Among Chinese cars, the bodies that rust the fastest in Russian weather and road conditions are old Geely, Chery, Lifan and Dongfeng models. Yaroslav Kukarin, director of the auto body repair service Fit Service, told Motor magazine about this.
According to him, in the first place in terms of body problems are the old Geely models, primarily the Emgrand X7 family and the cross-platform crossovers of this brand from the beginning of 2010.
“These cars have a weak paint coating; the manufacturer skimped on galvanizing hidden cavities and seams, which is why the edges of the arches, the bottoms of the doors and the rear of the body rusted,” the expert said.
These processes occurred especially quickly in regions with reagents on winter roads and sudden temperature changes. By the 10th-12th year of use, many of these cars have already either gone to waste or require serious body repairs, the interlocutor noted.
Fit Service placed the models of the first generations of the Chery Tiggo family in second place for this problem. They traditionally have “blooming” thresholds, the rear door, the lower edges of the body, as well as the internal parts of the parts, the company noted.
According to Kukarin, in the new Tiggo 4, 7, 8 Pro models, rust appears less frequently and more precisely. Foci of corrosion form in individual areas of the bottom and attached parts, which is associated with savings on anti-corrosion treatment and sealant, and not with a global body problem, as with Chinese models fifteen years ago, the specialist noted.
Crossovers from the Lifan and Dongfeng brands are in third place in terms of body problems, Fit Service reported. Many of them came to Russia with partial or almost no galvanization of the body.
The bottom of the doors, the rear panel, the internal cavities of the sills and arches are either not protected at all or have a minimal layer of coating, the company explained. Under Russian operating conditions, the parts quickly became covered with rust, and the joints between them quickly rotted. It is not economically profitable to restore such machines.
The anti-rating primarily affects old Chinese models, and not the modern fleet of cars from the PRC. The new lines of Geely, Chery, Haval, Changan, Omoda are much more careful when it comes to galvanizing, seam sealant and the general approach to working with metal, Fit Service emphasized.
Previously, four Chinese crossovers were named, which most often have their suspension repaired.
