jet200 Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 We found a super-clean, one-owner 2005 Baja turbo with 70k miles that we're considering as our first Baja. One-owner car, well-maintained, drives great, super clean, but underneath, there's rust / corrosion on the subframe, exhaust, diff bolts etc. Connecticut car, so no doubt from salted winter roads. I've attached pics and was wondering if this undercarriage surface corrosion is normal for Subes of this generation. There's no rust in the wheel wells or doors and no rot, just the corrosion as you can see in pics. We'd like to buy this car, but want to get some feedback from fellow Subaru owners before going ahead. Thanks for your replies! A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushwick Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 Well, it's 10 years old and no one bothered to rinse the salt off the undercarriage during the winter (should do this weekly if driving through a bunch of salted roads) and that's what happens. Some of the areas look worse than my 95' Legacy. But my Legacy has a factory coated undercoat. If it were me and I wanted to drive it for more than one winter, I'd get it oil sprayed. Then every year after oil sprayed again. This will at least halt the progression of the rust already there. Areas you can NOT oil spray like under the hood, where the fenders meet the engine bay (hood up), door sills, bottoms of doors, etc. need to be rinsed routinely during the winter. Basically any time the city salts the roads, you MUST be thinking about getting that OFF your bare metal. If it's allowed to clump or set for a couple days, you'll have holes within a year or 2. I'd use this as bargaining chip if the car overall is nice. Say it'll need "work" to correct the rot and it isn't worth what they are asking. Oil sprays are messy, and drip for a week or whatever, but they do the best job of limiting rust from road salt. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 It's a 10 year old car in newengland, that's par for the course. I throw my car up on the lift a few times during the winter and fluid film it. A spray gun and the fluid film really aren't that expensive and it really helps mitigate rust. Even if you don't have a lift drive it up on ramps and go to town. With that said, if you have time to shop for cars drive south and buy one that isn't rusty. I'm looking for a replacement car right now and probably going to rent a car, drive 1000 miles south to buy a car and drive it home. It'll be a fun roadtrip with friends and I'll get a not rusty car. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 (edited) Looks pretty darn good for a Connecticut car! Hard to say from the pics but the rust on the frame and crossmembers may be light enough that it can simply be wire brushed and then treated with a rust defensive primer. Then have the whole thing undercoated to curb further rust. Edited October 7, 2015 by Fairtax4me 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 (edited) Looks pretty mean to me. I have an 05 in CT also and mine doesn't look anything like that. Mine may have some undercoating but I am original owner and didn't pay for anything extra from CT dealer. Wonder if it was Sandy Storm damaged and submerged in salt water... Edited October 7, 2015 by brus brother 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocei77 Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 (edited) Rust is not only affected by the salt roads, but also by where one parks. Over concrete etc is one condition, but over grass/soil generates more moisture and helps rust to form. O. Edited October 7, 2015 by ocei77 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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