Club 80-90 Forums

Hello!

I am yet to own a camper, but am on the hunt! I've found one I really like the look of. It has a few mechanical things to sort out which is fine.

I was wondering how long should rust treatment work? Just over a year ago it was taken to a VW restoration specialist and the rust has been rubbed down, painted with anti rust treatment and painted over the top. Rust has begun to show again in a few places, mainly the seams and a bit in the wheel arches. It's not terrible rust, no flaking or anything - but I was wondering, how long should rust treatment last?? I have no idea if a year (give or take) is a normal time to have to re-treat? My brother has an old scirocco and the professional rust treatment he had done has lasted 3 years so far.

Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Rust is commonplace unfortunately however well treated and does reappear, it is just a case of keeping on top of it and even repeating the treatment every year if not more often.  The seams are more prone as previous topics explain as they are joints between the panels and are easily affected.  Have a read of previous threads on how to treat them and where you can expect more to appear,  a few pictures of the affected areas would also be helpful.

Thanks for the reply! I've done a lot of reading (this forum is so helpful!!) So i was fully expecting rust - plus the seller is very up front - and having to treat said rust. I was a bit concerned maybe the treatment wasn't done well if rust was showing again after a year, but if that seems normal then that's fine!

The only sure way to stop it rusting is to cut it out and replace , unfortunately that isn't always an option.
So get used to doing it every year or so and be prepared for the inevitable cut out and weld In option.

Here's some pictures! It was treated by the VDub Shed in April 2020 and this is how it looks now. Does this seem ok/normal? Thanks!

Not really, one year is way too short.

It seems to me that Vactan etc plus various rattle cans can last around 3 years if done skimpily and longer if done properly!

I had to treat and replaced sections on Jambovan almost 10 years ago .
Most seam rash has appeared again but took much longer than a year .

Ah thanks so much guys! I will stay on the hunt then. I couldn't find any reviews of the place that did it, which made me slightly skeptical...

I think it would be hard to find a vehicle of age that does not show rust even after restoration (although there are probably exceptions but these sell for big money).  If you have access to the number plate do a DVLA Vehicle check on its MOT History, it is free and done on line.  When I bought mine some years ago it was showing its age but is now in a much better state due to spotting issues with it before they got worse and of course the help this Forum provides.  A lot of the faults will not be apparent until after you buy the vehicle and use it for a while.

Pollysuze wrote: ↑25 Mar 2021, 08:41 Ah thanks so much guys! I will stay on the hunt then. I couldn't find any reviews of the place that did it, which made me slightly skeptical...

I would say 90% or more places will have no reviews, most small businesses don’t have time for websites, forums etc and are just working to make ends meet, I wouldn’t put much in that , as has been said , unless

It all depends on what they've actually done with regards to the rub down and repaint - if it was literally a case of a slight sand, some Kurust and a repaint, it will come back through within a short amount of time, especially if the vehicle outside.  With having a white bus, that rust will be more evident than on a darker vehicle. 

These buses will rot from the inside out and you will need to keep on top of it and budget say every 5 years to have the work done again. Yours doesn't look bad at all and would be easily remedied.  

There could have been lots of surface rust on that van before the re paint, and not done very well. Do they have any before re paint photos ?  The rear right wheel arch and seam looks very suspect .

Thanks for the help everyone! I've decided to go with this van and I'm picking it up after the weekend - very exciting!