Actually this is what happens when the owners don't take precautions and protect the car, when it's new and out of factory from future corrosion, but of course living in a warm climate where it's not as salty or no salt at all is the best, but water can do it's fair share of damage.
Salted roads aren't the only thing, a relatively small island surround by sea has much to do with it. Go look at cars on smaller islands in Mediterranean . They rust badly too.
Finally an advert on RUclips video worth further looking into, well done drivetribe and lanoguard. Makes a change from skipping over the usual car check advert that they all do.
I will be disappointed if Clarkson himself doesn't get a chance to drive it. You had fixed May's Tesla, Hammond's Subaru and other many things... we gotta have Jezza drives the upgraded Brera once it's done.
I am always surprised when clever people like Mike and Ben work under a rust bucket and proceed to do rust removal and rust proofing without even considering using eye protection 😞 come on guys, show some leadership and use safety glasses. You only get one set of eyes. 🙏
I couldn't believe they just painted on the "product"" straight over thick rust. FGS. It needs blasting first. No product will stop that rust if it isn't taken down to what is left healthy first.
@@mantarayal That's exactly how Lanoguard products are meant to be used. They're based on lanolin which is chemically attracted to the steel underneath the oxide, and forms a barrier against salt, water and oxygen. From all the reviews and "before and after" videos I've watched, it appears to work very well at halting the progress of rust. I'm not affiliated with this company but I intend to use it on my project Peugeot Expert. In fact I've already been using the grease as shown in the video - it's very thick and smells of sheep, which is fun.
For anyone who doesn't agree with this statement, Google "Corneal Burr tool" its what they use in hospital to remove the "rust ring" that attaches to your eyeball after getting steel in it. And yes it's literally a miniature burr tool you'd use on a Dremel or inline grinder, but for your eye. The saltyness of your eyeball causes the contamination to rust (if it's ferrous) almost immediately. But it requires going back a few days after the incident to make sure all of the iron has fully rusted.
its a car designed for the Italian market where its nice and hot and sunny and very little in the way of icy roads. UK is not a place for those types of cars, unless you are going to treat the underside out of your own pocket.
Those wheels look sick!! Love that you kept the original design. It’s pretty amazing the rats nest that was hiding under the shell. Just got take it one thing at a time.
Very enjoyable to watch and reminds me of my Fiat SuperMirafiori ownership experience back in the 80s. Love the fact that the Alfa guys drives a Honda Civic!
As the owner of a 159 tbi, I don't find the chassis to be disappointing to drive. On the contrary, it handles really well. Probably because I have one of the lightest configs, the 3.2 V6 was a really heavy lump. Also, how does the UK manage to make everything rot/rust? I know its italian, but mine has 0 corrosion despite being dailied.
Who would've thought that the only Top Gear star we loved for something other than their personality... had one of the most charming personalities all along.
@@DMC_Motorsports I'm a health and safety professional and have seen some totally avoidable eye injuries, so, no, I won't be quiet. Being so accident prone, you would think the Hamster would be more careful.
I got some rust in my eye once… doing something similar. Wasn’t fun… luckily I managed to wash it out after a day or so of trying. Had the goggles on ever since.
I've had lots of cars over the years, many Beemers, a TVR (yup, left it in a hedge backwards), MX5, European cars... the only cockpit that always made me smile was my Alfa 159... average drive, but what a place to drive from. Oh, and those beautiful triple lights.. beautiful... but shocking in snow, as they just trapped it and made everything go dark... remember driving back from a gig in Glasgow in a snowstorm, only the inside lane open, and had to pull over every few miles to clear the headlamps... would I have another... absolutely... (and my current is a 330d x drive.. way way quicker ) but the Alfa made me feel special... got written off because someone hit the front wing in a car park (Seriously)... damaged the bonnet, lights and wing (£190 for second-hand lights.. OEM no longer available) .
Great car great choice , i daily drive my brera 2.4 i put a stage 1 remap and removed dpf , i lowerd it and the car is a beast on the road great in the corners , apsolutely amazing car to drive , and the best design ever.
Mike, you know that vibe you were on for the first 5 minutes of this video? That's what I'm on every single day at work because I work in an insanely poor school setting. You gotta stay positive even if the subframe is collapsing.
Not designed for UK weather... looks like it's been parked under the sea for a couple of years. What shame. Well done for giving life again! My 18-year-old Brera is near perfect. It's the country, not the car.
Owning over 25 AR´s this is nothing ;) I´m not the smartest but i love cars. Keep on, it´s paying you back in terms of driving and feelings. Love from Sweden.
That frame remids me of the '67 Mustang GT I acquired in '85. Fortunately it was given to me for free by a family friend, the original owner. Ultimately I had to sell it for parts.
😂 gotta love an exhaust bodge. But in their defence, it's going full stainless in a few weeks, so absolutely no point doing anything more to the old rusty stock exhaust
lanoguard is useless for a car as rusty as this. you really need a proper rust converter like dinitrol rc900 or bilt hamber hydrate80 then maybe dynax S50 on top
Always wanted a Brera, but could not bear thinking of all the problems, much less dealing with 'em. Also the performance issue... Really looking forward to this one. Great project.
@@MrPrajitura, I hear you, but after having enough problems with my previous car, I'm sticking to something a little newer now. But, who knows, I might get one as a project after all - if the opportunity presents itself.
Wow, the salted roads have done its work, It's like Suisse cheese.Still, you caught it just in time, Mike.The Alfa will be solid again. I love your enthusiasm, mate.. Great stuff
🎶 track? It’s *Mosaic Mist* by *Dusty Decks* - and yes we are THRILLED to be your trusted provider. ruclips.net/video/P6IJr94rqwA/видео.html // Epidemic Sound
Mikes presentation and comfort in front of the camera grows by the upload. It's great to see him relax into the job more and just have a bit more fun and be a bit more daft than his early days. Long may he upload cool videos!
Weirdly, I thought they were doing the fake-out over Ben Collins. Like it OBVIOUSLY isn't Ben Collins, so I wonder who else it might be.... ohhh.... I see it's just Ben.... again..... :(
There’s something mesmerizing about watching the Stig, the driving demigod that doesn’t know how a phone or oyster card are supposed to work; yet has no problem getting his hands dirty underneath an Alfa. What a chap lol
I don't understand why some cars look like that after just a few years. The likely culprit IMHO: Standing salty water inside the subframe. It seems like it's really hard for some car designers/engineers to put in drains at the low spots 🤦♂️
My car failed it’s MOT for a hole in the exhaust 3 years ago. I stuffed some exhaust putty in the hole and it passed the test. It’s passed twice since. We can’t all afford custom exhaust systems.
Yeah, I usually started with the RX-8 in order to get hold of Kenji's RX-7 first. You could take that pretty far into the game. But I always got hold of a Brera somewhere along the line with each playthrough. Carbon was a fantastic game.
Imagine all the 70's British cars that would still be around if the anti-rust products had been around back then and had been applied right away after the cars had been purchased new. 😂
Should have dropped me a line. I’m breaking a 2.4 and have the forks available. Also have a pair of almost new brembo drilled front disks with ebc pads
As an Australian, I’m glad I don’t have to deal with Salted roads… it blows my mind how bad cars get over in the UK…
I think salting will become a thing of the past anyway for environmental reasons (it's already been phased out in parts of Europe/Scandinavia).
Actually this is what happens when the owners don't take precautions and protect the car, when it's new and out of factory from future corrosion, but of course living in a warm climate where it's not as salty or no salt at all is the best, but water can do it's fair share of damage.
There's a land Rover specialist in Quebec that blows my mind.
Just maintain and wash your car properly and even old Hyundai will last long.
Salted roads aren't the only thing, a relatively small island surround by sea has much to do with it. Go look at cars on smaller islands in Mediterranean . They rust badly too.
"You owe Mike a 10 second car" A gentleman of culture
Rite of passage for any car guy. 😂
I have nightmares of rusy
This guy has so much more charisma than the guy in the first video.
Finally an advert on RUclips video worth further looking into, well done drivetribe and lanoguard. Makes a change from skipping over the usual car check advert that they all do.
I will be disappointed if Clarkson himself doesn't get a chance to drive it. You had fixed May's Tesla, Hammond's Subaru and other many things... we gotta have Jezza drives the upgraded Brera once it's done.
Doubt he will. He seems to have zero interest in Drivetribe
Clarkson has zero interest in pretty much anything that isn't Clarkson. He's a great presenter, but it's very clear what he's about.
@@RoryStarrYup
Yeah, I think the dude is done with cars, he's all about his farm now I suspect.
oh, hey there Jon
I am always surprised when clever people like Mike and Ben work under a rust bucket and proceed to do rust removal and rust proofing without even considering using eye protection 😞 come on guys, show some leadership and use safety glasses. You only get one set of eyes. 🙏
I couldn't believe that either
Was going to mention that. Hitting rusty metal with a hammer at eye level is asking for trouble.
I couldn't believe they just painted on the "product"" straight over thick rust. FGS. It needs blasting first. No product will stop that rust if it isn't taken down to what is left healthy first.
@@mantarayal That's exactly how Lanoguard products are meant to be used. They're based on lanolin which is chemically attracted to the steel underneath the oxide, and forms a barrier against salt, water and oxygen. From all the reviews and "before and after" videos I've watched, it appears to work very well at halting the progress of rust.
I'm not affiliated with this company but I intend to use it on my project Peugeot Expert. In fact I've already been using the grease as shown in the video - it's very thick and smells of sheep, which is fun.
For anyone who doesn't agree with this statement, Google "Corneal Burr tool" its what they use in hospital to remove the "rust ring" that attaches to your eyeball after getting steel in it.
And yes it's literally a miniature burr tool you'd use on a Dremel or inline grinder, but for your eye.
The saltyness of your eyeball causes the contamination to rust (if it's ferrous) almost immediately. But it requires going back a few days after the incident to make sure all of the iron has fully rusted.
Maxwell needs to be on Camera a lot more. He's got great charisma, great vibes, great voice.
I totally agree, he's definitely a future star presenter. 🌟
If only they made the subframe out of the same material they made the bolts that held it in by
I think the same! Or aluminium at least! take a pick of any luxury car. 5 year or older. Subframe rusty. Cliché
its a car designed for the Italian market where its nice and hot and sunny and very little in the way of icy roads. UK is not a place for those types of cars, unless you are going to treat the underside out of your own pocket.
@@christianolsson834 20 year old BMW E60 here, UK, zero rust - Full aluminium subframes, struts and arms FTW 😀
Those wheels look sick!! Love that you kept the original design. It’s pretty amazing the rats nest that was hiding under the shell. Just got take it one thing at a time.
Very enjoyable to watch and reminds me of my Fiat SuperMirafiori ownership experience back in the 80s. Love the fact that the Alfa guys drives a Honda Civic!
Just checked the mot its passed no need to wait till next week to find out🤣
😂
Rude
Dude…. Spoiler alert 😂
Spoiler I was gonna wait
As the owner of a 159 tbi, I don't find the chassis to be disappointing to drive. On the contrary, it handles really well. Probably because I have one of the lightest configs, the 3.2 V6 was a really heavy lump. Also, how does the UK manage to make everything rot/rust? I know its italian, but mine has 0 corrosion despite being dailied.
It must be cheap metal
That’s because your TBi is a facelift model. Their body is lighter than the ones
It's due to the salt on our roads, it eats away at the metal and causes lots of corrosion
Salt. Thousands and thousands of tonnes of salt. Keeps the roads navigable in winter, but at a cost, as we can see here!
Who would've thought that the only Top Gear star we loved for something other than their personality... had one of the most charming personalities all along.
Michael Gambon next please
Some brand new Hwheels.
With some Coo-Hwhip
With some Coo-Hwhip
Come on boys, set an example. Wear your PPE (Personal Protection Equipment), as in, safety goggles. Rust flakes in the eyes are no joke!
At least the camera lens has probably got a filter on the end of it.
Please be quiet
@@DMC_Motorsports I'm a health and safety professional and have seen some totally avoidable eye injuries, so, no, I won't be quiet.
Being so accident prone, you would think the Hamster would be more careful.
Got to agree. Hammering like that into rust is madness. I'm an ophthalmologist and have seen people have fragments enter their eye.
I got some rust in my eye once… doing something similar. Wasn’t fun… luckily I managed to wash it out after a day or so of trying. Had the goggles on ever since.
I've had lots of cars over the years, many Beemers, a TVR (yup, left it in a hedge backwards), MX5, European cars... the only cockpit that always made me smile was my Alfa 159... average drive, but what a place to drive from. Oh, and those beautiful triple lights.. beautiful... but shocking in snow, as they just trapped it and made everything go dark... remember driving back from a gig in Glasgow in a snowstorm, only the inside lane open, and had to pull over every few miles to clear the headlamps... would I have another... absolutely... (and my current is a 330d x drive.. way way quicker ) but the Alfa made me feel special... got written off because someone hit the front wing in a car park (Seriously)... damaged the bonnet, lights and wing (£190 for second-hand lights.. OEM no longer available) .
Great car great choice , i daily drive my brera 2.4 i put a stage 1 remap and removed dpf , i lowerd it and the car is a beast on the road great in the corners , apsolutely amazing car to drive , and the best design ever.
We Lanoguarded my Son’s Type R 2-3 years ago. At the recent MOT the garage said it was epic underneath 🤭🤭 - We swear by the stuff.
Glad to hear this I have some waiting to go under my classic Saab, MX5 and LS400.
I bet you bash it around in the salt in the winter too...
I agree, just a shame it smells like cow 💩 when being applied. They need to get some better fragrance in there
Mike, you know that vibe you were on for the first 5 minutes of this video? That's what I'm on every single day at work because I work in an insanely poor school setting. You gotta stay positive even if the subframe is collapsing.
Not designed for UK weather... looks like it's been parked under the sea for a couple of years. What shame. Well done for giving life again! My 18-year-old Brera is near perfect. It's the country, not the car.
Finally I understand, what „superleggera“ stands for! 😂
Translucent. 😂
I think Mike is such a brilliant presenter for this content, as ever! Absolutely have to get clarkson driving this once it’s finished.
It still amazes me that my 52 year old classic Saab has never been welded. As far as im aware it was Ziebart protected from new.
It's hard to believe that car is 17 years old now!
Owning over 25 AR´s this is nothing ;) I´m not the smartest but i love cars. Keep on, it´s paying you back in terms of driving and feelings. Love from Sweden.
That frame remids me of the '67 Mustang GT I acquired in '85. Fortunately it was given to me for free by a family friend, the original owner. Ultimately I had to sell it for parts.
Having fixed a holed exhaust with some Gun Gum and a Baked bean tin can with a couple of jubilee clips you over spent on that fix.
😂 gotta love an exhaust bodge. But in their defence, it's going full stainless in a few weeks, so absolutely no point doing anything more to the old rusty stock exhaust
Finally someone calls it for what it is, a hatchback!
I love these but they are so hard to find one
Just make 2 little holes in the subframe pockets.
lanoguard is useless for a car as rusty as this. you really need a proper rust converter like dinitrol rc900 or bilt hamber hydrate80 then maybe dynax S50 on top
Did Mike drop a molly before this or something?
I liked the sweet Mike. He seems to have been replaced with an arrogant pr%ck.
what's a "molly", please.
yep unwatchable absolute muppet
Dude, it's been years since I've seen a 1st Gen Fiat Ulysse, my dad had one in the mid-90s, how nostalgic!
Max was great on camera, lad
I forgot how old these cars are now, it was a favourite of mine when it came out in 05 when i was about 13.
As subframes go….. that’s worse than we used to get with the classic mini 😂😂😂
I love the Superleggerra comment made by one of the crew
Always wanted a Brera, but could not bear thinking of all the problems, much less dealing with 'em. Also the performance issue... Really looking forward to this one. Great project.
@@MrPrajitura, I hear you, but after having enough problems with my previous car, I'm sticking to something a little newer now. But, who knows, I might get one as a project after all - if the opportunity presents itself.
The Brera had nice individual styling details on the outside but for me they didn't gel together all that well. The inside however was fantastic.
Wow, the salted roads have done its work, It's like Suisse cheese.Still, you caught it just in time, Mike.The Alfa will be solid again. I love your enthusiasm, mate.. Great stuff
Get back on that Rover 620ti Mike, give the people what they want!
Please no, id rather have an eye infection than a Rover.
🎶 track? It’s *Mosaic Mist* by *Dusty Decks* - and yes we are THRILLED to be your trusted provider.
ruclips.net/video/P6IJr94rqwA/видео.html
// Epidemic Sound
Don't worry, my 10k Abarth is too, it'll get better the more you spend on it!!
Without watching this, if it was Clarkson, it's probably a wreck...even matt Armstrong would struggle to bring that back to life
And you've just shown watching the video first before commenting is the sensible thing to do.....
Mikes presentation and comfort in front of the camera grows by the upload. It's great to see him relax into the job more and just have a bit more fun and be a bit more daft than his early days.
Long may he upload cool videos!
6:15 Clarkson doesnt give a monkeys about this channel he would never do that 😆
Weirdly, I thought they were doing the fake-out over Ben Collins.
Like it OBVIOUSLY isn't Ben Collins, so I wonder who else it might be.... ohhh.... I see it's just Ben.... again..... :(
I’m no H&S expert but I have had dust, rust and flecks of metal give me enough grief to know you have to look after yourself!
Those strut yokes breaking is caused by over tightening. I had it happen when I worked in an Alfa dealer back in 09 on a car that wasn’t old
When this is done, they have to give it to Clarkson to do a mini road test right? that would be the best ending to this series
Mike saying "ALFA" into the camera deadpan 💀💀💀💀💀
There’s something mesmerizing about watching the Stig, the driving demigod that doesn’t know how a phone or oyster card are supposed to work; yet has no problem getting his hands dirty underneath an Alfa. What a chap lol
You know he's not the Stig right? Ben Collins was the Stig.
@@chriswvtr Admittedly; But that’s why I like Ben. He’s the Stig I remember watching as a kid, when I first saw top gear
Car itself looks clean underneath,assemblies rusty,better than lots of VW/Bmw i see with wheel arches,sills rotted.
"super leggerro" funny AF
I'm suddenly hearing "cheerful Charlie" from Clarkson's Farm in Ben's voice 😵💫
"What makes them wrong"
"They're different"
lmfao.
Passed 8 days ago, should get that sorted tho 🤣!- Offside Front Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))
A rule. Always carry a sample when going for spares😂
Never use an impact gun on alloy uprights... i found this out when i fitted coilovers to my old E91 beamer 🤦♂️
I love the thought of an Alfa, but the perception of pain kills the idea.
For everyone whining about the antics included in the video and how they do things. If you don't like it, don't watch. Simple 🤷♂️
Loving having Ben Collin’s involvement
Should have safety glasses on under the car with all that flaking rust 😉
"Broken" is an Alfa's default state, anything else violates the laws of nature..
I love the way you and ben hate each other and at the same time love each other 😂😂
When the camera zoomed in on Mike's face, I was totally expecting "in the bin"
With that zoom in at 3:37 I naturally expected him to say "In the bin"
This is a similar story to that was on AutoAlex. Taylor bought a Red one that was in a terrible condition.
When you have done the car and gave it a little tune you should take it to misha for a lap around the Nürburgring
You should get Clarkson to drive it when it's done.
honestly glad you went with 18s instead of 19s
I don't understand why some cars look like that after just a few years.
The likely culprit IMHO: Standing salty water inside the subframe.
It seems like it's really hard for some car designers/engineers to put in drains at the low spots 🤦♂️
My car failed it’s MOT for a hole in the exhaust 3 years ago. I stuffed some exhaust putty in the hole and it passed the test. It’s passed twice since. We can’t all afford custom exhaust systems.
Superleggera😂
Ben will always be the stig to me
Done plenty of those exhaust patches in my time… :).
They definitely do their job in times of desperation.
Superleggera 😂
EDIT: Alfa mechanic but drives a Honda... sensible man.
Bought an Alfa, and is surprised it's more rusted than expected..
Still looks modern, sharp. Top design. Beautiful car🤘
Can I recommend gas strut clamps for that bonnet for anything other than checking the oil/screenwash.
9:24
The lap time was 1.36.9- I used to have the top gear top trumps!
Anyone else mainly remember this as the Exotic starter car from NFS: Carbon?
Yeah, I usually started with the RX-8 in order to get hold of Kenji's RX-7 first. You could take that pretty far into the game. But I always got hold of a Brera somewhere along the line with each playthrough. Carbon was a fantastic game.
i like how mike says "we gonna go fuel custom" :D
Nfs carbon nostalgia.
Yup
#BenCollins, From Stig to Rust Prevention on a Alfa. What a career move. LOL.
Serious serious question. How do you keep your hat so clean and white? That would last about .0007 of a second with me working on something
ask Audi A4 B7 owners what they know about cracking that front suspension items. Its not an Alfa-only thing ;) Breathe.
Would a torque wrench stop it from happening?
I’m so glad that I live in a country where the climate doesn’t devour the car.
3:40 truly alfa
Wish drive tribe could use the airfield fully and use the studios and such.
One day I'm sure they will. 😊
Imagine all the 70's British cars that would still be around if the anti-rust products had been around back then and had been applied right away after the cars had been purchased new. 😂
he's like a yogi, protecting the vibe throughout the video
Should have dropped me a line. I’m breaking a 2.4 and have the forks available. Also have a pair of almost new brembo drilled front disks with ebc pads
time to get Clarkson on the channel for once. We the fans deserve it !
Man that workshop is dark and un loved 😂
You guys literally said you were going to use a Ryobi impact gun on everything and now you regret it after cracking the knuckles😂😅
ngl edging to the subframe is insane
I'm just picturing Mike and Ben as door to door salesmen for Lanoguard...
The look on Mike's face on the thumbnail ia *classic* 🤣
4:30 made me think Alex Brooker grew proper arms.
That question in the title answers itself😂
Did they consider drilling out new drainholes for the subframe so water can not😮 accumulate in it??
My dream car is a 3.2. I test drove one from a "supers and classics dealer" the wheel fell off during the test drive...