Dacia Duster Essential Mk2 - Rusty parts newly bought Duster (incl. Exhaust) - peanutstew

Hi

(Sorry to be back so soon with another question on the forum)

I've just bought a 2022 Duster with 18k miles, from a Renault/Dacia dealership. For various reasons, I stupidly didn't have a good look underneath until I got home. Now that I have, I can see that the exhaust is quite rusty. There's also some rust on one of the parts where the back wheel connect (sorry, don't know the name).

Now, I do have a tendency to over think and over worry, but don't know if that's the case here or not. Would anyone mind taking a look at the photos and letting me know whether it looks ok or whether I should be going back to the dealer to say I'm not happy...?

Many thanks

Link to photos:

drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qa8gHBgltBOCuwBU4X...g

Edited by peanutstew on 22/03/2025 at 19:44

Dacia Duster Essential Mk2 - Rusty parts newly bought Duster (incl. Exhaust) - Big John

Exhausts get very hot and will rust from day one if made from mild steel. Saying that Mrs BJ's 2006 Panda has had a very rusty looking exhaust for years and years - it's still on the original though.

The suspension rust is just surface and normal. Many cars have galvanised bodies but suspension components are not and will rust - but last for decades as very thick. Myself I protect suspension components with Owatrol oil that is a great rust inhibitor and sets to a clear varnish like finish. It's held rusty FIat components very well indeed for many years / decades. PS don't treat the exhaust - too hot.

Basically - all normal.

Dacia Duster Essential Mk2 - Rusty parts newly bought Duster (incl. Exhaust) - Andrew-T

Most 'ordinary' cars come new with mild steel exhausts. If they are driven mostly for short(ish) journeys their insides will not warm up fully, leaving condensation which causes gradual rust from inside. The outside will get wet from road water, doing likewise, especially in winters cold enough to make the local council salt the roads.

If the cost of replacing a blowing exhaust every few years worries you unduly, you could pay rather more when that becomes necessary and get a stainless one. Choice is yours.

Dacia Duster Essential Mk2 - Rusty parts newly bought Duster (incl. Exhaust) - edlithgow

Although this is a fairly new car, its still used, and MS exhausts are regarded as consumables, so I dont think you really have much claim against the dealer

On my Skywing, I "rust protected " the exhaust by abrading with aluminium, and then sheathing it in beercan on the straight sections, with thick aircon cladding foil.on the curves

Internally I put some aluminium and a teaspoon of Portland cement in the downpipe whenever I had the exhaust off, which happened fairly frequently because of a bodged flange it took me a long time to get around to fixing. sort-of-properly. I wouldnt do this to a catalyst equiped system but this was a 1986 car.

tw.forumosa.com/t/exhausting-all-options/193821

I dont knoh ow effective this was, or if it was worth the trouble, but the exhaust didn't seem to have deteriorated in the 10 years or so before the cops got the car

I sprayed the underbody with a mixture of hydraulic and sunflower oil,special rust proofers not being available in Taiwan

Edited by edlithgow on 27/03/2025 at 02:09