When I test drove an EVO last week I was impressed by everything but the alarming amount of rust around the engine of the 05' demo car. I did a search online and a couple news reports stated that a main reason besides a few exploding commercial trucks exploding for Mitsu's stock / sales going down was due to the discovery that they do not perform a final galvanizing process on the steel in their cars causing premature rust. Have any of you guys experienced this and if so if there anything you can safely coat the metal around the engine with? My guess is it is from the water leaking from the hood slits. Living in Pensacola my biggest concern besides rain is the year round humidity. Also, are any of you concerned with Mitsubishi's current economic crisis and how it will impact their business in the U.S.? I plan on buying an EVO VIII in the coming months, but there are many people telling me to wait and see if they turn around with the multi billion dollar aid provided to them by other Japanese companies. On my350zmotoring.com there was one guy who come on and stated he couldn't get a loan from his bank for an EVO because Mitsubishi was expected to go under. Just a few concerns I got. Please put them to rest. This is the first time I'm avoiding the impulse to buy right away. 2 350z's, an s2000, and an Altima later I am trying desperately to not satisfy my addiction with cars.

 

I call BS on the guys reason for being turned down on a loan; he probably just didn't qualify due to a lackluster credit history or being grossly upside down on his trade-in. The rust you saw was surface rust and inside the engine bay I'm guessing it was the heat shield which is exposed metal and easily replaceable with aftermarket units if you must have bling.

 

An iron block and exhaust manifold always have surface rust. It doesn't affect anything. Almost all cars come at least with iron exhaust manifolds and they all look rusty but you can't see them on V motors.

 

i love car noob questions

 

great answer, lol..

 

Every car Corrodes, there are so many different metals used on a car, which are in direct contact with each other electrically, it is called Galvanic corrosion, there is a table out there, do a search for Galvanic series table, and I have already written up something on this process in another evolutionm.net forum a good while back.
when you have two dissimilar metals in electrical contact, it forms a very basic battery type cell, one metal is called the Anode (corrodes) the other the Cathode (Protected), they are connected electrically, and to complete the circuit you need an electrolytic solution, can be rain water, sea water, anything
Corrosion is an on going thing it is just metals trying to revert back to it's natural state, The thing to do is set up a Sacrificial Anode system, (which will deplete over time but it will protect the metal you're trying to save, I do believe there are Impressed current systems out there which are connected up to the car battery, which a couple of guys have already bought.
Which ever system you decide to employ, make sure that the Anode on the sacraficial system is rated lower than mild steel, something like Zinc should do it.
If you get the impressed current system, make sure the Anode is rated higher than Titanium, I know a lot of you guys have Titanium exhaust, and you definitely want to protect that.
Good luck