Well I've said for a while that the newer trucks were not as well protected against corrosion, that's one of the reasons why I px'd my 05 plate. I guess that panel is the same as the front wings, hopes drilled and mud and water traps.
My son passed comment yesterday when we were working on the front cross member asking me why nissan didn't protect the panels better when they built the trucks.
Does amke you wonder how many vehicles on the road today have hidden corrosion.
On the brightside you will get to a point where all the bad sections for corrosion are fixed and it'll not need repairing again. That's the way I'm looking at it on my old trucks. Also to be honest I can't find another model of truck that I like as much as a terrano. For me they are just so practical and in a lot of ways are bullet proof and I know this is gonna sound sad but I like the looks of them too.
I think also there are many vehicles on the road with hidden rust. The 05 Terrano I just bought also has hidden rust which I could only assess properly after I had bought it, got it home and pulled up the carpets. Its the same place where my old Terrano started its demise where the wheel arch meets the boot floor but it's not half as bad. I was also relieved to find the cab mounts under the rear seats was free from rust but I trembled as I lifted the carpet with crossed fingers.
My old terrano did get to the point where all the bad bits had been cut out and replaced and I had 2 years of no welding.:clap
Then one day the windscreen suddenly developed a crack under the tax disc.
The windscreen was replaced but the guy from Autoglass said he was going to turn a blind eye this time but the reason it cracked was due to rust and if it went again they would not replace it.
I decided to investigate this rust so I removed the panel under the windscreen and OMG!!!
The panels the bonnet hinges were bolted to were like rusty foil with pin holes so I left well alone. There were a few holes under the windscreen but there was a massive rust area where the windscreen had cracked which quickly became a hole about 4" diameter. With a couple of pokes with the screwdriver
that was the death of her really, it would have been a lot of work to put that right, dashboard out, windscreen out and it's quite busy nearby with the ECU wiring loom.
It goes back to what you said about hidden rust - you just don't know where next
Once the welding is done next Tuesday I am going over the whole car with hydraulic oil then waxoil wasteoil 50/50
