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[omega3000]

All 3 omegas i had rusted from inside out and all on the doors every time  vectra's were the same all rust on the doors ... never had any problems with doors on the carlton , just the rest of it fell apart around it 

[dbug]

All 3 omegas i had rusted from inside out and all on the doors every time  vectra's were the same all rust on the doors ... never had any problems with doors on the carlton , just the rest of it fell apart around it 

Bet Carlton doors won't fit Omegas 

[waspy]

I think the humidity is a factor too. If the air is very moist, it's gona get into every were. It's pretty much always humid in Britain 

[Nick W]

I think the humidity is a factor too. If the air is very moist, it's gona get into every were. It's pretty much always humid in Britain 

I saw this when I visited my uncle in Texas. Where he lived in Austin, which is hot but dry, even old cars weren't rusty, but suffered from faded paint and cracked plastics.
When we went 200 miles towards the coast in Houston, we didn't see old cars, and even recent ones were rusting badly. The reason being that Houston is very humid.

[Sir Tigger KC]

I remember rocking up in Australia a few years ago and being amazed at all the old cars going around in reasonably good nick! 

[feeutfo]

Is it not a direct coralation with amount of rainfall? Local variations with the sea and big citys aside.

[Olympia5776]

Road salt , that and that alone.
Down here in the depths of SW Ireland due to the Gulf Stream running along the coast winters were historically very mild .That changed two years ago but even then there was and still is  NO network for spreading salt on the roads and grit, as in stone grit, is used instead , indeed many locals have never seen actual road salt.
There is an abundance of Co. Kerry registered cars from the early 90's running around with little or no rust on them apart from being inflicted by a myriad of bumps and scrapes from the " unique " local driving attitude and ability.
I've never heard of a car being "put down " due to welding being required except if it was a UK import.
Vans are a classic example . Most vans on the road from the early noughties were UK imports due them being so comparitivly cheap and only requiring a 50 euro registration fee. Nearly every Transit and Vivaro brought over is riddled with rust whereas there are some locally purchased vans , some going back to the late eighties , which are in remarkable condition even though they were no better cared for than the UK sourced ones.
When I think back to the UK the copious amounts of salt that was put down each winter which was then turned into a strong saline solution that was in turn sprayed all over a car running down into the door cavities etc. and up ito all the corners underneath it's inevitable that cars will rust so badly. 

[cem_devecioglu]

salt not necessary .. chemical reaction between water and iron is more than enough in case water can find its way to contact .. I have seen numerous villages which is never salted but cars rusted ..

[Nick W]

Road salt does not explain much of the rust on cars. This is obvious to anyone who has welded up old cars as they rust in places where road salt contamination is unlikely, eg  panel joins on the inside of roofskins or windscreen corners. As I previously mentioned, places slike south Texas, Florida etc don't use road salt, but high temperatures and humidity cause terminal rust problems from the inside out.

It's down to poor design and non existant rust proofing.

Poor design includes: inadequately sealed or drained box sections - doors count here; poor placement of soundproofing materials - foam filled areas are a real culprit; stupid placement of drain tubes - Ford used to empty sunroof drain tubes into the sills; over reliance on mastic to seal multiple panel joints; flimsy structures exacerbate any other problems - BMC were masters at this; poor quality materials - steel, rubber and paint. I've done repairs for all of these problems, sometimes on the same car. Nor can you point the finger at just one manufacturer, they all did it.

Rust proofing is better these days, due to a better appreciation of it's value. This led to modern electrically applied coatings, and dipping bodyshells, but  has not eliminated the problem. Audi are still repairing roofs on 10 year old cars that are rusty due to a poor manufacturing process which damaged the galvanising on panel edges.

[Olympia5776]

Whilst I applaud  your willingness to ignore the effects of salt and saline solutions on metal I cannot agree with you.
I have had the dubious pleasure whilst restoring several cars for myself and friends of having to replace and repair many panels using my trusted SiP 150 amp Mig.
If we focus on the thread subject " UK and rusty cars " I'm not convinced that we'd see little or no difference in the ravages of rust on UK cars if salt spreading was ceased.
With all respect to yourself and Cem there are no prevailing climatic conditions in the UK that would replicate the conditions that exist in Texas or Turkey.
Doors and sills are designed to be open to atmosphere  to allow for the draining off of water and contained air borne or induced moisture , what allows water out also allows water in. Next time you drive through a saline puddle just think where it can get forced in to.......slowly but steadily.
Cars aren't designed to last forever so there is a limit to the willingness and also the cost to which manufacturers will go to to protect them. When Audi designed and manufactured that model I assure you that they will have known that the manufacturing process will have compromised the galvanised coating and hence exposed them to future warranty claims but after 10 years the overall cost will be a drop in the ocean to the profits made in the initial sale , and honestly what member of the buying public would be put off purchasing a new Audi because one of their models roof showed signs of rust after 10 years. Look at Vauxhalls " warranty for life " what % of the cars bought will actually qualify and after 10 years how many  initial owners will actually be claiming ? It's a marketing ploy just like Audi's galvanised initial peace of mind selling point.
And although I wholeheartedly agree that BMC cars were prone to rusting BMC as a company ceased in 1966 which really excludes it from modern comparisons.
My Omega is 13 years old and so far free from any signs of rust or corrosion. My first car was a MK 1 Cortina which was perforated in several places after 7 years. I think that says a great deal for the advancements in design and manufacture .
Lastly , I bring your attention to what I mentioned on my previous post about cars in SW salt free Ireland . I can guarantee you that we are subjected to significantly more rainfall than any of you in the UK and yet ...........

[cem_devecioglu]

Whilst I applaud  your willingness to ignore the effects of salt and saline solutions on metal I cannot agree with you.
I have had the dubious pleasure whilst restoring several cars for myself and friends of having to replace and repair many panels using my trusted SiP 150 amp Mig.
If we focus on the thread subject " UK and rusty cars " I'm not convinced that we'd see little or no difference in the ravages of rust on UK cars if salt spreading was ceased.
With all respect to yourself and Cem there are no prevailing climatic conditions in the UK that would replicate the conditions that exist in Texas or Turkey.
Doors and sills are designed to be open to atmosphere  to allow for the draining off of water and contained air borne or induced moisture , what allows water out also allows water in. Next time you drive through a saline puddle just think where it can get forced in to.......slowly but steadily.
Cars aren't designed to last forever so there is a limit to the willingness and also the cost to which manufacturers will go to to protect them. When Audi designed and manufactured that model I assure you that they will have known that the manufacturing process will have compromised the galvanised coating and hence exposed them to future warranty claims but after 10 years the overall cost will be a drop in the ocean to the profits made in the initial sale , and honestly what member of the buying public would be put off purchasing a new Audi because one of their models roof showed signs of rust after 10 years. Look at Vauxhalls " warranty for life " what % of the cars bought will actually qualify and after 10 years how many  initial owners will actually be claiming ? It's a marketing ploy just like Audi's galvanised initial peace of mind selling point.
And although I wholeheartedly agree that BMC cars were prone to rusting BMC as a company ceased in 1966 which really excludes it from modern comparisons.
My Omega is 13 years old and so far free from any signs of rust or corrosion. My first car was a MK 1 Cortina which was perforated in several places after 7 years. I think that says a great deal for the advancements in design and manufacture .
Lastly , I bring your attention to what I mentioned on my previous post about cars in SW salt free Ireland . I can guarantee you that we are subjected to significantly more rainfall than any of you in the UK and yet ...........

Oylmpia we dont ignore saline solutions , obviously its an important factor but we say, even without salt ,cars can rust