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THE ENGINE BAY IS UNPAINTED!
I noticed it almost right away but I haven't seen anyone else mention it. I understand that it was probably to save money but almost everything else is painted completely. Underneath door panels, under the center console, under the back seats, even under the dashboard is fully painted so why leave the engine bay unpainted?
The trunk under the carpet where the spare tire sits isn't fully painted either, but I've seen the same section unpainted in other cars.
Inexpensive car. It worries me about rust. And the whole ynderbody is not coated either pretty much.
Reviewers routinely remark on the unpainted engine bay. Lucky for new Mirage owners, the hood doesn't need to be raised frequently.
Nah, here on the ultra-mild Oregon Coast the difference between winter, spring & fall is well not much. Now that I think about it, it rarely gets above 70 degrees F here. 300 days of overcast, virtually no freezing temps. Other than checking the oil once in between changes not much reason to raise the hood.
All that is missing is the (thin) top color coat and (thin) clear coat. The 'unpainted' areas get the same primer and sealant that the rest of the body gets, and they really do most of the job anyway when it comes to metal protection.
I wouldn't worry about rust, as the portions of the car that don't have the top/clear coat aren't really subjected to direct exposure to water anyway. Mitsubishi apparently isn't worried about rust...that is why these cars come with a 7-year, 100,000 mile anti-perforation corrosion warranty.
Geo Metros are the same way, and rust in these non-colored areas really isn't a problem. It's the frame horns that rot out.
It's true. There is paint there, just not the matching color coat. And this isn't unusual among cars.
I think Cobrajet has a point, in that it is important that there is no exposed metal. So long as there is some coating, it will help stave off corrosion. A tougher topcoat helps avoid damage to that important base layer. Damage to that base layer exposes the metal to the elements and thus opens the door to corrosion. I don't think that is necessary for the engine compartment. The engine compartment of most cars is not typically exposed to the same chips as for example the hood.
I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult for someone who is really bothered by it to add it, but for what purpose - looks?
You lost me at 300 days of overcast. Oh no.Quote:
Originally Posted by inuvik
But when the sun finally does shine, it is oh so nice. One adjusts. There is very little snow and they don't salt the roads much, so our Thai sourced cars will go a lot of years without rusting.
A few words on steel and coatings, from someone who used to deal with both...
Our little Mitsubishi Mirages start out as various raw materials. One of those materials is a big, ~40,000 pound roll ("coil") of steel sheet. That sheet is rolled, broke, formed, punched, welded, and pressed until it becomes a unibody for a Mitsubishi Mirage. Once we have this perfectly formed, lovely, virginal Mirage Body, we're going to dip it in a saline/zinc solution, drop a zinc anode in there, and turn on the current. Once our body comes out of that process, it's galvanized. You could throw it outside at this point, and it wouldn't rust for decades, unless it got a good scratch or you showered it with salt water every day.
AFTER that rust-proofing process, there are various steps where the body is dipped in primers, corrosion inhibitors, and finally, it's painted. The paint, as CobraJet pointed out, is just a thin covering on the top. The important parts have already been done, before that car body knows what color it's going to be.
They may salt the roads once or twice a year...and it's followed by 40 straight days of rain to wash all that salt away in a hurry! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Ranny
This is a cool theory. Now come to the upper midwest and see tons of late model cars i.e. 5 or 6 years old even with rust popping out from under the paint. I wash my cars a lot so my Hyundai did not have any on the body at 8.5yrs but boy oh boy was it taking it's toll on the underbody.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tinker1980
Regarding the lack of paint under the hood... Just buy a silver Mirage and you'll probably never notice where it transitions from silver to grey primer. :D
Yeah...there are too many cars running around here with bad rockers, rust on the bottoms of doors, behind the rear wheel wells, etc...Quote:
Originally Posted by Pryme
Attachment 9478
...which is why I spent a few bucks to get a Krown treatment.
I noticed it as well. It doesn't bother me because the engine bay gets super dirty from driving anyways.
Did you miss the part about "Unless it's being showered in salt water every day"?Quote:
Originally Posted by Pryme
That's what is happening to cars in the upper midwest in the winter. Salt water corrodes everything, to include some types of stainless steel.
That's brutal! The only vehicles I've seen like that have either never been washed and mostly parked on grass or mud(farmers) or they spent a few years in Ontario without being under coated. We do have one mirage that is starting to bubble behind the paint on the bottom inside lip of the drivers door. I'll try to post a pic when it comes in the shop next.Quote:
Originally Posted by Top_Fuel