Rust above the front door hinge

Yes, this is a common fault. The reason is that this area is not strong enough and whenever the door opens against the check strap, it flexes the area which had been softened by the welding (this can be easily observed by looking at the top hinge area while opening the door against the check strap: you will see the metal around the hinge moving in and out). The hinge cracks eventually but also flexes and breaks the multilayer seam directly above.

You can repair it by removing the door and the front wing and re-welding the hinge. Weld the top seam first to make sure all three layers are strongly attached to each other. Then weld over the cracks to ensure a lasting repair work. If you grind off the excess weld, then prime and paint it carefully, the repair will be practically invisible.

You could also remove the drain grommet on the inner wing as humidity collecting in the wing can make matters worse.

Malcolm GRAY-STEPHENS