This will happen to your 993

[James Shunt]

The 993's habit of collecting water in the windscreen aperture and eventually rusting there is a well-documented problem and will affect all of them eventually, I suppose. I've just bitten the bullet and had the rust bubbles around my front and rear screens sorted out. If you are squeamish then don't look "" the pics aren't nice.

Three corners of the two screens each had a small patch of bubbling paintwork "" about 6cm long and 2cm wide "" which didn't look really bad. However, here is what the bodyshop found when they took out the front and rear screens. Ouch.

 

[James Shunt]

Your next questions are how much did it cost and who did it. The car was being serviced by Camtune (I've always been happy with the guys there) and they outsource bodywork to Premier Panel Skills in Aldershot, who seem to know their way around 993s. The windscreen rust was "˜as bad as we've seen on a 993', Camtune said. It cost only slightly more than what I was told as an estimate - £1400 inc VAT to remove the rust, make good, paint all around (including the roof/around the sunroof), refit the screens/sunroof including new surrounds and so on. It isn't cheap but I'm very pleased with the job they did and the finish of the paint is excellent. I would post an "˜after' picture but frankly it looks like new so there's not much point.

 

[James Shunt]

If you have any suspicions about your screens then don't delay doing this as it will only get worse and what seems a minor problem on the outside looks disastrous underneath the windscreen rubber. If it gets really bad you may have to get pieces of metal welded in to replace what the rust has eaten"¦ and that's assuming the windscreen has not fallen into the car by then!

James

PS Here's another one to ram the point home"¦

 

[sidned]

I had exactly the same problem when I bought my car three years ago. Luckily it's a '97 car, so I managed to claim from PCGB after a lot of fighting. Unfortunatly all 993's will now be past their 10 year warranty, but don't let this put you off trying to claim.
The previous owners of my car had the bodywork inspection stamps all in place, and PCGB suggested the OPC should have spotted this problem quite some time before I made a claim, judging by the extent of the rust. Some of you with later cars may be able to use this as leverage to get some of the money back if you need this repair doing.
I agreed to split the cost of the repair three ways - PCGB, OPC that did the inspections and me. Due to a misunderstanding from the bodyshop, I even got a free replacement windscreen. This was because the guy who priced the job put down "replace windscreen" when he should have put "remove and refit windscreen". Result!

Darren

 

[JB 3.2]

As I'm aware of this problem, when I wash my car I use an air line to force any water out of the winscreen rubbers. But as you have indicated any rust is already there and slowly eating its way out.

 

[tim993]

A very timely reminder indeed. All 993 owners should take note and act if need be. Just had mine done by GT-One. They also outsource the metalwork and paint to a trusted local firm. Luckily I had caught it early, so the rust was only surface, but had produced an ugly 1" long scab at the lower near-side corner of the screen, mostly under the rubber. When they took the screen out, they also discovered that the screen had probably been out before and whoever had done this had scraped away paint in other areas of the surround, leaving the car vulnerable to further attack. This and the rust all now sorted and she looks lovely again - both what you can see and what you can't! Do 964's suffer this same problem, or is confined to the 993?

best

tim

 

[ubertub]

OMG!!! how long have you been ignoring those bubbles? That's a right 'mare.
Hope you get it sorted out.

 

[Gary C]

ouch ouch ouch []

As above, is this a 993 only thing ?, how is the water getting under the paint, is the rubber moving and wearing it away ?

Looks as if some sort of sealant under the rubber (or maybe a silicone grease ?) to prevent the water collecting would be worthwhile.

... off to look at the 3.2............

 

[Guards Red]

The 993 has a bonded front and rear screen. If they're ever cracked or badly chipped, the repair people tend to use a s device that looks like a wire cheese cutter to cut the old screen out. The problem with this is that it scratches the paint under the screen and allows rust to develop, worse if the galvanised metal is scratched as it will rust even quicker.

not sure if earllier 911's had bonded screens. If not, the screen just pops out and doesn't require the same butchery to get it out.

I believe that's the reason for this issue.

 

[pse_SC]

Early cars can have as many problems with the front screen (although they are not bonded, rust can be rampant around the front scuttle area) and many other structural/non strutural areas[], believe me!

It looks to me as if someone made a right bu66ers muddle of your front and rear screens, which promoted the saddening "˜before' pictures you have posted.

 

[willstatt]

Bloody Hell!!!! Just looked carefully round mine (1997R and always kept in garage) and it has a few bubbles at bottom corner of offside rear! Once the bubbles are there, then the rot has started, so better get that seen to asap!

Will

 

[Porker993]

To answer Gary above - 964s have this problem too, rather worse as some are now getting on for 20 years old. My 964 had it on front and rear screens.

So I knew what to expect with the 993, and have always checked carefully under front and rear rubbers. Even so, I had to have a repair done on the front a few years ago.

TIP
What you can do is carefully cut a small hole at each end of the rubber windscreen trim to ensure adequate air flow under the rubber, so that it dries out thoroughly under there and is not wet all the time. this seems to work OK. In the past, it was always wet. Now, the movement of the car through the air seems to dry everything out ok and allows air to circulate.
This "mod" looks quite neat, and cannot really be spotted unless you know what to look for. It certainly looks better than a rust scab. Total time taken - 10 minutes and a pair of scissors.

 

[James Shunt]

Glad this is helping a few people, even if it is only by scaring you all!

I was ignoring the bubbles, knowing it need to be done, for about 18 months - about the limit for it, I expect.

I think Porker993/Mark's suggestion would at least slow the process down and I agree with Guards Red that a previous windscreen replacement probably made things worse. However, the bodyshop was clear that the rear screen was the original one so it wasn't the cause there.

It does look back to its very best now, thankfully!

James

 

[Porker993]

I agree - poor windscreen fitment is not the whole story. It would appear the body shell flexes, weakens the various protective layers, and eventually allows moisture in. I have seen examples on the web of neglected 964s where an entire rear wing required replacement - so beware.

The squeaky windscreen syndrome provides further evidence to support the "body flex" theory I suppose.

 

[Mark Elder]

ORIGINAL: Porker993

TIP
What you can do is carefully cut a small hole at each end of the rubber windscreen trim to ensure adequate air flow under the rubber, so that it dries out thoroughly under there and is not wet all the time. this seems to work OK. In the past, it was always wet. Now, the movement of the car through the air seems to dry everything out ok and allows air to circulate.
This "mod" looks quite neat, and cannot really be spotted unless you know what to look for. It certainly looks better than a rust scab. Total time taken - 10 minutes and a pair of scissors.

Mark, any chance of posting some photos of this mod - this seems like a good idea but I don't quite get exactly what you have done. How big do the holes need to be and at what angle (to get air to flow in)?

 

[Porker993]

993 Windscreen Trim Ventilation Holes.

As most people know, the windscreen on a 993 has a piece of rubber trim all around it. This is easily removed and is the source of the notorious windscreen squeak, but that's another story.

Anyway - first remove the trim - by just pulling it off. Don't worry, it will pop back on (fairly) easily.

You don't have to remove the whole trim, just the bottom edge will do, if you don't mind making the cuts while leaning over the car. I suggest removing the whole thing if you want to make a neat job of it.

If you mess up, which is unlikely, a new trim piece is not that expensive (£20 odd I think) so it's not the end of the world.

Now with a sharp pair of scissors cut a triangular hole in each bottom corner of the trim piece. The triangle should have sides about one centimetre long.

You can make the holes bigger if you like, but the size I have described is sufficient to allow air through into the windscreen surround, which is where the rust can start. The holes are small enough to be virtually invisible to all but the most eagle eyed concours judge (not a problem for most of us, I suspect).

Refitting, as they say, is the reverse of removal.

I will post a picture of one of the holes later so people can get an idea the exact size/position.

The above will also work for the rear screen if so desired.

 

[LK_991GTS]

With my 993, if it has got wet, I can lift the rubber surround in the bottom corners of both front and back screens, to find water sitting there. Drying the area each time seems to be the only answer (my wife finds it funny, but I just don't care [&:] ) as I don't know how the water gets in there. Maybe it's what many of us are experiencing, as I say, if you don't lift the rubber, you don't know the water's sitting there. I brushed in some waxoyl which hopefully will help keep the water away from metal.

 

[Porker993]

Here is a photo of what I have done. One cut each side seems to allow everything to dry out OK. It was taken with my iPhone (flash git) so sorry the quality's not that good.

 

[edelschmetterling]

Checked mine yesterday by just lifting up the rubber trim and checking underneath the corners is generally a safe way to check and see if there is any need for concern. Nonetheless, still concerned having looked at these pictures"¦

 

[38F3E1]

Reading the explanation about cutting a small nick in the rubber to help drying out makes me wonder about the rubber trim.

I have always been told the front rubber trim is bonded in when the windowscreen is fitted and is not something that can be popped out and back in.

Can anybody confirm 100% on this point?

Ian.