My VSE is in for the rear arches to have the surface rust treated and also investigate and treat/repair the sills. I hadn't had the sill covers off before so was dreading the call from the garage.

Good job I was sitting down when it came...

Only very light surface rust, so just a sand down. treat and paint. Solid metal all round.

Must admit I wasn't expecting this on an L322 of this age with 140,000 miles.

Anyone else had a nice surprise like that ? There's so many stories of rusty sills and arches, so would be good to hear the good news stories as well to counter them.

Congratulations! Weight off your mind I bet.

Out of interest, who's doing it for you? Struggling to find anyone interested in the job near me.

Definitely - Dave’s Autobodies on the Wirral. He used to do the bodywork for an Indy before going on his own.

Mine is the same year/model, albeit, 60k miles, but it is in excellent condition underneath.

Mileage doesn''t mean a great deal imo. They could be rotted out in five years up here.




Steve. “He that strikes the venison first shall be the lord o' the feast.” — Shakespeare, King Lear.

2012 Vogue SE. 4.4 TDV8, Sumatra Black

Yes, I recently had to spend a small fortune on mine for mechanical things (all wear and tear, just one of those occasional huge bills), so I thought I really ought to have the sill covers off to see what horrors lurked beneath. To my utter amazement it was the same as yours, minor surface rust, easily treated and cavities pumped full of Dynax S50, should be good for years. Just got to dare looking at my Wife's car now (also a 2010 TdV8) Drives:
2010 FFRR TdV8 Vogue - Stornoway Grey
2010 FFRR TdV8 Vogue SE - Zermatt Silver
1998 BMW E36 M3 GTII

Yep - I've gone down the Dynax S50 route as well for the cavities. Going to also spray some Dynax UC on the sills before the cover goes back on for good hopefully.

I went for Hydrate 80 first, S50 for cavities, and a topcoat of UC.


Steve. “He that strikes the venison first shall be the lord o' the feast.” — Shakespeare, King Lear.

2012 Vogue SE. 4.4 TDV8, Sumatra Black

wow good metal used in 2012...

Could well be

Here’s one side after being sorted

Click image to enlarge

My arches are starting to show the bubbling which worried me on my 2011. Took the plastic sill covers off and was pleasantly surprised with only surface rust around the jack pad. Ideally I want to remove the rubber pad and cake the surface with rust killer and Lanoguard inside and out.

Watched a youtube chap called Woody who has drilled holes in the outer arch in order to periodically fill with Lanoguard or Waxoil so you don't need to remove all the panels and wheels for access. Makes a lot of sense as it is job that is enough hassle to put off until it scraps the car. Pop a couple of bungs every year and top up!

https://www.youtube.com/@Woodyrvf750 Tom

Current Drive
2011 4.4 TDV8 Autobiography - Santorini Black - Ivory Leather

Previous Drives
2004 Model Vogue Td6 (Touchscreen) - Java Black - Parchment Leather
1994 RR Classic 3.9 V8 Soft dash - Niagara Grey - Grey Leather
1972 Series III SWB Safari - Green (Hand Painted) - Black Plastic

Is lanoguard any good to seal the underside ?

A lot of people use Lanoguard, a lot use Waxoyl, a lot use Dynax UC for exposed surfaces and Dynax S50 for sill cavities etc.

I’m in the Dynax camp having read up on the comparison between them all.

Definitely worth using something though, especially on your low mileage car.

Thanks Jonny. I was thinking lanoguard as it’s a clear coating and last 2-3 years although my winter driving will be minimal as will use the daily hack. So might well do longer.

Cheers

I think it’s all in the prep. First time I did underneath I used Neutrarust 661 followed by Lanoguard, but looking back now I could have prepped better and the weather was too cold. This year I did during warmer weather and used Buzzweld products, Rust encapsulater-Chassis in One-then finally their Lanoguard pro.
For your limited use and if ok underneath maybe a good degrease and Lanoguard would be ok, but most say Lanoguard is a short term product, maybe 1-2yr max.
HTH
Alex 2010 Supercharged

Hey Alex,

It’s pretty much mint underneath and has had some coatings already on the known areas so someone who knows what they were doing has looked after it for the last owner. I think I will go down the lanoguard route and agree the prep and warmer weather is key to getting a good bond and seal to the chassis. Weather is still looking good 15/16 ish for the next 2 weeks so will get that done asap. Cheers for the advice. 👍