Boo Hoo..and Warning!!

[Arnoldtheskier]

My Escort looked GREAT!..I'ld run it through the carwash..and from 10/20 feet it looked LIKE NEW! MANY.MANY people commented on it!Complimented it!Original paint..only the tiniest little bit of rust(BARELY visable on the bottom of the r/r psgr door.And near the drivers door window.Unerneath..it was EXTREMELY hard! to find fault with..
This car has NEVER! been abused,overloaded,AND has been METCULOUSLY maintained!
True..it was a 93 Wagon
I KNOW a LOT about cars.

I decided to pull off the speaker covers(and the back speakers) to SEE/measure them...

HUNH??????...HUNH????...the strut mounts/towerslmost completely ROTTED OFF..HANGING BY A THREAD!!!! and WORST!!!!!..rotted from the INSIDE out!!!!!!..basically impossible to see from the outside(coverred by the rustproofing)There was about a 1/4" to 1/2 " gap around the tower about 1"down.

I still CAN'T believe that I drove the car yesterday..I wonderred how long it had been that way.I should have known better than to drive it today like that.I did.There is now a 2" gap.The car is NOW NOT roadworthy.

Fortunately..VERY FORTUNATELY! I can and am able to fix this myself..and will.

Not many things on cars have blindsided me..less and less as I get older.I am NO stranger to strut support/tower rot.The boneyards have LOTS AND LOTS! of 9 year old cars and older in them.BUT this simply being unable to see it/detect it.UNLESS you either pulled the speaker out..OR pulled the inside panel off..there is NO WAY to know..C'mon..who would do that????????..pull a speaker out..or the inside panel off to CHECK for strut tower rot.Having to get those little plastic 1 use plugs that break.

Better do it if you have an older Escort (wagon)

Oh well..