They certainly all started out dark grey - what Aymat means is that most by now have faded to a dirty light grey which is hard to bring back to original.

There are a number of aftermarket treatments for rubber/plastic trim which do work after a fashion and 'yours' may well have had the 'works' in preparation for sale.

If the photos show the extent of your bodywork problems then it looks like you have a nice base for a long term 'keeper' but do, do, do. get that rust patch under the screen sorted. Not all cars are affected there but it's a common enough spot for the rot to appear. Unfortunately to do the job properly the screen really needs to come out (and the screen rubber can often hide a bigger problem so it's best to catch things early).

Odd that patch on the door - it's obvious that some repainting has gone on - that certainly isn't a factory 'run'. If the car has been painted - WHY ??

The good news is that 300 are rarely really bad as far as rust goes (the newest now date from 1991 so most have a little tinworm somwhere! Main areas to check are the sills (same as any car), the chassis arch over the rear axle, the rear wheelhousing around the rear damper mounts, the front wheel housing below the battery tray and anywhere damage and stone chips have been left or where water has been leaking in. (that sort of screen surround problem can sometimes let water in down the bulkhead and under the carpets.).

Mechanically all variants are pretty good with only a few 'character problems' all of which are well documented on the site - just about everything that can go wrong has been solved before by a v3m member somewhere. All in all the 300 is one of the most underated cars from any manufacturer - but do beware - they do grow on you (I had the same one for over 20yrs).

I'll just add my welcome and say fire away with any questions - there is a huge resovoir of knowledge on the site.

Mac.

Thanks for that comprehensive post Mac.

The patch on the door, it's not the only one. There's one on the bonnet as well. What it looks like to me is that someone has got a bit over zealous with the old T-Cut and taken the paint down to the white layer. It then looks like they have tried to cover there mistake with a spray can. I don't think the car has ever been hit. The panels are all straight and clean and the panel gaps are spot on.

Rust wise, what's in the photo is it. I've had the car up on ramps and had a poke. The underneath looks like it came out of the factory. There isn't a trace of rust anywhere else. The sills are 100%.

I will get the windscreen surround sorted. One other problem with the car is the windscreen. It has what can only be described as air bubbles in it. I've never seen this before. It's not on the outside or inside, it seems to be in the glass itself. Very strange. I originally thought it was raindrops, but it's not. So the windscreen will be replaced at some point, while I'm getting the rust sorted would make sense. Two birds with one stone and all that...

Could the bubbles be attempted repairs of chips in the screen? Dunno...

Mac's right about them being addictive... bloody things

That rust patch looks from that photo like it might have already been semi-treated - ground back and painted with hammerite or similar brush paint (or combination of paints) - a quick treatment to make remaining metal 'solid'.

cheers

James

Yes, far too addictive! I've lost count of mine now!

The advice is spot on. Prevention is far easier than trying to repair the car, in hard to reach places, without damaging things, then getting bits resprayed! If the underside is clean, get the old waxoyl out and give it a good spray in the box sections and sills, anywhere you can!

Pete

The windscreen bubbles - Vart has exactly the same 'feature' on his screen - looks just like raindrops!! On his the problem appeared after a very heavy 'shower' from a newly gritted road. I had never seen this type of damage before but I suspect that it's all down to the shape of the grit that hits the screen.

If the grit is 'sharp' it tends to chip the sceen surface and the chipping process dissapates much of the impact energy. If the grit is smooth it is less likely to damage the outer surface, but energy transmitted through the first layer of glass could cause very localised delamination of the inter glass layer. The 'bubbles' are not air spaces but debonded laminating film.

Just my theory - but it seems to make sense.

Gonna disagree with you Foggy - I reckon that under screen patch is pure rust where the original paint has flaked off and been left a while - and it's just been repainted over. I may be wrong (I hope I am) but I don't think there's any grinding back or treating there - it honestly looks like a 'cover up quick for sale' job!

Still if that's the only horror the car looks like a good buy.

Pete's absolutly right about the 'waxoyl' - if you want to keep the beast give it a good dose of presevative in the box sections and sills (the black plastic 'bungs' in the doorshuts are 'squirt in' points.

At some stage when I get time I'll post a copy of the factory treatment charts and proceedures.

Mac.

Factory treatment pics would be good, I really need to get involved and treat both my cars, there's not too much on them, and I'd like it to stay that way!

Agreed, that would be useful information to have.

It looks like the patch under the screen is rust which has been painted over by the way. Unfortunately...

Factory charts and instructions would be great, as I'm just filling the thing in all accessible points, and all the places I know it rusts on a 300. I think I should buy shares in 'Waxoyl' at this rate, three cars later it will be getting costly!
Pete

Factory charts now posted - I've started a new thread in General Technical.

Mac.

We are not worthy...

Thank you Mac

Very useful. Thanks.

I agree that it could well be rust painted over...it wasn't at all clear from the photo.

cheers

James