T5 Condemned!
 

So after doing a lot of work to get this T5 running reliably and starting to enjoy it properly, I contacted a chap who restores older cars over here to see if he could look at some rust spots underneath and give a quote....... You know where this is going....
With just a little ‘work’ he found three holes in the floor pan and signs of deep rust on the main ‘fore to aft beams’.
Ive never seen a p80 with rust like this one has .
He said , rust like this always hides the worst and the only ‘proper’ way to fix would be to sand blast it back and start from there.... Work that would be way way over the value of the car, given it’s on French plates in France and Right Hand Drive. In fact probably would be over the cars value if it was still in UK. Also not something I am able to do DIY......
So it’ll be on it’s way, I think after the next Contrôle Technique in August which it’s bound to fail....
I think it’ll be going for ‘spares or repair’ after the CT.
https://i.ibb.co/5BcNMMp/image.jpg

Oh dear, what a shame, that must be heartbreaking! Yours is identical to mine, including the colour and even the wheels, so it's a shame you're not in the UK or I'd be asking to raid it for parts. It looks so smart and tidy too! As you say, very unusual for these to have terminal rust, I hope mine doesn't go the same way, my intention is to keep it going as long as I can, however like you, a large amount of rust would be the point at which I gave up - or unavailability of petrol!

All the best - Cheers!

Oh no! Really sorry to hear that. Hope you can get something sorted.
Matt

Thanks.

@Luxo it’s got loads of good stuff that you’d snap up in a jiffy....

@Matt, once it’s failed, which I’m sure it will this time I have 2 months to repair and retest or sell .
Repair is out of the question money wise, so I’ll probably stick it up on the French Volvo forum, it’s a desirable model that wasn’t available new here so hopefully someone will want it to ‘butcher’ for the good stuff. Only got around 135k miles too.

That's a real shame

Pity it's not over here as I would've taken the whiole thing for the engine etc

Matches my 940 as well:teeth_smile:

Given that these cars are not normally known for their propensity to rust, Paul, might it not be prudent to seek a second opinion in this instance? Not intending to sleight the person concerned, but do you trust, implicitly, theirs?

Regards, John.

Could do with either pictures or more accurate locations of the rust. Is it these bits on the fore-aft beams? https://www.partsforvolvosonline.com...oducts_id=9067

If so then they are obviously replaceable.

Don't get me started on rust, I have an mx5... for me it's an expected expense on that but it seems to me that people generally get overly concerned with it.
At the end of the day it's only metal, if it's surface rust then rub it down and prime/paint it and if it's bad then you can replace sections or cut it out and weld new parts in. My rear exhaust hanger was picked up on an MOT as rusty, I took it off and it was only surface rust so I rubbed it down, repainted it and refitted it = job done. Of course economics comes into it, especially if you are paying someone else to do it, but rust is no different from any other fault in that respect.

I would agree with those posts above and suggest you get a second opinion.

Did you get under the car with the "restorer" and see exactly what the problems are? From his point of view it might be either terminal or yes I can do the job properly but it'll cost you. In the UK It might get through an MOT with only a bit of welding. By August you might have been able to get over here in it for a second opinion from an MOT garage, perhaps near Dover.

I run mine as a daily as well and rust is the biggest fear going forward. It always makes me chuckle when people say 'these never rust, blah, blah', but everything will given an appropriate amount of time.

We've just had a fairly salty Winter and I always empty at least one can of WD40 a week on the high impact, underside areas of mine, when I can't use the jet wash due to being frozen/broken. In the Summer it'll get a fresh waxoyling.

Thanks all. I fear the worst. When I bought it over , it had MOT valid of course. But I had to get it French registered so it needed a Controle Technique as part of the process. This was in 2017. It passed but the rust was ‘noted’ as advisory. The tester took me under and said it’s not that serious yet, but said it needed sorting.My bad that I didn’t look into it back then.
It was listed as front left and right rear left and right and on those main ‘beams’.
Move onto 2019 test it was noted again, but passed after having a steering gaitor, two tyres , and new front callipers and track rod ends.....
The garage mechanic had a bit of a time removing the callipers as every thing was seized. He called me into the garage three times during the work to show me and just kept saying, “rouille rouille rouille” ( rust rust rust). That said he did the work and it got it’s ticket for another 2 years.
Not too long back I got my English mobile mechanic over to replace a top mount on it for me.
When he looked he advised me not to drive it as the spring cups on the struts were wafer thin.
I got new struts and he fitted those for me. He did mention that the tin worm was getting ‘about’.
This guy today was French, he restores 60’s and 70’s classics. He took about an hour inspecting it today poking and prodding. He took photos of the worst areas to show me. One hole is almost big enough to get a hand in....
It is odd for these beasts I know, but there it is.
I bought it off cars and classics as a ‘blind buy’ and arranged for it to be collected from Doncaster. My bro did the deed for me.. and later I collected it from Derby and bought it over here.
Got lots of history, but it had 10 owners before me so probably not well looked after.......during its life....
A lesson learned I guess.....