Just trying to get a rough idea on how fast these cars can rust.
I’m starting to see little patches of rust coming through on the rear arches and a bit on the front sill (although all seems to be fairly solid). I garaged the car over winter but still drive it in the rain
Is it something I can probably leave until winter or should I have it sorted straight away?
If you’re paying for the work, and you have the money to get it done, I’d say get it done sooner than later because while it’s likely that waiting until winter won’t make much difference in the amount you pay or the work required, it’s quite likely the restorers will have long waiting times.
Last time I needed work doing, the restorers I tried had a six month waiting list and I’d be surprised if things have improved (in the end I had to go with a local patch job).
They rust from the inside, so will probably be worse than you expect. Sooner is always better.
rule of thumb never put a wet car in the garage let it dry or make sure you leave the garage doors open so car can air dry
worse than leaving it outside for rust
Gave it a good clean before putting it into the garage and made sure it was dry if I ever took it out to work on it.
100% correct. In fact, the best thing you can do after washing and polishing the car is…drive it…fast.
Agreed.
A good wash is always the perfect excuse for a blow-dry and disc polish.
Rust never sleeps and MX5s have a desperate reputation for corrosion. There are so many concealed areas and box sections within the front and rear subframes. Be prepared for the worst, our lovely cars rust from the inside out. If you can see it, it’s not a good sign.
I can’t speak for how quickly it spreads, as I’ve only had my MK2.5 since August last year. I can however share my experience in the hopes you find it useful.
Based on my own experience and everything I’ve read online, it’s always, ALWAYS worse than you expect. If it’s showing through, 9 times out of 10 it’s already seen better days inside.
Recently had mine done, and from the outside there were some small rust bubbles visible. This is what it looked like inside:
Needless to say, it cost me more than originally expected.
If you want to see inside you can get a borescope down into the sills. I’ve seen people have luck with cheap (~£10) USB type-c ones that just plug into your phone. I think the entry points tend to be through the plug on the rear of the sill in the wheel arch, under the kick plates in the door frames and under the trim behind the seatbelt, although it’s probably worth doing your own research if you do go down this route.
I would also recommend not cheaping out on a bodge job, as this will come back to bite you in the ■■■■ later. As mentioned further up in this thread, restorers tend to have long lead times (4 months at the least) so I’d get on it sooner rather than later, just so you know where you stand. If you do use a borescope and get decent images, showing them to your restorer will probably help avoid surprise cost increases.
