Rusting ND brake shields?

Anyone else had this? I know its not a big deal but the surface rust is showing and is clearly visible through the wheels which bugs my OCD - specially when the rest of the car is pristine! Seem like a nightmare to replace and TBH the same will happen very quickly!

On another note how is everyones ND’s fairing underneath in the UK winters as far as rusting?

I had my ND Undersealed / cavity treated when new so (hopefully) I won’t be seeing any rust under its 9 year guarantee :grin:

As to rusty brake Shields, some jenolite and hammerite maybe? Will check mine when I get home…

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I can be a bit OCD myself with my ND… I’ve never even been underneath mine yet to have a look… But there will be rust there for sure on the steel components fitted underneath. This has long been a problem with Mazda cars, though probably other manufacturers have the same issues if not to the same extent.
I’m lucky, my car is a toy and a twice to the supermarket a week MX-5, so if there is salt on the roads I don’t go out.
I gave mine a good hosing out a few weeks ago, under the arches and where I could get to underneath - Have a spray attachment on my hose which helps…
Rust issues can be treated with products like Kurust then repaint as you go, and there are many threads here to advise on that big issue… Rust!

Rob

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The coating Mazda puts on the black metal parts is very thin.

I’ve rubbed down the rear subframe and touched it up with spray black hammerite as it was starting to rust at the welds after 3 years.

If I drove the car through the winter, I can see how they rust badly after a few years. Luckily mine is a summer only car.
I wouldn’t replace those shields, the new ones will just rust again.
Wheel off, plastic bag over the brakes, rub it down, then black hammerite spray will sort it.

TBH though, not sure Mazda is any worse than others, have you seen under a Focus after a few years, suspension all covered in surface rust.

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Yeah surface rust is not really an issue anyway not for a long long time. Looks worse than it is and is something all modern cars deal with… we are the same though don’t use when roads are salty. 2.5 years old and think its just ticked on to 5k miles.

Thought about hammertoe direct to rust, in the past though rust has just come through that again also wasn’t sure about its ability to deal with heat from the brakes. Might be worth doing the calipers at the same time with a satin black to keep them looking tidy and unobtrusive.

If you want to get to all of the back plate to fettle then just take the whole calliper off complete with pads. Just 2 bolts per calliper holding it on. Pop a wedge between the pads as you slide the whole thing off the disc. Hang the unit to the side so there is no strain on the flexible pipes and remove the disc. If it is stuck there is a threaded hole to facilitate loosening them. Reverse when everything is painted and you could take the opportunity to clean up the rear of the discs and paint them as well. I use stove paint on the discs which has proved very good so far.
The rears can be done as well without undoing the handbrake cable.
:heart:

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Hi Team

I have had a ND1,and now i have a ND2 which i jacked up and looked underneath the other day,compared with the ND1,the ND2 def has more of the bodywork protected with underseal than the ND1 did,it may be just luck or better quality job,barely any of the underneath has been missed.

Simon

Hi L,
That is strange as I have also had both and personally waxoiled each of them so have intimate experience underneath. I found no difference and would say that they are exactly the same.
:heart:

Would you recommend wax oil on the car once it’s 3 years old and surface rust is already showing underneath? Something I might look into as we bought the car outright and plan on keeping it for a while.

To be honest I have only used waxoil on new cars and have complete confidence in it’s abilities to protect. Our 1992 Rover Mini Italian Job is testament to this.
At 3 years old I would say that using it on internal ‘box’ sections would be OK. I would use a borescope first to check on the internal surfaces first just to be sure they are still free from any corrosion.
Using waxoil on any external surface is good and long lasting as long as it is not on an area that is exposed to abrasion from any source. These areas need to be retreated on a regular basis to maintain the effectiveness. If they are showing signs of corrosion this needs to be removed first and primed.
If you are considering doing yourself I would recommend using a compressor, Aldi and Lidl do them and these people are worth a look. Portable Air Compressors | Small & Portable 240v Air Compressors for Sale | SGS (sgs-engineering.com) And one of these schutz gun products for sale | eBay
The next most important thing is to use white spirit to thin the waxoil down so it sprays nicely. Even up to 50/50 in very cold weather. It needs to be nice and runny.
:heart:

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Hi Mac

Yes it is strange then,i assume it must just be down to the pot luck of who or what actually sprays underseal under the car,but def on my ND2 virtually non of the underside was missing underseal,where as the ND1 virtually had none.

Simon

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