There is a rust mark on the inside of the door frame in exactly the same place on both sides of the car that have me stumped. It's only light surface rust but I can't figure out what's causing it. The doors shut ok and don't lift or fall as they open/close, which seems to rule out the hinge pins. The rubber stops are fine and the seals don't stick - in fact on the drivers side they could do with being a bit tighter to the frame. A couple of pics below show the rust spot on the frame and a corresponding mark on the door seal itself.
Maybe someone closed the door with the belt still in between - on both sides? If its just surface corrosion I would sand it down and paint it with a touch up pen
Hard to tell from photos if this is the case here, but on mine two of the three srews holding the door lock in place had come loose. Have you checked those?
Yes, all the locks and catches seem to be tight and sturdy. If anything there is a bit of corrosion around the edges. What the photos can't show properly is that it appears to be the seal attached to the door that's in contact with the rust spot/metal on the frame (you might just make out the brown mark on the black rubber). I've lubricated the seals and rubbed the light stuff off the metal with a cloth but I need to get to the bottom of it if I decide on a paint job in the autumn.
I didn't fix the rust but I did just go for a drive with the top down Current fuel consumption is around 42.5 mpg - a bit less than when I first checked but then again I have got used to chucking it into the bends now as well as hurling it down the motorway.
While we are on the topic of rust. I have a small endoscope camera and decided to look inside the sills (where the square hole without a grommet is). The first few centimeters are covered in dirt but after that its 100% clean (and in my case rust free). Will still spray some cavity wax in there for good measure
I'd agree on belts, mine also has a spot of rust and it's definitely the belt buckle as it's in the shape of it, obviously someone previously had trouble retracting the seatbelt
Could just be the rubber wearing away the paint, mine has several little spots where that has happened. I think the suspension is so jiggly (and the roads here are so shite) even rubber whips the paint off. I just wipe them off with a bit of isopropyl and dab some touch up paint on them. On the up side, there's no salt on the roads here so even when the metal is exposed it doesn't rot
