Cheers <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

Ed Bighi

Richard, what you first want to do is to make sure there isn't any dirt built up under the car in certain spots. Behind the headlights and any other spots where dirt can build up. There is another spot, in front of the rear wheels. When the car is dry reach with your hand behind the little reinforcement right behind the striker plate panel for the door. This is in the area just above the rocker panel. Hard to reach, but get your hand in there and just loosen up any hardened dirt. Look under there real good while you are under the car. Another thing wo watch out for are flaws in the undercoating which can lead to water penetration. Don't worry so much about this in the main floor pan since it dries quickly, but can become so in the hard to reach areas. So look underneath. Pressure clean or hose often when salt is around. Also watch in water retention areas. The main one being the base of the windshield and the rear seats from water ingress due to bad rear window seals. You will get surface rust in the windshield base eventually if unchecked by lifting the seals and looking for telltale bubbles. I get a chance to check that area out often since I go through an average of two windshields a year. The thing to do there is to scrape away surface rust, maybe even some paint, and go through the area with POR 15, or the european equivalent which is Wurth Rust Guard Black or Gray. The stuff is just about the strongest paint known to man. I have never tried Corroless, but it must be good also. What I like about POR 15 or Wurth Rust Guard is that it dries hard enough to be used as a resin for fiberglass. Not only that, but it still keeps enough flexibility to stick to the metal through any bending it is subjected to. Superior to even powder coating, you can beat it with a hammer and the metal will dent along with the paint without coming off. Go to <a href="http://www.por-15.com" target="_blank">www.por-15.com</a> and read all about it. I am almost sure that Wurth Rust Guard is the same stuff just marketed by Wurth since the instructions have the same warnings about sun exposure and hardening. The thing about these galvanized Porsches is that rust just will not happen unless provoked by water retention due to the shape of the panel involved or dirt buildup. While I don't mind getting rust in any panel that can be unbolted like wings or doors, I do mind in the rear fenders and main tub since that is the main unibody. The beauty of these cars though is that any panel is available if rusted through. Even the base of windshield corners.

pete915

Richard,
I live in Birmingham, UK....(don't hold it against me.)
I have 2 cars, one a Volvo and a 3.2 1986. Both cars I have applied almost 15 litres of Comma Rust preventive wax, which is easy to apply. Ed's comments sound good also.
When I did the Volvo wagon (estate), I used a high pressure paint sprayer; pumps liquids at about 3000psi, and sprayed the whole of the car underneath and inside panels. I did this after washing car underneath with pressure blast, dried properly for a week in warm weather (do it in a shed?), then soaked the beast in the stuff. Its easy to apply as it doesn't harm plastic, rubber, etc, and will wipe off spills easy with white spirit. Drys with a good surface.
<a href="http://www.commaoil.com" target="_blank">http://www.commaoil.com</a>
Peter.
1986 coupe
<img src="graemlins/wave.gif" border="0" alt="[byebye]" />

Michael Mullen

Richard:

I second the last post on using wax. Check out the British magazines "Practical Classics" and "Classic Cars." They usually have lots of advertisements for different wax treatments.

Good luck and keep driving.

Filip

I have talked to some guys that tried POR-15 and it didn't work.. This was because at one time, although the can was labeled POR-15, the product was actually Chassis Black. Chassis Black is inferior (to say the least). In the past you could apply POR-15 without even cleaning up the old rust - now they want you to get a good, clean "paintable" surface.