Had fuel pipes rust protected

[Merlin5]

A few weeks ago I noticed the fuel pipes looking corroded.  I took it to a garage who said if I were to replace the pipes then the tank has to be replaced too as it comes as a package and it would be expensive,  like £600 to £700 for the job. But he said he can sandblast the pipes and paint protective stuff on which will stop any further corrosion for years.  So he did that today.  He put 3 coats of protector on. It was £150 cash for the job. This was before,  

and this is after,

 

Hopefully it'll last.

Then he said he thinks the previous owner might have lived near the sea because apparently the whole underside is covered in rust. But he said it's not worth worrying about as it's not that bad and should be fine for a couple of years.  I asked if he could put it on the ramp so I could take photos, but it was the end of the day and he had no free ramps. I asked him how much it would cost for him to fix it and he said it can't be done because all the parts would need to be taken off.

It can be done though can't it? I saw a video of an underside of a car having rust sanded away with a power tool and then protector sprayed on.  I don't know if it's worth doing anyway,  but I'd love to see the underneath. 

I might get a second opinion from another mechanic I'm seeing tomorrow who's going to re-gas my a/c.

[Perfection]

It's look like 3 coats of paint on top of the rust!

Did the person rub/sand the rust off before applying the pain to?

 

[Merlin5]

37 minutes ago, Perfection said:

It's look like 3 coats of paint on top of the rust!

Did the person rub/sand the rust off before applying the pain to?

 

That's what he told me. That he'd sandblasted it first.  I'm with you though,  I expected it to be smooth.  Maybe I got done. 😕

[Perfection]

To be honest you could have sand it down and use hammerite waxoly underside spray paint. I applied these to my previous RAV4 exhaust pipe and it lasted more than 18 years before the car was scrapped. I did the same with my current Toyota Verso. I paid my local garage for the ramp time and I cleaned / rub / sand visible rust and sprayed all the underside of the car. I had done it for 3 years now and I inspect it every year when it goes for MOT on the ramp and treat it again if there are any corrosion.

[furtula]

I'm with top comment, just looks painted over. Check the surrounding areas, still look the same on before and after pictures, there was no sandblasting there.

Looks like he just painted it from the bottom side, and the top side could still be untreated. 

Check the top side if you can, it does not look trated, like he just sprayed from the bottom side and done with it.

If yes, and there are still entry points for water on the top, the bottom which is painted will just keep the water in making it worse.

 

If it was me, i would just get a steel brush, knock off what i can, then apply some thick oil to it and drive down a nice dusty road.

[Notoyboy]

4 minutes ago, furtula said:

If it was me, i would just get a steel brush, knock off what i can, then apply some thick oil to it and drive down a nice dusty road.

i do the same as Furtula.  The only problem for me is that I use old engine oil which tends to be black, so makes marks on the drive if I don't apply it sparingly ☹️

[Perfection]

I think some MOT tester may fail the inspection on the pipe if it is left as rough like using paint or grease to disgise the corrosion.

[fordulike]

Last MOT threw up an advisory of left hand side of brake pipes slightly corroded. I jacked up the car for a peek myself, and there was definitely plenty of surface rust there, but not to the extent that I should get anything replaced. Apparently, the left hand side of a car rusts slightly faster than the right, due to the camber of the road and salty spray being more abundant on that side. Who knows 😏

Did a bit of research and bought some ACF-50. Bit expensive, but judging by the positive reviews, was willing to give it a try.

Applied the stuff to all visible corrosion, using a paint brush. Spraying it on would probably leave overspray on parts that I didn't want to get covered, brake discs for example.

Fast forward a week or so and I looked back under to see if it had done anything. Wow, and this is no exaggeration, all the rusty exposed parts were now free of rust.

Fast forward 4 months and all the treated parts are still looking good. Now gonna try to schedule using this stuff twice a year, to keep rust at bay.

[Merlin5]

I got a result guys. He's going to give my money back! I took my car to another mechanic down the road (who is currently re-gassing my aircon, he told me to come back at 11am) and told him how upset and angry I am about the undercoat job. He put it up on the ramp and we took a look underneath. First of all, two of those pipes are RUBBER! I squeezed them myself. They're just covered in mud and obviously not rust!

Yet he unnecessarily painted the rubber and didn't even rub off the mud first.  The two metal pipes that lead into the rubber pipes are not that bad and don't really need replacing. However, the mechanic doing my aircon said the metal pipes can be easily replaced without replacing the tank, they're £130 from toyota and with labour would cost me £265. Not £600 to £700 job with new tank as I was previously told. 

While the guy is doing my aircon, I took the opportunity to walk to the offending garage mechanic which is only a 5 minute walk. I didn't go in guns blazing but I didn't mince my words and gave him the information I'd just learned.

Told him he'd ripped me off for £150 for a job that was not only done wrong but was unnecessary. Told him he should have at least cleaned the surfaces instead of painting over mud clumped rubber. He reckoned he wire brushed the metal pipes and he tried to demonstrate to me how his spray can of black paint goes all clumpy, saying that's the way it's supposed to look.

I told him that he could have just replaced the two metal pipes,  or inspected it and told me nothing really needs doing. I told him he didn't sandblast it as he said he would.  He kept making excuses for everything I said,  it was his word against mine. The mechanic doing my aircon even told me that you shouldn't sandblast those pipes anyway.

So I'm taking the car back  at 3pm. He never got stroppy with me,  he  just kept trying to justify his terrible work. He said he'll clean off all the paint he  put on and refund me the money.  I probably helped get my money back because I said to him I don't want to have put a bad google review with before and after photos of how he painted over rust and mud.

Also, while it was up on the ramp, we had a good look at the rest of the underside and it's ok, not particularly rusty like I was told. 

[Merlin5]

By the way,  thank you for your replies chaps.  Special mention to Perfection who pointed out what the mechanic had done, or rather not done,  as I had just accepted it was meant to look that way,  although I did kind of think it should look a bit smoother. 

Here's some photos of underneath.  It's not too rusty really is it?

  

  

  

[Bernard Foy]

Well Lee, at least he owned up to his attempt to con you. But I would imagine your threats to expose him publicly led him to do so rather than his conscience. That’s one guy that you won’t be going back to again. Stick to the man who is doing the air conditioner 

[Merlin5]

2 hours ago, Bernard Foy said:

Well Lee, at least he owned up to his attempt to con you. But I would imagine your threats to expose him publicly led him to do so rather than his conscience. That’s one guy that you won’t be going back to again. Stick to the man who is doing the air conditioner 

 You're right Bernard, he was protecting his reputation rather than actually caring about the amateur job he did. Fortunately in these days of online reviews for companies, it makes it a bit easier as it arms customers like me with some ammunition if we're not satisfied.

I wouldn't say he owned up to anything,  he kept defending the work he'd done.  However,  I went back to the garage and there were lots of cars there so he didn't bother to  clean off the paint  and just refunded me the £150. He reckons the job he did will protect the pipes for years.  As a matter of courtesy,  I bought  him a bottle of wine for being good enough to give me the money back. 

[Perfection]

I am glad that the poster got his money back. The work carried out was not professional and it's like a cover up work. 

The underside doesn't look too bad for a 2007 car.

 

[furtula]

The underside looks more or less like like mine, since we got same age/engine. Nothing serious, mostly surface stuff, and mine newer spent more than 10 days near the sea, and only in summer.

 

[Merlin5]

Yeah,  I think it's fine.  He did however get me to feel the front suspension/shock springs as he was concerned that they're quite rusty. So might have to get those replaced or repaired. 

[Bernard Foy]

1 hour ago, Merlin5 said:

Yeah,  I think it's fine.  He did however get me to feel the front suspension/shock springs as he was concerned that they're quite rusty. So might have to get those replaced or repaired. 

I think he got away quite lightly, because if he did it to you then he will do it to some other unsuspecting car owner. I would still carry out my threat and expose him on social media networks. He has no comeback, because by returning your money was an admission of guilt. Oh and don’t heed a word he told you about your springs and shocks. The old adage applies here: if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

[ziauris]

Interesting, thanks for the pics as it is always great to see someone elses underside for comparison!!

From your pics -

is the red circled the oil filter?? I thought it was mounted vertically?? But yours looks horizontal if I am correct?? Is it a 1.6L Auris TR?

In the second pic it looks like the brake pipes (circled green) go under the fuel tank which is not good ☹️ as I may be getting new pipes and to drop the tank is always expensive!!! What is the pipe circled in red (fuel pipe or something else)?

 

Thanks

 

[eygo]

handbrake cable

[molposedra]

There are many ways to get rid of rust on pipes. Rust converters for car acidic are based on orthophosphoric acid. It copes with the reliable protection of any metal structures and tools. A complex composition works for this, effectively and promptly eliminates corrosion damage.  A protective layer of salts remains on the metal surface, distinguished as a separate plus. However, the pipes are not recoverable when the corrosion reaches a certain percentage. The easiest way is to order new ones on https://www.spartamech.co.uk/heat-pumps/, for example.