I have some corrosion to the rear of the wheel on the near side front wing on my 2007 XKR (new style). I also have some recently corrosion along the bottom of the drivers door. The front wing corrosion started a couple of years ago and is slowly spreading and recently I had some quotes for repairing it. Two of the quotes require a new wing, with the other suggesting he code rub it down.

The two guys saying a new wing was required suggested there was no way the wing could be saved any any attempt to rub it down and spay it would simply result in the corrosion returning. However, all three guys said the corrosion on the bottom of the drivers door could be rubbed down and resprayed.

I confess, I'm a little confused about how it's possible to rub down one area of the car, but not the other.

A new wing will cost around £530 + VAT. I've tried tracking one down from breakers around the UK but had not response.

Can anyone suggest a source for a second hand wing or a better price for a new wing?

I thought aluminium didn't corrode! This is the first car I've owned that has needed work doing due to corrosion, so rather disappointed, although I have owned the car from new, so it's now 11 years old.

Thanks.

 

I had some corrosion on my current XK where moisture worked its way under the paint and created what appeared to be small blisters. A high end shop had to sand it down to the bare metal and recoat it before two stage paint/clear application. In my case it was rather difficult since some disassembly was required in order to completly expose the damaged area. The technician indicated it was good it was checked early on since aluminum corrosion can migrate extensively over time.

I am at a loss to understand how any painted part can not be repaired. I would seek a quote from another repair shop before proceeding further. (I talked to two shops before I found the third one that I was confident knew how to fix the problem as well as resonably priced.)

 

This is one of those threads were pictures are a must, especially if you want more accurate advise.

Happy Friday,

Dave

 

Coated or multi layered aluminum corrodes due to the lack of oxygen next to the base metal. It turns into white death. Bare single layer aluminum doesn't so much because oxygen contact oxidizes the metal keeping a protective layer of oxide between corrosion and the base metal.

Corrosive moisture getting between the paint and the base metal will start to corrode. Someone used Bondo on the my rear quarter and Bondo absorbs moisture so it 'rusted' out causing lumps between the filler and base metal. **** poor repair.

Per your panels, depending on where the corrosion has started is what depends on the surgery needed to remedy it.

 

I've taken the car to three different people. Two told me the wing would need to be replaced and the other said he could rub it down and respray but in time the corrosion would probably come back. All said there shouldn't be a problem rubbing down the corrosion on the drivers door.

I accept the wing is much worse, but I'm not sure why some corrosion can be rubbed down and some can't! One of the guys explained that if they tried to rub down the corrosion on the wing it is likely there would just be holes left! Is aluminium body work really that bad that it can't be repaired?

Photos:

Nearside front wing




Drivers door

 

That corrosion looks alot like what was on mine. The fender corrosion does look fairly extensive but not so much as to require a new panel. Ask a JLR service manager in your area who they suggest or use for body repair, then get that shop's opinion. It sounds like your local shops are not really that familiar with aluminum work.

 

 

I'm no expert but both conditions can be fixed but would take someone who is familiar with aluminum body cars. The wing is a little more difficult and would most likely require the bad area to be cut out and a patch panel welded back in. I believe that would be the correct way to do this. As for the door you can grind it out and patch it with body filler but as ranch has said it will most likely come back in a few years. Find a pro who does aluminum body work. A lot of the newer cars now have aluminum body panels so there should be shops who know how to work these types of repairs.

 

Look, are you planning on getting it fixed? If so toughen up a little and dig into it. You are getting quotes from assumptions and we all know what happens when folks ***-u-me. Get the top coat off so the repair guy has an idea of the extent of the actual damage. He's more worried about depth into the base metal versus surface area to repair.

Take a wire wheel in a drill motor or grinder and buzz the paint off at the damaged area. Or use a flat bladed screwdriver to do the same thing in a more primitive manner. The paint will flake right off once you get under it. Under the nice factory paint will be white death, a wet baking soda like substance that is the result of aluminum corroding. Now scrub that away with freshwater and a small stainless steel brush and you'll see the extent of the damage. Once all of the corrosion is gone take it for some quotes.

Short term repair is leave it alone since bare aluminum creates its own protective oxide layer. Other option is to hit it with some lacquer topcoat match.

Mine suffered a brush against a guard rail some time in the past and received a shoddy repair. This is how it looked when I bought it.


This is once the 1/4"+ of Bondo was ground out. Still dented, has some pin holes from corrosion and holes from pulling the original dent out. Sadly the fuel filler tube covers the inside access so I'm not sure how I'm going to effect this repair.


With the paint wet you can see the contours. Not how it left the factory but at least now the corrosion has been stopped.

 

So, I took my car to a local body shop who fitted a new nearside front wing and "fixed" the corrosion at the bottom of the drivers door. They sprayed the new wing (obviously) and blended this into the door then clear coated the door. They also resprayed the corroded area of the drivers door and blended the paint in, then clear coated the whole drivers door. The paint colour seems to be a good match, however, the clear coating is poor and gives an "orange peel" effect. There are also runs of the clear coat under the door handles and bits that have been trapped under the clear coat giving it a rough feel. I took the car back and he was happy to rub down the clear coat, which has improved things a little, but obviously the guy is not a perfectionist and what he considers to be a good finish is not the same as mine.

There is still an orange peel effect on both doors, but I'm not taking it back to the guy as he's had his chance to fix it.

Am I being too much of a perfectionist. Is this as good as a respray job gets? I will (attempt) to attach some photos although it is quite difficult to see. The giveaway is looking at the reflection of lines in the rear wing and as they run into the door panel, they become jagged. From a distance it looks okay, but from certain angles, when closer, it is so obvious it has been worked on.



Top of drivers door panel meets the front wing.


Compare the lines in the rear panel (untouched) and the drivers door (sprayed at the bottom and clear coated)


Another view of the drivers door

 

Orange peel should have been taken out before the CC was put on. I would not accept it either. The repairs seem to look good but the paint work needs to be redone. Looks like the CC needs to be removed and the base coat sanded again before repainting. Find a shop who does high end car repair and have them redo the area.

 

The base coat seldom orange peels since it's so thin. I'd leave that clear coat cure for a couple weeks and get someone to wet sand and buff it out. Not a horrible thing to deal with. Also with the amount of visible corrosion you can be sure you have more hidden. Just the nature of the beast that your car is going back to nature sooner than it should be. I wouldn't fret the repair work as you'll be doing more in a couple years.

 

I thought there was a 10 year corrosion warranty on Jags?

 

Even if the warranty is 10 years, my XKR is now 11.5 years old :-) The corrosion has also occurred low down, behind the front wheel and at the bottom of the drivers door, so I'm pretty sure they would blame stone chips allowing moisture under the paint and so it wouldn't be covered under warranty anyway. It is disappointing that aluminium appears to corrode so easily. Just sold my wife's 14 year old X5. Not a sign of rust on it, in fact the body work was probably the best part of the car along with the solid engine. The electrics on the other hand!!!!

Ranchero50, I was considering trying to do some rubbing down myself. It's not something I've ever done before, but have two work colleagues who are trying to persuade me its easy to do! It just feels a little risky having never done it before - I may end up rubbing too much off and ruining the paintwork.

 

Agree with Ranch also, but I'd wait at least 30 days to make sure it is fully cured since you don't know for sure what type CC is on it. Find someone who does custom car body work & they'll either be able to do the wet sand or point you to someone who does. Be sure to check for examples of their work though.

 

Am I wrong that no self-respecting, reputable body shop would ever let orangepeeling like that out of their shop?

 

This ^^. Looks like they used a rattle can. Orange peeling is the result of clear being sprayed improperly (air pressure, nozzle size, clear mixed improperly, etc). All things a body shop should have nailed down. that said, it is repairable by wet sanding and polishing.

I just had a door ding repaired (chipped the paint and dented the door... sick just thinking about it). I also had a scratch with a poor touch up job on the lower rear quarter repaired while it was in there. They had to re-clear the entire door and quarter panel to blend. Not a single stitch of orange peel is present.

So you can leave it and live with it or you can have it smoothed out. It looks like there is enough clear on there to wet sand it smooth so it should be an easy job.

 

It's not horrible to do. Water in a spray bottle, bunch of 400, 600, 800 and 1200 grip paper and time. If you sand until color comes out, it'll just need cleared again. Light consistent pressure and let the paper do the work.

 

yea and if you're worried, start with 600 or 1000 first to get the feel of it. Then go to back to 400 if you're not making any progress (which will probably be the case since that's some serious orange peel. Watch the edges of the panel too. Also, I would end with 2000 or even 2500. It makes it easier to buff out with the DA polisher.

There are TONS of videos on youtube on this. Spend an hour or 2 browsing if you're so inclined.

 

I had a small area of corrosion fixed on mine recently. The body shop has a lot of experience in alloy repairs and mentioned using acid to completely clear the area of oxide. Oh, and the repair is 100% indistinguishable from the original finish - the work you've received is definitely sub-standard.