[poloman]

Thad,Polo is the car for you, knowing well that you from the beginning had a liking for the car. No car in its class can match the paint quality of Polo, though it is little soft and prone to miinor chips. My 19 month car shines as good as new and I can't stop admiring her after a good wash and polish. No rust; no niggles; whatsoever..!

[Thad E Ginathom]

The only problem with the salt-water-wash theory is that ... I don't wash the car very often <Blush>.

But, it is panchayat water, and does, occasionally, have a faint salt taste to it.

So, a combination of not washing very often, remaining underside dirt holding moisture, and salt in the water when it does get washed added to what I still consider to be the major factor of hydrogen sulphide from the canal (I have tools that are thirty years old that suddenly started to rust when we came here) is the collective cause.

The new Polo (for such it will probably be) will get 3m treatment all over, and a professional polish every few months. I'm too lazy to do it myself, but it costs too much not to.

Originally Posted by poloman

Thad,Polo is the car for you, knowing well that you from the beginning had a liking for the car. No car in its class can match the paint quality of Polo, though it is little soft and prone to miinor chips. My 19 month car shines as good as new and I can't stop admiring her after a good wash and polish. No rust; no niggles; whatsoever..!

You're right.

But, oh! That Micra, with curves in all the right places....



There is a policy maturing in March, to that I can add my gadget/travel fund. That will make about 6 Lakh. One or two more will have to come from precious capital (even though the FD says no to cashing in FDs (Financial Director, Fixed Deposits)) . That should make any Polo affordable... but it may be too late for '11-model discounts.

.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Well, I got the car back.

This is unbelievable. No wonder it had been rattling!



Hah! The way I understood the description on the phone, I thought it was some linking rod, or something. As I understand it now, this is the bit that ...holds the front wheels to the car

[download2live]

Oh lord. That is insane.
The whole thing has been eaten away.
You are lucky that no major accidents happened.

[Thad E Ginathom]

It's incredible, isn't it?

Considering the state of the roads here at present, I might have been just one pothole away from my, or somebody else's, death. How many more jolts would it have stood.

Sadly, the car is now back to being really nice to drive.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

It's incredible, isn't it?

Considering the state of the roads here at present, I might have been just one pothole away from my, or somebody else's, death. How many more jolts would it have stood.

Sadly, the car is now back to being really nice to drive.

It is also very sad to see how the quality levels have declined in the last 6/7 years. Whether it is a home appliance or a car or a bike, it is the same, there is no such thing as "quality lasts forever, even in the worst conditions".

[Thad E Ginathom]

Yep. How old are some of the M800s that are still going strong?

[rajeev k]

TEG, If you are not going to buy a car soon I would suggest you to adopt an old method. Remember the days of Ambys and Fiats when after service oil is sprayed on the under body as a method to prevent rusting.I don't suggest doing this fully but can do it at rust prone areas like the cross member which you have replaced. Any area if welded would also rust early. True this will attract dust and dirt but will not rust. Application of a thin layer of grease also can be thought of. This can be washed off before selling the car.

Salty acidic water is the culprit which happens in coastal areas.

[goandude]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

It's incredible, isn't it?

Considering the state of the roads here at present, I might have been just one pothole away from my, or somebody else's, death. How many more jolts would it have stood.

Sadly, the car is now back to being really nice to drive.

that's serious corrosion on a structural member. I didn't imagine that this could come about in modern cars considering the way they are treated during manufacture.

And why "sadly"

[Thad E Ginathom]

sadly ... because it makes me want to go on driving it, but the rust to the rest of the body says its days are numbered.

Plan "C," suggested only half-seriously --- buy a new body shell!

rajeev, thanks: this is one of the uses that, traditionally, old engine oil would be put.

Steel rusts. That's a fact that cannot be escaped. It can only be prevented from rusting by treatment such as galvanising (zinc coating) properly covered by the correct layers of paint. Without this, not even salt or other corrosive substance is needed, just moisture and air (both in ample supply in Chennai!) will do the job. I don't think mucj of Maruti's "protection!"

[Thad E Ginathom]

This car is now all but sold. The money should clear by Monday, and the new owners will then be free to drive it away. I'm going out by auto today!

The deal was done through an engineer known to both buyer and seller. In fact we asked him to find us a buyer. I'm hoping that he'll be able to make the buyers happy with a moderate amount of bodywork. In fact, I really want them to be happy! Since spending rs15,000 at Ignite, and replacing that chassis component, the car runs brilliantly, quietly, and rattle-free. I can't help but feel sad to see it go.

We are moving on to a Polo, 1.6.

I made sure I covered some pretty bad roads (around Kalakshetra and Indira Nagar) on a decent-length test drive. It floats over the potholes --- but it doesn't power through them like the diesel does at low revs. I'm going to miss that.