[Hugh Myles]

Ronan count yourself lucky at £180. My rust was so bad and my desire to keep the car meant a donor car for it's shell , complete with sunroof, my mechanicals then transferred over and a respray to my original colour. Current spend close to 6.5k. Hopefully have back next week.

 

[mj2k]

Good to hear you got yours sorted so cheaply (both yourself and the car), the welding on my GTA (plus a few other spanner jobs) cost roughly £1000 so you got off v lightly :thumbup:

Funny how the view of 156 rust has changed over the years - 10 years ago you got '156s don't rust, they're galvanized', 3-4 years ago there were quite a few threads popping up about repairing the rust but sellers always claimed they were rust-free, and now it seems like almost every new 156 thread / ad begins with the word 'rust'!

 

[David P]

Good result @ronan :thumbs:

Looking good so far @Hugh Myles, post some pics when it's finished.

 

[ronan]

156 back home !!!

The £180 includes the waxoyl that welder Alastair will do on both sides after i get it ok'd by the MOT centre on Monday.
He told me to come up straight after MOT and he would apply it there and then.

Great having a local mechanic just down the road.

I raise this lunchtime Guinness in gratitude...don't tell my wife though

 

[symon]

Good to hear you got yours sorted so cheaply (both yourself and the car), the welding on my GTA (plus a few other spanner jobs) cost roughly £1000 so you got off v lightly :thumbup:

Funny how the view of 156 rust has changed over the years - 10 years ago you got '156s don't rust, they're galvanized', 3-4 years ago there were quite a few threads popping up about repairing the rust but sellers always claimed they were rust-free, and now it seems like almost every new 156 thread / ad begins with the word 'rust'!

I had a 156 11 years ago, a 2.0TS on a V plate so that would have been 7 years old. It was already rusting in places like the edges of the rear wheel arches and the floorpan in the normal place.

It is a shame as Alfa had shown that they could make rust free cars with the 164, and then they dropped the ball again.

I am considering a 159 as mu next car but the rust issue puts me off. Although my Giulietta dosn't have any signs (yet).

 

[ronan]

Just had a wee look at welded sill today and found big hole....but then looked under opposite sill...and it has that hole too but covered with rubber insert...what are these holes for ?

 

[napastar]

I had a 156 11 years ago, a 2.0TS on a V plate so that would have been 7 years old. It was already rusting in places like the edges of the rear wheel arches and the floorpan in the normal place.

It is a shame as Alfa had shown that they could make rust free cars with the 164, and then they dropped the ball again.

I am considering a 159 as mu next car but the rust issue puts me off. Although my Giulietta dosn't have any signs (yet).

Other than the issue with the subframe, I wasn't aware that the 159 had a problem with rust?

Ive had the subframe treated with Waxoyl every couple of years since my wife got her 159 SW when it was 30 months old and so far there isn't a flake or rust anywhere on the car. I must admit at 7 years old it is one of the last 159s made, but I would be interested to hear if there is another known rust area I should be concerned about?

 

[symon]

The reason why I am concerned about 159 rust is that it is built in the same factory (Pomigliano) as the 145, 146, 156, 147 and GT. Not to mention the Sud many years previously.

All of which I would class as "Rusty" Alfas.

The Giulietta and MiTo were built in a different plant, as were the GTV, Spider and 166. These are much less rust prone than the other cars of the same generation made in the Pom factory.

Plus these cars are not getting any younger.

 

[cue2]

The Giulietta is built at Cassino near Rome in the same plant as the Giulia and the Stelvio. The Mito was built in Turin. My Lancia Delta HPE was a Pomigliano product but corrosion free almost a decade after I bought it.

 

[JTD_Liam]

There might be a rust connection to the Pomigliano factory - the inconsistency of rust affecting one model but not the next perhaps having something to do with the quality of rust proof application at the factory, but weren't the 145/146, 147/GT & 156 all built on the old Fiat Type 2 & Fiat C Platforms, both of which underpinned several models known for rust, particularly underneath?

The 159 doesn't seem to be a generally rusty car like the others; it's just the subframe that can cause problems I thought.

I'd imagine the Giulietta will be fine in terms of corrosion - the Fiat Bravo & Stilo which are built on older versions of the platform underneath the Giulietta seem fine in that regard. All three models are also built in Cassino, which might have something to do with it as well. My 2004 Stilo looked immaculate underneath when I saw it up on ramps at 9 years old & with nearly 100,000 miles on the clock. I worked at a Fiat & Mazda dealership at the time & next to newer Mazda's the Stilo's underbody rustproofing efforts were telling - only the (original) exhaust back box showed any sign of corrosion. Even now at 14 years old & near 130k on the clock there's no mention of rust on the MOTs.

 

[napastar]

I'm no expert on the 159 and certainly not regarding all other Alfa's - just passionate about the way they look and drive to the point where I really regret years of Audi and BMW ownership. Having spent 20 odd years managing a motor claims unit for a large UK Insurer, I made a number of visits to Thatcham the vehicle safety rating and repair process guru's ( amazing to find out that most manufacturers don't provide instructions/processes on how to safely and cost effectively repair cars following accidents) During these visits it became clear that the same manufacturer often used different process and materials from one model to the next with cost being a big driver. As such I would have thought Alfa's historic inconsistency in rust resistance would have been more influenced by the processes and materials used from model to model rather than where its built. Not sure about this but I thought the 159 was galvanised where as the 156 wasn't?

 

[steveisfrowning]

I thought the Tipo (and therefore the 156 et al) were galvanised.


Which is why you see so many Tipos around.

 

[symon]

I thought the Tipo (and therefore the 156 et al) were galvanised.


Which is why you see so many Tipos around.

Not the underneath unfortunately, which is why they rust badly underneath but not on top.

I cannot remember the last time I saw a Tipo, and 156's are getting rare as well now considering how many there used to be around.

Another car which was very rust resistant (Compared to the 145/146/155 which used the same chassis) was the Fiat coupe. They do have a few issues now but they came out 23 years ago.

Maybe because Pininfarina built them with better rust protection?

 

[JTD_Liam]

It's extremely rare to see a Fiat or Alfa with visible rust on the bodywork, which will be down to them being galvanized. I remember seeing the original Panda and Uno with rust eating away at the doors, but that all ended when they introduced the Punto, Tipo etc. Sadly to a bigger or smaller extent depending on model, the corrosion underneath continued, particularly in the case of models including the Alfa 156 & 147 and especially the Mk1 Fiat Brava & Bravo and Multipla.

Weirdly other models built on the same platforms were ok - as Symon points out the Fiat Coupe faired much better. Earlier 156's were better than some later ones and even now you'll find some of the new Fiat 500s with underbody corrosion cropping up on the MOTs within a few years, yet the 2003 Panda which is built on the same platform and was built in the same Polish factory rarely has an issue. Some Mk2 Punto's suffered quite badly whilst others were fine, too. I dare say our wet & cold climate with heavy use of road salt in the winter months plays a big part in exposing these flaws too, though.

 

[mj2k]

Not the underneath unfortunately, which is why they rust badly underneath but not on top.

I cannot remember the last time I saw a Tipo, and 156's are getting rare as well now considering how many there used to be around.

Another car which was very rust resistant (Compared to the 145/146/155 which used the same chassis) was the Fiat coupe. They do have a few issues now but they came out 23 years ago.

Maybe because Pininfarina built them with better rust protection?

I think it's a lot down to build quality. Pomigliano (AKA Alfa Sud - a rose by any other name is still a rose) was built under political pressure in an area with high unemployment, poor industrial relations and no car building skills, so the Sud and other cars built in the factory when it opened were pretty much doomed. Bit like the Leyland Speke factory, built at the government's request in an area with high unemployment, blah, blah. The poor quality and frequent stoppages turned Leyland's one and only good design (the SD1) into a rattly, unreliable laughing stock, and the Sud/Sprint's infamous rust issues ensured Alfa would be a minority player in the UK post-1980 despite the Sud being pretty much universally loved (except the rust).

Sud has no doubt got better over the years, but let's not forget it was very, very nearly closed down a while ago, and the other Tipo-based cars built in other factories have nowhere near as many issues, so I bet if the 156 had been produced elsewhere there would have been a much higher survival rate (like the 916 gtv). Wonder why Arese was closed down and Sud was kept though?

Edit: looking through the list the only cars built in Sud which haven't ended up with a rep for rust issues were the 155 (can't remember if they rusted or not) and the post-2011 Panda (too new to know for sure, and the few which survive beyond their 10th birthday will probably be in such a state rust would be the least of their issues).

 

[ronan]

Woo Hoo....the patient has passed the MOT retest...booking her in the next few days for the 3 year cambelt change,oil/filter renewal and the coat of waxoyl.

This wee car doesn't owe me anything

 

[duemila]

The reason why I am concerned about 159 rust is that it is built in the same factory (Pomigliano) as the 145, 146, 156, 147 and GT. Not to mention the Sud many years previously.

All of which I would class as "Rusty" Alfas.

The Giulietta and MiTo were built in a different plant, as were the GTV, Spider and 166. These are much less rust prone than the other cars of the same generation made in the Pom factory.

Plus these cars are not getting any younger.

Sorry you can't put a sud in the same bracket as the 145 and anything after, yes admittedly the floorpans rust on the later cars but at least the bodies were galvanized. Theres not a spot of rust on any body panel on my 145, you could have had the best sud and every panel was prone to dissapear on you

 

[mj2k]

Sorry you can't put a sud in the same bracket as the 145 and anything after, yes admittedly the floorpans rust on the later cars but at least the bodies were galvanized. Theres not a spot of rust on any body panel on my 145, you could have had the best sud and every panel was prone to dissapear on you

Not so useful when it comes to MOT time though. Admittedly the rules hove now changed so holes in the upper bodywork will still earn an MOT fail, but I remember Allegros soldiering on through MOT after MOT even though the upper bodywork was held together with Halfords spray paint and P40, simply because they didn't rust badly underneath (much to everyone's disgust). OTOH a few strategically placed rust holes near the engine, suspension or seatbelt mounts was plenty enough to send many a pristine-looking 1970s-80s Renault wobbling towards the scrapyard.

So, er, the rather obvious moral of this story (other than rescue a Sud rather than an Allegro or 70s Renault) is that rustproofing the underbody is far more important than rustproofing the outer panels.

 

[symon]

Sorry you can't put a sud in the same bracket as the 145 and anything after, yes admittedly the floorpans rust on the later cars but at least the bodies were galvanized. Theres not a spot of rust on any body panel on my 145, you could have had the best sud and every panel was prone to dissapear on you

Obviously the rust protection and probably steel quality improved a lot from when the Sud was built, but cars from the Pom factory have still historically rusted more than cars from the Arese plant.


Hopefully the Cassino built cars will hold up well, (The signs look good so far)

 

[duemila]

Yes basically after the russian metal ran out thank god, I hope so on the cassino cars quite fancy a giulietta one day