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After installing strut tower covers for my C8 with Mag Ride (FE4) I started thing about the rear strut towers which are located, unfortunately, right under the rear most engine lid vent slot. If the front tower bolts can rust, it's even more likly the rears will rust faster, given that water enters when it rains as well as when you wash it. On my F430 I covered those vents with tape to keep water out when washing but I decided to contact the manufacturer of the front strut covers for FE4 cars and see if they can make something similar for the rears. In the meantime I will spray them with heat-resistant black Rust-Oleum to prevent rust.
I will post any updates from the manufacturer here.
The rear towers are fine because they have drain holes, what ISN'T fine believe it or not is the rubber boots in the middle. They are not sealed and water is held and puddles underneath them. They need to be dried out and sealed with some black RTV.
Spend more time driving and less time worrying. I'm just as guilty as the rest at times, but I've driven through some nasty downpours along with washing by hand with a hose. My car has probably seen more water than most by now and the bolts in question still look just fine. My front shock towers also remain bone dry as they have been since day 1.
Not the greatest picture, but I just took it today with no clean up in an attempt to hide anything:
As you can see, the only surface rust anywhere is inside the o2 sensor heatshields.
McMaster-Carr has every conceivable size black stretchy cap. You may have to order a box of 50, but the price is right; and, those with a little silicon (if you are really nuts) will take care of potentially rusty bolt/nuts.
Spend more time driving and less time worrying. I'm just as guilty as the rest at times, but I've driven through some nasty downpours along with washing by hand with a hose. My car has probably seen more water than most by now and the bolts in question still look just fine. My front shock towers also remain bone dry as they have been since day 1.
Not the greatest picture, but I just took it today with no clean up in an attempt to hide anything:
As you can see, the only surface rust anywhere is inside the o2 sensor heatshields.
Couldn't afford the engine appearance package, huh?
Couldn't afford the engine appearance package, huh?
Ray
I knew I was going to be adding aftermarket headers and didn't see the need to hide them under carbon fiber panels. In hindsight, probably would have been a good investment since that option is no longer being offered so I could have sold them!
After installing strut tower covers for my C8 with Mag Ride (FE4) I started thing about the rear strut towers which are located, unfortunately, right under the rear most engine lid vent slot. If the front tower bolts can rust, it's even more likly the rears will rust faster, given that water enters when it rains as well as when you wash it. On my F430 I covered those vents with tape to keep water out when washing but I decided to contact the manufacturer of the front strut covers for FE4 cars and see if they can make something similar for the rears. In the meantime I will spray them with heat-resistant black Rust-Oleum to prevent rust.
I will post any updates from the manufacturer here.
Ray
Unlike the front strut towers which you ONLY see when removing the 3 plastic cover pieces, see the rear all the time. Never saw a drop of water in the rear! When received there were lots of water spots on the flat pieces in the rear. They were probably caused by the 12,000 gallons of water BG says they use in their water leak test on all new C8s! No doubt reused and not clean!
Had to remove those water sports with two Meguire's products. In the 16 months I have had my C8, driven occasionally in the rain and washed many times, never another significant water spot. As my old boss, (brilliant physicist who invented Plasma Cutting and Welding) would say: "You're solving a problem not known to exist using a method known not to work!" He was also a WWII Navy officer and used a lot of profanity! So mixed into that statement, made when he saw an engineer in our R&D Lab doing something he thought was foolish would come out with expletive deleteds mixed in!
Couldn't afford the engine appearance package, huh?
Ray
I didn't want the engine appearance package. I actually want to SEE the space underneath the strut braces.
I checked every box for an item that increases performance. I avoided every box for an item that increases "FLUFF".
Unlike the front strut towers which you ONLY see when removing the 3 plastic cover pieces, see the rear all the time. Never saw a drop of water in the rear! When received there were lots of water spots on the flat pieces in the rear. They were probably caused by the 12,000 gallons of water BG says they use in their water leak test on all new C8s! No doubt reused and not clean!
Had to remove those water sports with two Meguire's products. In the 16 months I have had my C8, driven occasionally in the rain and washed many times, never another significant water spot. As my old boss, (brilliant physicist who invented Plasma Cutting and Welding) would say: "You're solving a problem not known to exist using a method known not to work!" He was also a WWII Navy officer and used a lot of profanity! So mixed into that statement, made when he saw an engineer in our R&D Lab doing something he thought was foolish would come out with expletive deleteds mixed in!
Here's one for you, "Where there's smoke, there's fire!". If you want to see some smoke, grab the rubber boot on your rear MSRC at the top of your strut tower and look underneath. It is too easy for water to run down that wire and get trapped inside there. That nut will be rusted out in no time.
Here's one for you, "Where there's smoke, there's fire!". If you want to see some smoke, grab the rubber boot on your rear MSRC at the top of your strut tower and look underneath. It is too easy for water to run down that wire and get trapped inside there. That nut will be rusted out in no time.
It's not just on the MSRC boots, I don't have that and so the boot on mine has no hole in the top, but it isn't sealed at the bottom. I happen to bump one of mine and when I lifted it the thing was full of water.
Serious question: if I do absolutely nothing to prevent water from getting to my struts - if it is getting in there which seems to be debatable from reading these posts - what damage will happen?
Serious question: if I do absolutely nothing to prevent water from getting to my struts - if it is getting in there which seems to be debatable from reading these posts - what damage will happen?
On the rears, nothing. I have highlighted in yellow all the drain holes, none of that hardware stays wet because of them. The red arrow shows where water gets to the center nut of the strut. The black rubber boot doesn't seal this in the least and quite a bit of water is under them. The fronts only get water from the factory water intrusion test, after that probably never again. If anything rusts, it's like all cars, use Freeze Off, Aero Kroil, PB Blaster, or Deep Creep.
There are a few rear strut tower covers for sale out there but they are all over priced by a factor of 10.
Its a shame the original maker of the front strut tower covers didn't also decide to do a rear set priced the same. I'd pick them up.
But no way am I paying $300+ for formed plastic or peel-n-stick chrome.
There are a few rear strut tower covers for sale out there but they are all over priced by a factor of 10.
Its a shame the original maker of the front strut tower covers didn't also decide to do a rear set priced the same. I'd pick them up.
But no way am I paying $300+ for formed plastic or peel-n-stick chrome.
Seen them as high as $500! The ones from AMT are awful looking. The EMP ones look nice, but $500…the stainless “stick ones” are poorly made and don’t fit unless you put a 3/8” of RTV to fill in the gaps (saw a C8 at a C&C with these)….just awful!
There are a few rear strut tower covers for sale out there but they are all over priced by a factor of 10.
Its a shame the original maker of the front strut tower covers didn't also decide to do a rear set priced the same. I'd pick them up.
But no way am I paying $300+ for formed plastic or peel-n-stick chrome.
I'm in touch with a potential manufacturer who asked me to beta-test them and do an install video. I am guessing they will be in the $60 range.
On the rears, nothing. I have highlighted in yellow all the drain holes, none of that hardware stays wet because of them. The red arrow shows where water gets to the center nut of the strut. The black rubber boot doesn't seal this in the least and quite a bit of water is under them. The fronts only get water from the factory water intrusion test, after that probably never again. If anything rusts, it's like all cars, use Freeze Off, Aero Kroil, PB Blaster, or Deep Creep.
That's what I thought. I've highlighted why I'm not going to worry about this "issue." That, plus I will never worry about this unless one of them breaks - which has never happened to me on any car I've ever owned.
All the talk about strut covers, grill guards, PPF, etc., I'm driving it and not worrying about the things that are not affecting the performance and all-around joy of driving the C8 the way it is intended.
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Rear Strut Towers
