Mot testing

[Stubby]

I would do the other side as well if it were mine . Keeps everything even .

[spudulike]

Steel rusts very quickly, my discs go rusty overnight so wouldn't put much on that. Found the end of one of my springs next to the car a couple of years ago. As you say, fun job with the compressors!

[Stubby]

8 minutes ago, spudulike said:

Steel rusts very quickly, my discs go rusty overnight

That's coz they are cast iron 🙂

[Paddy1000111]

25 minutes ago, Stubby said:

I would do the other side as well if it were mine . Keeps everything even .

That's my only concern. I got the best quality part I could from eurocarparts (Sachs) as they had it in stock but time will tell as to what the rate/ride height will be after. The volvo is a previous catD that I repaired in 2010 and that strut is from a donor car that had 80k on the clock plus the 90k it's done in this car so it's lived a life. ECP only had the one spring in stock so I'll get it back on the road and if the ride height is different then I'll do the other! I had to drive it 65 miles with the snapped spring so the new one will at least stop it pulling as it's lowered 30mm on the right now 🤣

[Khriss]

Its a volvo, wot can be wrong. Oddly, originally designed so you could wear a homburg hat in them. Hence Hassidics favourite car.  K

[Paddy1000111]

2 hours ago, Khriss said:

Its a volvo, wot can be wrong. Oddly, originally designed so you could wear a homburg hat in them. Hence Hassidics favourite car.  K

Unfortunately mine is the later version which is just a rebadged ford focus estate! 🤣

[openspaceman]

3 hours ago, Stubby said:

That's coz they are cast iron 🙂

Yes they are cast iron but doesn't cast iron resist rusting better than steel?

I had assumed it was the pads exposing fresh iron that meant surface rust happened quickly.

[Paddy1000111]

21 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

Yes they are cast iron but doesn't cast iron resist rusting better than steel?

I had assumed it was the pads exposing fresh iron that meant surface rust happened quickly.

Cast iron rusts faster than steel afaik. It's the iron that rusts and there's less iron in steel as it's doped for certain characteristics. It's why stainless steel rusts unless you passivate it with acid (or leave it to naturally passivate) to remove the iron on the fresh surface. 

I always thought that brake discs rust so fast because they are pretty much the only fresh, uncoated, unprotected metal on the car. They're also getting hot and cold the whole time which never helps with corrosion. 

[PeteB]

10 hours ago, woody paul said:

Best I had was, your landy passed while in the test bay but hand brake cable broke when they parked it up so it passed. 

Cable broke!?! Must have been right bad as never seen that on any of mine! I had several while on the tools! 

[openspaceman]

1 minute ago, Paddy1000111 said:

Cast iron rusts faster than steel afaik. It's the iron that rusts and there's less iron in steel as it's doped for certain characteristics. It's why stainless steel rusts unless you passivate it with acid (or leave it to naturally passivate) to remove the iron on the fresh surface. 

I always thought that brake discs rust so fast because they are pretty much the only fresh, uncoated, unprotected metal on the car. They're also getting hot and cold the whole time which never helps with corrosion. 

I agree with your last point but not the first. In normal white and grey cast iron the sites where oxygen can get in are occupied by cementite,(iron carbide) and graphite. This is why you cannot cut cast iron with oxy-acetylene or oxy-propane cutters.

 

It is also why you can often find old iron castings still sound but pitted when steel has rusted away in flakes.

 

Stainless steel develops a thin layer of chromium oxide which prevents oxygen penetrating further, put it in an acid environment which strips away the chromium oxide and it corrodes. I have posted a picture in the past of a flue pipe made of 316  pinpricked with holes where burning damp coated wood had allowed an acid condensate to form in the flue.