Rusty RX-8

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Dagman
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Rusty RX-8

Post by Dagman »

Hi,
I am new to the forum and am looking for some advice, pleased to see there are so many RX-8 enthusiasts out there. I have a black 231 registered March 2006 which I have owned since 2013, the car only had one previous owner and was bought from a Mazda dealer with 18k on the clock. The compression test I had done before purchase gave 8.79 and 8.74.

The car has never given any problems and runs like a dream. It has only ever been serviced by Mazda and has now done 31k, so very light use. Completely original and nothing changed or upgraded, it’s only had new discs and pads and the recommended recalls for airbag etc. Mazda said I should change the spark plugs on the next service, no mention of coils. At the last MOT the mechanic did say it’s one of the best he’s driven if that’s worth anything.

The only issue is rust which I never expected as I thought the engine would be the problem!

The front wheel arches are very rusty and the real arches are also beginning to bubble. Also some rust at the end of the sills just in front of the rear wheels. No clue what it might cost to fix the bodywork but I guess its not cheap.

Is this a job for an RX-8 specialist or would it be OK to take the car to any body shop? Not sure I can trust Mazda on that but I will ask them. I live near Newbury so any advice on where I can go in this area would be welcome.

If the bodywork proves too expensive to fix then I might need to sell so is it worth getting Mazda to do a new compression test just to confirm the engine is as good as I think it is?

Sorry for the basic questions.
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Rusty RX-8

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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by willberry70 »

Ah I was also wondering similar.
Sills and arches OK (bar some touching up the rear arches).
But surprised to find bubbling paintwork on the center side bottom of both the suicide doors. I thought they were aluminium?
Anything that'd be a particular cause (other than water)? And treatment ideas appreciated.
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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by Shagrington »

Hi and :welcome: Dagman. :) You wouldn't need an RX-8 specialist to fix the bodywork and sort out rust, any body shop would be able to do that - just explain to them not to move it and switch it off so they don't flood the engine. Some specialists do bodywork as well of course.
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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by Ainmhidh »

If you are after a compression test, I'd suggest not going to Mazda as that'll just be way more expensive. Try somewhere that knows how to do rotary comp tests, though you're probably looking at RRP in Rugby or Essex rotary on the far side of London for an establishment (probably missed someone reliable closer to you) or someone mobile who can come to you like Luke Murdoch. Even counting fuel for you or them to travel, it'll probably still be cheaper than Mazda!
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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by warpc0il »

Cheaper and way more competent than most dealers.

Compression tests on a rotary requires specific equipment, that most dealers would have had 10 years ago.

Even those that can still find it seem to have forgotten how to use it (Happens to us all in the end..)

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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by Dagman »

Thanks for the feedback, at 60 miles away Luke Murdoch seems the closest to me in Newbury so I will contact him about the compression test.

Good to know I don't need a specialist for the bodywork. A friend has a Z4 the same age and under the same car port and it doesn't have a mark on it so disappointing my RX-8 has started to rust quite badly. Will contact some body shops and get a quote for the work, hopefully it won't be too much and the finance manage will let me keep the car running :)

Will keep you posted.
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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by warpc0il »

The problem with "quotes" for rust repairs is that most of the damage is hidden.

Some shops will assume the worst, so their quote might seem high, but it could be more realistic than someone who comes on with a low quote, assuming that the only rust is what you can see.

With the second guy you might find that the final bill is multiples of the original quote, or they only fix the visible stuff and the hidden structure is left to rot.

My guy charges an hourly rate, plus materials, and takes photos of everything, both what he finds underneath and how it's repaired before it gets covered over.

I've always found it best to start with people who have a good rep for car restoration rather than just crash repairs.

Sometimes the best guys to restore the structure might recommend someone else to do the final paint. Don't let this put you off.

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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by ChrisHolmes »

Your nearest tester to Newbury is Carl Hayward and then RX Motors in Salisbury
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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by Honkytonk »

Not to dissuade you from visiting Carl in any way shape or form, but Tim at RX Motors is £35 if I remember correctly. Plus you're welcome to a cup of tea and a comparison of rustbuckets if you let me know ahead of time (and we're out of lockdown...)
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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by nightfire10 »

And Tim likes a good chat
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GreySilver Beast (Tue May 05, 2020 10:55 am)
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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by Dagman »

Called Tim and agreed I will take the car down for a compression test as soon as this lockdown eases. Will also stick it on the lift and have a look underneath to check the extent of the rust, not sure I want to see that :(
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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by Lemon »

Tim is a good bloke, he sorted me out with a new car after my old one was rotten and had a dead engine.
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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by Dagman »

Lockdown eased a bit so I took the RX-8 to Tim. Nice guy, real Aladdin's cave of a garage, never seen so many RX's, mostly 7's and mostly in bits! The compression test revealed:

Front: 7.3, 7.3, 7.1
Rear: 7.2, 6.9, 7.5

Which I guess is not bad?

And the rust - the front wings are definitely gone but easy to replace. The sills are still solid with mainly surface rust, similar on the rear arches. Also some bubbling on the bottom of one door which is aluminium so not rust but would still need fixing. The underseal is peeling away just about everywhere and lots of surface rust all over but Tim said it's still solid so not too late.

In Tim's words it's definitely a 'keeper' which is what I needed to know. But now I have to explain to the finance manger that I need to spend quite a bit of money to get the car looking like it did 7 years ago....that won't be easy ;)
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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by nightfire10 »

Dagman wrote:
Thu May 14, 2020 9:56 pm
Lockdown eased a bit so I took the RX-8 to Tim. Nice guy, real Aladdin's cave of a garage, never seen so many RX's, mostly 7's and mostly in bits! The compression test revealed:

Front: 7.3, 7.3, 7.1
Rear: 7.2, 6.9, 7.5

Which I guess is not bad?

And the rust - the front wings are definitely gone but easy to replace. The sills are still solid with mainly surface rust, similar on the rear arches. Also some bubbling on the bottom of one door which is aluminium so not rust but would still need fixing. The underseal is peeling away just about everywhere and lots of surface rust all over but Tim said it's still solid so not too late.

In Tim's words it's definitely a 'keeper' which is what I needed to know. But now I have to explain to the finance manger that I need to spend quite a bit of money to get the car looking like it did 7 years ago....that won't be easy ;)
Nice numbers, have a nice chat with them?
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just oil lines to fit at some stage ( had them a while too) :P

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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by willberry70 »

So is the bubbling on the bottom of the doors a big deal??
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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by Dagman »

The bubbling is at the bottom of both suicide doors at the corner where they open. Doesn't look good and will be even more noticeable if I am getting wings and sills done so would look better to get this fixed too. Not sure what causes this in aluminium. Normal iron rust just keeps spreading but is this bubbling likely to keep getting worse in the same way? If so I guess it has to be stopped?
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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by warpc0il »

Road salts can attack aluminium alloy and it's best to treat while it's still cosmetic.
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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by deekhubert »

I have a similar issue on my suicide doors and bonnet. I am looking to treat the internal structures with ACF 50 and then concentrate on the cosmetic bubbling later. I was surprised with the level of corrosion though.
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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by willberry70 »

warpc0il wrote:
Mon May 18, 2020 10:57 pm
Road salts can attack aluminium alloy and it's best to treat while it's still cosmetic.
So how do you treat it?
Get in the pros?
Last edited by willberry70 on Thu May 21, 2020 10:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by ChrisHolmes »

willberry70 wrote:
Thu May 21, 2020 7:23 pm
warpc0il wrote:
Mon May 18, 2020 10:57 pm
Road salts can attack aluminium alloy and it's best to treat while it's still cosmetic.
So how do you teat it?
Get in the pros?
Have two rear doors from me? Slight colour difference!
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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by deekhubert »

ChrisHolmes wrote:
Thu May 21, 2020 7:46 pm
willberry70 wrote:
Thu May 21, 2020 7:23 pm
warpc0il wrote:
Mon May 18, 2020 10:57 pm
Road salts can attack aluminium alloy and it's best to treat while it's still cosmetic.
So how do you teat it?
Get in the pros?
Have two rear doors from me? Slight colour difference!
For anything Alu I use ACF50, avionics use it a lot on airframes. Brilliant at protecting alu but also other metals. We get our fleet of blood bikes professionally coated every year. It’s amazing how easy they are to clean after this treatment.
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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by willberry70 »

deekhubert wrote:
Thu May 21, 2020 9:28 pm
ChrisHolmes wrote:
Thu May 21, 2020 7:46 pm
willberry70 wrote:
Thu May 21, 2020 7:23 pm


So how do you teat it?
Get in the pros?
Have two rear doors from me? Slight colour difference!
For anything Alu I use ACF50, avionics use it a lot on airframes. Brilliant at protecting alu but also other metals. We get our fleet of blood bikes professionally coated every year. It’s amazing how easy they are to clean after this treatment.
Does that imply stripping down door to bare metal and treating before repainting?
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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by deekhubert »

Depends where the corrosion is to be honest. Not sure how the corrosion gets under the paint to start the bubbling but I would treat th3 inner lining with a acf 50 and then go at the external bubbling by taking it back to bare metal and painting. Need a clean base for painting so acf may not work on the outer area to be painted. Maybe we could do with some experts on metallurgy to dip in Here
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Re: Rusty RX-8

Post by willberry70 »

Thanks buddy
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