[dondez]

I decided to buy Ford PUMA (made in 1999 year, engine 1,7)

I'm glad that I will join puma lover... :rock:

But I have one problem. I would like to know from what kind of material the puma's body is made. Does it have galvanized body or may be it is covered with some kind of zinc in order to avoid corrosion problems:?:

[Turby]

Different body panels are made from different materials.

Some panels are galvanised on one side, others on both sides and the rest not at all.

[dondez]

But I meen the body shell? does it have corrosion protection???

[Turby]

Impossible to answer as the body sheel is made up of different panels either welded, folded or glued together...

[Gryphon]

I think the question is rather - how rusty does the Puma get? Not yet had any troubles myself, anyone else?

[dondez]

YES, exactly, I had in my mind rusty...

thank you for your answer....

(sory for my poor english)

[LeeroyBrown]

I have got spots appearing on my rear wheel arches. They have got worse and I think it.s due to the spray surpressant mat that lines he wheels arches. I'm gonna have the wheel arches cut out and rewelded to get rid of the problem as rub and spray means it'll return in about a fortnight?? Anyone else had this problem?

[alanbrenen]

iv got this problem also, on my 97 puma, both rear wheel arches have bubbles, getting quite bad now, one one side its at least four inches long, getting it sorted soon, bout a hundred quid a side iv been told

[mountainkat]

have problems with rust at the bottom of the door sills on both sides - common problem apparently due to stone chips.

seems that the most common places for rust are the rear wheel arches, as already mentioned, the sills where mine has gone & also I believe some have had problems around the side mirrors where they have been overtightened & caused the paint to crack

sure people can probably add one or two more areas.

don't think the Kat is that much worse than a lot of cars though & wouldn't worry too much, all these are relatively cheap to fix if caught early enough, oh & one thing to note - forget the Ford corrosion warranty, its next to worthless !!

[jackie]

iv got this problem also, on my 97 puma, both rear wheel arches have bubbles, getting quite bad now, one one side its at least four inches long, getting it sorted soon, bout a hundred quid a side iv
e  been told

got this problem too on my 97 puma. bought it in may 2004, looked really straight, but these little bubbles appeared soon after. when i rubbed them down to assess the damage i found rust under body filler! Have now dug out all the filler & rust & repaired one side, but i think the problem arises due to a gap in the seam between the inner & outer skins at the point where the wing meets the bumper. If you remove the inner arch liner & put your pinkie around the corner, you can feel a gap between the panels. I've derusted it all & have sealed the gap to stop the water getting between the panels again. Hope that will cure it!
Jackie

[queenie]

I have a small bubble of rust on the bottom of the passenger side door....not bothering me at the moment will keep an eye on it!......1.7 2000 std

[Del 66]

No rust now, had a few tiny spots around the wheel arch and the bonnet hinges, but now sorted.

[TimRadRed]

My 98 R has bubbling over both rear wheel arches too. It's getting very noticable so will have a go at repairing in the spring. Seems like over the last year or so I've had to replace a lot of stuff on the car but I guess that's common for this sort of age now. - Exhaust, Clutch, master Cylinder, front lower suspension arms, Timing belt etc etc. Front dampers need replacing imminently too - damn potholes and humps! Still loving it though after 4 years of ownership.

Tim Rad Red

[hpboy]

Our puma,s seem ok but our Focus (51 plate) is showing signs of rust around the wing mirror,s ?... only done 22K...

[BOK]

From what I've seen, typical rust areas (usually surface rust):

1. Around the base of the door mirror assembly, where the plastic trim has been rubbing on the paintwork at the base of the front windows.

2. Leading edge of bonnet, due to stone chipping.

3. Lower (underside) lip of door skin especially trailing edge, this may have contacted the ground in the past and will rust untreated.

4. Seams all around the front slam panel (the one that runs between the headlights under the bonnet)- usually surface rust.

5. Rounded corners around the rear of the front door openings- start off with heavy pitting and will rust if left untreated. This is caused by bad door alignment, they need to be very slightly proud of the rear wing when shut to deflect stones away from this area.

6. In the seams around the rear underside of the boot area, this area is usually hidden by the spare wheel. Commonly seen a lot of surface rusting around the welded seams.

7. On FRPs, around the join on the sill where the rear wings meet the sills, surface rust usually on the underside where the paint has chipped away.

8. Rust on the central drainage hole on the underside of the front doors, the protruding hole can rub on aftermarket stainless door sills leaving a tell-tale scratch on the sill cover. The paint will have rubbed off on the drain hole and will rust if not treated.

9. Leading edge of front doors- have seen this a few times, probably due to stone chipping cuased by poor door alignment.

10. Rust within the weatherstrips on the front doors. This is the rubber than runs along the outside, at the base of the window. They 'swell up' internally and look horrible and lumpy. i have also seen rusting within the metal sealing strip of the boot seal- this can swell up and cause the rubber seal to split exposing the metal which will rub onto the body shell causing rust under the seal if left unchecked.

Pumas will have had rustproofing but I have seen a surprising amount of rust on some examples... :shock:

[happy-kat]

11. (FRP) where the front wing touches the A pillar

12. (all) where the door hinges mount to the A pillar

13. (all) on the door opening weather strip on the internal metal strip where it meets in the middle of the door sill

[BOK]

11. (FRP) where the front wing touches the A pillar

12. (all) where the door hinges mount to the A pillar

13. (all) on the door opening weather strip on the internal metal strip where it meets in the middle of the door sill

The door hinge one seems most common on '97-early '99 Pumas as they changed the hinge design on the later ones (wonder why).

We make it sound like a rust bucket!

It isn't but this is a 'collective' gathering of typical rust spots- worthwhile info gained from years of probing 8)

[happy-kat]

12. (all) where the door hinges mount to the A pillar

The door hinge one seems most common on '97-early '99 Pumas as they changed the hinge design on the later ones (wonder why).

except that I have had it on my FRP which is a May 2000 build (now fully treated)