To buy or not to buy - is the chassis overpainted ?

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Kosmi

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Hi,

Found a potential candidate for our upcoming US roadtrip.
It’s a TDI 300 from 99 with 200k miles.

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Car looks great, but almost too great.
In particular the chassis looks too good.
The chassis seems super clean but the black paint might indicate the the rust has just been overpainted.
Seller said that this is normal and that he was just using regular rust protection…

Any thoughts ?
 

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It looks to have had a bit off work, as not everything is covered in black. Axles why 🤔
But check this.

It’s looks like it has had a new rear crossmember.

The only real way to tell is go see it and “tap” it.
Don’t know what the going price is these days.
Engine looks “pretty” don’t know anything about the 300 at 200k so can’t comment on possible issues.

Oh and Welcome:).

J
 
It does look like one of the chassis anti rust protection spray's has been applied, something like Dinitrol perhaps. Toffy hammer tapping chassis the best check, listening for the different sounds there are when rust is present. Need someone who knows this really.
At least it is not plastered in underseal.
 
5515, I'd want to hammer that bulge, looks like a blister forming.

5511 Bottom of rail is not a 'fair' curve (slight peak). If the weld is central along the bottom face of the rail it's original, if the bottom is smooth and welded on the edges it's a repair. The light makes it hard to decide which.

5506 New part chassis, not the best welding I've seen.

Treatment looks fresh, as it does on a car I'm selling. I'm not hiding anything, just keeping it from rusting as I have for the six years I've had it. He could be telling the truth. Thing is, the one I'm selling doesn't get used in the wet. Most fresh treatment on a car for sale is to hide stuff. Tricky.

Do the tap test, with an LR person there.
 
That is almost certainly black chassis wax applied with a compressor, actually looks like a neat job.
You need to have a tap along the lower edge of the chassis between the axles, as said it has had a rear x member at some point as you can see the join under the arb mounting bracket, again you need to have a tap/poke around as it might be on its way again.
 
Lots of gloss-over there to be wary of, a lie down underneath with a headtorch and toffee hammer may satisfy any concerns.
 
It's on FB it will be a scam, look at the rust on the bulkhead foot.
Also the "underseal" is all over the propshaft showing little care in application.
I reckon it's a turd, could be wrong though.
 
Prep looks ****. And they were trigger happy with the gun, but that doesn't mean a whole lot, they rust from the inside out anyway.
If in doubt, move on. Plenty of others to choose from.
 
Thanks everyone for all the replies.
I will keep on searching…too many ifs with this one.
Let me know if there are any good Landies around London and the southeast.

By the way - regarding ULEZ in London - did anyone have anyone has experience ?
Is it correct that they only charge when I will drive the car ?
Does anyone know how strict the controls are ?
 
I heard of a story where a guy received a demand for £3000.
His motorhome is American and 11 ton, so classed as a commercial. He drove in to see friends, parked up for x3 days, then drove back out.

£2000 bill appeared soon after with it rising to £3000 after 14 days.

Save the planet my ar5e.
 
Thanks - why does your son need to pay LEZ? What engine does he drive ?

I always thought 300 TDi and TD5 only pay ULEZ.
 
Found a TD5 below - what is your take on the chassis here?
Want to develop an understanding of what is good chassis.
 

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A good chassis is one with no rust, fat chance of finding that, or a galv chassis.
The mechanical parts look they have been sat in the sea, so the chassis also I imagine.
Ideally you want to find one in original paint which has been wax injected on a regular basis.
 
Anaconda said:
A good chassis is one with no rust, fat chance of finding that, or a galv chassis.
The mechanical parts look they have been sat in the sea, so the chassis also I imagine.
Ideally you want to find one in original paint which has been wax injected on a regular basis.
Click to expand...
Thanks - do u have some pictures of a good “chassis” I could relate to ?
Don’t want to waste driving to a car with a rotten chassis.
 
Kosmi said:
Found a TD5 below - what is your take on the chassis here?
Want to develop an understanding of what is good chassis.
Click to expand...
That doesn't look too bad to me, although I can see some flaking and would want to go every inch with a hammer. Got any LR owning friends who could go with you? Or, where is it? One of us might be local.
 
Unfortunately you are bound to end up wasting your time to a certain extent. You also need to familiarise yourself with the parts which get rotten first, anything from the rear axle backwards, front dumb irons, out riggers etc. Also if you can't do any remidial work yourself you need to take that into account.light surface rust you can prep and treat yourself and keep on top of every year. You really need to go an look at some to poke about and compare., photos give you a broad idea but nothing else.
 
Kosmi said:
Found a TD5 below - what is your take on the chassis here?
Want to develop an understanding of what is good chassis.
Click to expand...

The chassis is a box section made from 3mm steel section welded together.
The chassis will rust from the inside out.
Unless:

It was treated from an early age (by treated I mean sprayed with some form of wax/oil /anti rust coating).
Not driven on wet/salty roads.

The chances of that happening is rare.
A 25 year old vehicle will have a rusty/rotten (in parts) chassis.
A 15 year old will be better but not entirely rust/rot free.
Many (over that age) will have been heavily repaired/new sections fitted or fully replaced with a galvanised chassis.
Other steel parts of the car will also be rusty or (more likely) rotten, the bulkhead, the A pillars, the bottoms of the doors etc
There are also areas of 'steel against alluminium' that cause a bi-metallic reaction, the front seatbelt anchors anchors for example or some panel stays under the car.

You need to have owned or worked on/repaired one or two to understand the extent of the rot.

If you can do the work yourself then it will cost you a lot less than if you need to use the services of a garage/mechanic.
By a lot less, I mean that the overall cost will be bordering on unnaceptable possibly reaching the 'this is madness' stage.
The earlier cars (up to 300tdi for example) will need much more work than a later TD5 but these newer cars have all sorts of electrical and engine issues that the older cars didn't have.

If you want a car that you can buy, jump into, start it and drive around with little to no work over the next 5 years or so then possibly, unless its a fully refurbished from a reputable supplier, you shouldn't be looking at old(ish) Defenders
 
miktdish said:
The chassis is a box section made from 3mm steel section welded together.
The chassis will rust from the inside out.
Unless:

It was treated from an early age (by treated I mean sprayed with some form of wax/oil /anti rust coating).
Not driven on wet/salty roads.

The chances of that happening is rare.
A 25 year old vehicle will have a rusty/rotten (in parts) chassis.
A 15 year old will be better but not entirely rust/rot free.
Many (over that age) will have been heavily repaired/new sections fitted or fully replaced with a galvanised chassis.
Other steel parts of the car will also be rusty or (more likely) rotten, the bulkhead, the A pillars, the bottoms of the doors etc
There are also areas of 'steel against alluminium' that cause a bi-metallic reaction, the front seatbelt anchors anchors for example or some panel stays under the car.

You need to have owned or worked on/repaired one or two to understand the extent of the rot.

If you can do the work yourself then it will cost you a lot less than if you need to use the services of a garage/mechanic.
By a lot less, I mean that the overall cost will be bordering on unnaceptable possibly reaching the 'this is madness' stage.
The earlier cars (up to 300tdi for example) will need much more work than a later TD5 but these newer cars have all sorts of electrical and engine issues that the older cars didn't have.

If you want a car that you can buy, jump into, start it and drive around with little to no work over the next 5 years or so then possibly, unless its a fully refurbished from a reputable supplier, you shouldn't be looking at old(ish) Defenders
Click to expand...

We drove over 1k miles in 5-6days in an old TD5 last year during our southwest England summer vacation and we completely fell for the car. We loved the smell, the sound and the pure simplicity of this vehicle.

But lets face it. I am not a mechanic and never really repaired a car besides changing some tires. Not really a handyman either.
However, I would love to learn this skill & looking for a hobby like this. In the end its a super valuable skill to have - so I reckon its worth the effort.

Unfortunately there are so many lemonades in the market I came across during my research.
I really dont want to pick a car where the chasis might fell off...
 
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