14 replies to this topic

[antonclark221]

Hello,
I am fairly new to this forum so have a couple of things that are playing on my mind,
Firstly when (hopefully) I pass my driving test next month I am looking into getting a Rover Mini Cooper Sportspack 1996-2000 or whenever the dates were.

Looking around here and other places it is clear that Minis do rust, and some rust more than others, even rot.

My question is that how long will my Mini last if I bought it rust-free?
I plan to keep it under a car cover when the weather is bad, as I don't have a garage.
But it will be my only car so may need to be driven in the rain.
Is there any other precautions I could take to prevent rust or even delay it as i'd like my Mini to last for like 5 years?

Any help would be appreciated.
Cheers,
Anton

[mini_legend]

When you buy it, thoroughly check it over before and then when you get it home. Any bodges, get them out, as they attract rust and start over.
Underneath inc arches etc want to be rustproofed eg use of hammerite, under body seal etc etc.
Just look after it! lol

JK

[Bungle]

the age of mini your looking for seems to be the worse for rust than the early ones

i bough my mini rust free (new) 20 years ago and filled everywhere i could with waxoyl since then it has had a new rear subframe,sills and A panels but the rest is still going strong

a friend bought a vauxhall astra also new at the same time has long since replaced it, yes mini's rust but they do seem to out last a modern car

the other thing to think about is the age of car your looking at has a lot of electronic in it, most modern cars and their wiring have a life of about 10 years before they are no more, a MPI mini is now this age and if you search the forum there seems to be a lot of problems with the electronics on the fuel injection

a older mini with better steel and less wiring might be a better option

[Carlos W]

A well looked after mini with plenty of underseal, wqxoyl, regular wash and wax, get the salt off in the winter, and deal with any rust issues when you find them will do well! Unfortunately, these used to be used as cheap run abouts, so some of them weren't that well cared for. As bungle says the later ones were made from cheaper thinner metal, so appear to rust worse!
My aunty had a V reg Ford ka which needed sills after 8 years! My cousin has it now and he reckons he'll chuck it away this year with less than 100k on the clock as it's no longer economically viable!
The car was fairly well looked after, main dealer serviced, washed and polished regularly etc!

My other aunty had an L reg clio, which she bought new, that lasted less than 15 years and did well under 100k and had brake caliper problems the whole time she owned it!

[myredmini]

Will last forever if you look after it properly. It's a iconic car. They need to stay on the roads, the minis people restore are amazing. They are worth there money and work. And great fun to work on/restore...

[Juju]

I bought my 2000 reg Mpi 5 years ago. She was mint. Perfect bodywork.
She is my daily driver & I have no garage so she's exposed to the elements all year round.

I've replaced an A panel.

Before last Christmas I had to replace the sills.

She's still rusty (mainly at the front end) but won't be an MOT failure for another year or so.

Cosmetically, she needs quite a bit of work now.

This is despite regular washing & waxing, but then again, she is an 11 year old rover.....

[mini 4o]

Hi Anton
Take your time, and look at as many for year you are thinking of buying,
Pop along to you local mini meet talk to the owners to get more information,
Maybe take one along then you are viewing.

The paint process on later body shells changed, e-coated then primed painted, and lacer
The problems then arise as no top coat or primer on the e-coat, then rust starts,

Also rover changed the windscreen seal, which allows water to rest between the seal and bodywork
So rust around the screen is all too common, rust in the sills and rear valance boot floor, all because of no paint.

You can easy slow down the rust around the headlights by fitting plastic inner wings.
Posted some photos, this is straight from the dealers.

Good luck and enjoy
John

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[antonclark221]

Hello guys! Thanks for all the replies.
I am familiar with the fact that the newer minis rust a hell of a lot more than the older ones.
It's just my mum would go mental if I wa driving around in a car with no airbag! Hah
It seems like every precaution can be taken but it won't prevent it.
Here is an idea, what if I buy a rust bucket mini and have all the pannels replaced and sealed. Would that make it last any longer or would it cost a bomb to do?
Cheers again
Any more replies would be appreciated
Anton

[rwerry]

Hello guys! Thanks for all the replies.
I am familiar with the fact that the newer minis rust a hell of a lot more than the older ones.
It's just my mum would go mental if I wa driving around in a car with no airbag! Hah
It seems like every precaution can be taken but it won't prevent it.
Here is an idea, what if I buy a rust bucket mini and have all the pannels replaced and sealed. Would that make it last any longer or would it cost a bomb to do?
Cheers again
Any more replies would be appreciated
Anton

It would cost a bomb if you were paying someone else to do it. If you can afford it, I would definitely recommend buying a good, rust-free (or as near as you can get) example.

Here's some suggestions for keeping a Mini rust-free -and I do appreciate that some may be impractical/impossible in your case:

The big enemies of cars in the UK are road salt and prolonged dampness. You can do four things to prevent the effects of these:
1. Waxoyl and wax like there's no tomorrow.
2. Get yourself a dry, preferably heated, garage (even if you have to rent one).
3. Always wash off salt before putting your Mini to bed for the night.
4. Unless the weather is warm and sunny, dry the car thoroughly after washing or coming in from the rain - especially at night (so long as you have a warm dry garage, a chamois, compressed air gun and a few cheap fan heaters can make a pretty good job of removing excess moisture and drying out the underside).

Sound expensive, time-consuming and hard work? Well, yes it is, but probably not as expensive and time-consuming as having to replace rusted panels and, as a bonus, you''ll always have an attractive and driveable car.

Sound impossible? No, it isn't. You might care to have a look at the history of my three Minis, one of which is now 50 years old, with 170,000 miles up, and has never required any rust repairs:

http://www.robertwerry.com/cars/

To be fair, we don't have salt on the roads in Australia but, where I live, we do have dirt/mud roads and double the rainfall of the UK. This is not meant as a promo for my collection , just evidence that myredmini Dan is right: with care and a fair bit of dedication your Mini can last you a lot longer than five years.

[minimat]

It's just my mum would go mental if I wa driving around in a car with no airbag! Hah
Apparently the airbags are not very effective anyway according to a article in one of the mini mags talking to wood and picket,best not tell your mum this

[mini 4o]

hi anton
all the reading you need is in complete mini rebuilds on this forum,

spend an evening reading through lots of horror storys, most with a happy ending

john

[wardyxxx]

Don't use a cover. They cause the car to sweat and facilitates the emergence of rust. Trust me.

[se_juggles]

the seams are the main problem mate as there only pinch welded water builds up in the inner scuttles, footwells and the boot so if you use a seelent down the seams... all the seams that is! then you should stay rust free for a very long time

[Sheikh Pip]

[size="3"]Mini's.... my Ownership and Anti Rust Advice.....


Don't take it out in the rain, ever, or even leave it outside in the rain for that matter, not even for a few minuites, I always check the weather forecast before going to the shops and I also make sure the lady next doors garden water sprinklers are not sprouting water mists all over the road as sometimes happens.

Anyway, it's best put it away for our 10 or so winter months.


Then buy shares in the following, in no particular order.......

Finnigans the Waxoyl company!

An oil refinery, aim for one that still produces 20w/50w.

The company that makes Kitty Litter, you'll need plenty of Kitty Litter to stop the Centrally Heated/Air Conditioned garage you've now built from flooding with all the 20w/50w oil that's dripping from your engine bay!

Payen, (The Head Gasket/Oil Seal people)

Partco/Quinton Hazell, (usefull for the many Water Pumps and Steering and suspension components that you'll wear out in the 2 months you can actually use the car)

Buy shares in Austin/Morris/British Leyland/BMC/Rover, (You're actually a bit late for all of these) but at least the genuine body panels that you could have brought for your Mini will fit your car, well they will if you have a large enough hammer.

Minispares, (multi useful for anything you've not already got shares in)

I could go on and on but I've got to take evening mass in 15 mins, Good luck with your purchase.......

[antonclark221]

It's just my mum would go mental if I wa driving around in a car with no airbag! Hah
Apparently the airbags are not very effective anyway according to a article in one of the mini mags talking to wood and picket,best not tell your mum this

Oh my oh my,
I guess I won't tell her that then!

hi anton
all the reading you need is in complete mini rebuilds on this forum,

spend an evening reading through lots of horror storys, most with a happy ending

john

Thanks John, will give that a read this evening!

Don't use a cover. They cause the car to sweat and facilitates the emergence of rust. Trust me.

Really? So you are saying that car covers are useless and it is better to leave it uncovered?

the seams are the main problem mate as there only pinch welded water builds up in the inner scuttles, footwells and the boot so if you use a seelent down the seams... all the seams that is! then you should stay rust free for a very long time

How would you go about sealing the seams?

Thanks for the replies guys,
Really helpful thanks!