Gutted ....

[chrali]

I thought id have a go at the wet boot. I'd remofrom insideved the drain plugs and the boot was dry.

Pouring water onto the car showed water got in via the lamp clusters and not the rear window seal.

I removed the light clusers and could see that they only way theyd leak into the car is via the attaching screws. Havent sealed these yet as they needed a bit of WD40.

There are two black trim pieces above the clusters which unbolt from inside ( I found this out after id pulled one off first ), they were full of mud, so cleaned them off. They also hide 2 spare holes in the bodywork per side, that I filled those with sealant. The attaching bolt and also put sealant around the base and bolt them on.

Putting sealant on the rim of the boot aperture was tricky, so i put a line of sealant on the boot seal instead, and pressed that on.

THEN ... my day went downhill

I pressed am now left with 2 2inch a beige mark inside the boot left hand channel at the back and my finger went through!!!!!!!!!!! With a bit of a shove, the same feat was possible on the other side.

The culprit seemed to be mud that had build up in the wheel arches,I was shocked as I went for a 95-97 due to the rust protection.

Im now left with 2 x 2 inch additional air vents.

How much trouble am I in ... will it be structural, or will some careful dremelling, and rivet patching do the trick.

Sooooooo depressed, if there is one thing i didnt expected it was rust holes in my Lexus.

I am also amazed that unlike most cars ive had, that there is no arch liners in the rear, yet there do seem to be there in the front.

Suggestions welcome, including 5litres of fuel a lit match and an empty field :( :tsktsk:

[Chris Skelton]

Hope you calm down a bit.

A BIT of rust is a SMALL problem! (OK, a surprise I agree, but it's not a crumbling chassis for example.)

Keep on with sealing, and treat it as an (annoying but fixable) problem?

Lots of gunk and take (future) preventative measures?

[chrali]

Hope you calm down a bit.

A BIT of rust is a SMALL problem! (OK, a surprise I agree, but it's not a crumbling chassis for example.)

Keep on with sealing, and treat it as an (annoying but fixable) problem?

Lots of gunk and take (future) preventative measures?

Yeah Im calmer, but i have holes ... so sealing on their own isnt going to do it. It will need new metal,just not sure whether sealing and riveting new metal, or weldin is required.

The problem is exacerbated by the car being on SORN by the previous owner for 6 months, as he had several cars, and ran out of money and obviously lived somewhere muddy.

I always said if a car was rusty then off it goes ..... now I'll have to see how fixible it is with regards to cost effectiveness.

I thought I'd checked the car out enough, but its only with all of the boot trim stripped out that I found this.

I bought the car from a garage not on a trade sale basis, so should I have any recourse back to them for this and the non-working air con. I doubt the new MOT on the car, as a brake light was out before the MOT and still out after and was a struggle for me to change, also the number platwas cracked visibly, which i thought was a fail.

[steve-bedford]

Did you buy it on a credit card by any chance?

Why don't you call the garage and say that you appreciate that it's not a new car but equally you don't consider these faults fit for purpose.

See what the garage says first and then you can consider what you do next.

[chrali]

I will send a recorded letter, as they said they would do a PDI and I hightlighted the u/s aircon and the water in the boot.

I dont think 'fit for purpose' applies as its been reliable enough for the 300 miles ive done in it in a week. I think 'not of merchantable quality'is probably the one, as its not reasonable to expect water in the boot due to holes caused by build up of mud.

[Mybikesacx500]

If its any consolation. I'm having problems with my new purchase too! (See post on engine running rough)

[chrali]

If its any consolation. I'm having problems with my new purchase too! (See post on engine running rough)

So i see , its not been a good weekend has it! Ive had a lot of cheap gas guzzlers over the years and the only one to rust through like this was a 1981 Jag Xj6 I owned 10-15 years ago. Yes the prev owners neglect has its part to play, but this seems to be a poorly protected area anyway. i.e. no wheel arch liners.

I've check its MOT history and it didnt have an MOT for 2 years prior to me getting it.

My advice, is to for anyone with a high mileage LS400 with a damp/wet boot, is to check the further most corners for corrosion. This may just show as a brown discoloration, but give it a prod and see if its sound. This will not be easily visible, as its obstucted by pipes on both sides and wiring loom on one side and in shadow. It seems apparent that my damp boot was at least in part from water being kicked up by the rear wheels, hitting this area of corrosion and leaking through.

[chrali]

Let see if i can get pics of 'ole rusty' up ..

[Nitmoi]

It likes good enough to have a go at fixing the rust, can you show a pic of the problem?

[steveskeggy]

If the hole is in the well on the left, then I would imagine that this would be classed as part of the boot floor, if it is then its doubtful if it is structural.

You can do a better repair than a bit of plate and some pop rivets though.

If its in a fairly flat bit, then what about rounding out the hole with the dremil and shoving in a rubber grommit? if you can get one big enough.

The car hasnt got a towbar, so if you fitted one, you could run the electrics through there and make it look like the hole was deliberate.

[ROYT]

If it's an easy spot to work on, cut the bad bit out and bolt a plate over it like an inspection hole.

Put seam sealer on it before fixing.....

[chrali]

If it's an easy spot to work on, cut the bad bit out and bolt a plate over it like an inspection hole.

Put seam sealer on it before fixing.....

Exactly my thought, the last thing I need is some garage melting bumpers, or wiring. Its not the boot floor iself but the 'wall'. I will cut it out to ensure all rust is removed, rust proof, seal and plate it.

Then I will look for some thick rubber sheeting to bolt over the area to protect where the rear wheels throw up debris to stop it happending again.

[chrali]

Grommet a good idea, but the hole is to irregular once the rust is cut out.

[lexluther-return]

Hope you get it sorted but thats a dam cheap car for a P in my opinion...

[chrali]

Cheers, I guess I cant complain I paid £1300 for it and Ive already clocked up 600 miles of trouble free motoring.

[Chris Skelton]

Cheers, I guess I cant complain I paid £1300 for it and Ive already clocked up 600 miles of trouble free motoring.

Ah, go on! You could have got a Fiesta for that price! :shutit:

[chrali]

And theres me thinking Id overpaid ...... :D

There ARE serious faults with it though ....

I had to adjust the drivers door check strap pin back up, as it had nearly dropped out

The auto dimming rear view mirror doesnt seem to work

Heating element starting to show through one of the mirrors.

How do I cope with the stress ;)

[floggit]

hi, my auto dimming rear veiw mirror is next useless as well but it does work. it just doesent make much difference.

maybe their just like that lol.

steve