Modern Mazda still got rust problems?

[colin86]

Wondering if the new Mazdas Rust like the old ones did ? Basically saw a Mazda 3 for sale that looks nice and good price .

[swampy442]

I've got a Mazda 6, 2008 and its rust free. My earlier model 6 was starting to get a bit crusty round the arches before it got dispatched by a lorry.

[grudas]

colin86 said:

Wondering if the new Mazdas Rust like the old ones did ? Basically saw a Mazda 3 for sale that looks nice and good price .

yes they do, mazda still forgets to protect their metals.

even new mx5s the 2015 etc ones started showing surface rust everywhere after 2 years or even less.

[ToastMan76]

grudas said:

yes they do, mazda still forgets to protect their metals.

even new mx5s the 2015 etc ones started showing surface rust everywhere after 2 years or even less.

I can only guess you are being facetious because the Skyactivs do not have this problem at all.

[Darryl247W]

I recall photos on MX-5 forums of early NDs already suffering where Mazda had poorly protected them, and that was perhaps 18 months into ND lifecycle.
The only thing for it is to have a lie down and take a good look underneath a potential purchase.

[grudas]

ToastMan76 said:

I can only guess you are being facetious because the Skyactivs do not have this problem at all.

of course they do, hence the reason many owners underseal. ND has as much rust issues as any other.

the new skyactiv-G may not have it but it has been out less than 2 years.

[ToastMan76]

grudas said:

of course they do, hence the reason many owners underseal. ND has as much rust issues as any other.

the new skyactiv-G may not have it but it has been out less than 2 years.

Oh mind must be an anomaly then, 5 years of ownership doing significant miles through harsh salty climate and not a spot.

[lilwashu]

I have had my 2015 (ND) MX-5 for 5 winters on the south coast and there is no rust on the underside/anywhere else as far as I can see (I had a good look while getting the wheel alignment done and was surprised at this). It lives outside all year.

I had seen many 5 year old Mk2.5 cars with significant rust on wheel arches/sills/underneath so there seems to be some improvement.

[lilwashu]

grudas said:

of course they do, hence the reason many owners underseal. ND has as much rust issues as any other.

the new skyactiv-G may not have it but it has been out less than 2 years.

Many owners underseal because they buy into the hysteria on owners club forums and the fact that they remember Vauxhall Labradors rusting to dust in the 70s. Undersealing a Mk1/Mk2 MX-5 for example would have done nothing to help the serious rust issues on those (sills and chassis legs).

There may be similar issues with the Mk4 but they are probably not old enough to have revealed them yet.