Fender rusting... TSB info eeded, rust warranty info

Ok, I have done some searching, but I can not seem to find something I have seen before.

I have the following rust problems with my 99.5 Jetta.

My front passenger and rear driver side wheel wells are rusting pretty badly.

The front driver side wheel well has a 2 inch spot where the paint has peeled. There is some surface rust there. And finally the rear passenger wheel well is completely fine.

But I do have a rust bubble that is about a cm big on the rear passenger door.

Could someone please tell me where I might find the TSB concerning the rust in the wheel well. ALSO, is there not a rust through warranty on our cars? Does the bubble on my door have to burst for this to be in effect?


Any information or advise would be gladly accepted.

Thanks, Pete

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=212633&highlight=rust+Tsb

From what I read, GOOD LUCK.

First, it is a piece of foam on the inside of the fender, rubbing off the inside coating, allowing rust to form on the inside of the fender, then rusting through from the inside.

Now if you have rust anywhere else, it's from stone chips or parking lot dings. Not covered by warranty.

Also see here for some more pics:
http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q_how_to/a4/fender_rust.htm

The rust warranty only covers perforation - a hole that started underneath the metal and eats a hole - not surface rust. The tsb is an exception.

In addition, you don't point out where the rust on the front fenders is. If it is in the rear lower side, close to the home of iron termites that VW engineered in behind the fender liners there, then the TSB will not apply.

If it is in the middle, at the top of the wheel well, then just convince the service manager, and you're in.

The 2002's had a recall on fenders...but other than that I don't think there's anything.

I just had mine done under the TSB. No problems. Pretty sure that the dates covered are not just 2002, mines an 01'

Ditto.

out of curiosity because my fenders are fine. what was the recall on the 2002s for?

OK, here is the update (about a month late). I took my car over to Seacoast VW in Greenland, NH with the TSB in hand. I proceeded to talk to a Service Rep. and showed him the TSB. He said that the dealer has seen a "couple" of these cars with this problem. After a few minutes of looking at both of my front fenders the Service Rep. went inside the dealership and brought out the Service Manager to look over the car.
After we talked a little bit the dealership sent me over to Portsmouth AutoBody to get an estimate for the car. While I was driving over to the shop the dealership faxed my car info to the autobody shop and they had everything they needed to look my car over.
So I got an estimate and waited for a call from Seacoast VW to get approval.
A few days later I received a call and was "approved". Dropped my car off at Portsmouth AutoBody and picked it up a couple of days later. Here is what they did. My passenger side fender was replaced and my driver side was fixed. The fenders look great and the paint blends in well.
Guys, this is a 10 year old car and this work got done. I am extremely pleased.

Good luck, Pete

Had mine done too... http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?p=2650802#post2650802

Does anybody know if this also applies in Canada?

I've got exactly the same problem on my driver's wheel well. A fairly big paint chip is missing with a bit of surface rust underneath on the metal, but no perforation. I could peel more paint off if I wanted to, but I don't obviously. It's been that way since about May/June. I was washing the car and the water got under it and off it came.

I've been putting off getting it fixed but I'm happy and interested now that I discovered this TSB. I just might give the stealer a call to see what can be done about it. There are only two stealers in Winnipeg, and they hate one another, so hopefully at least one of them will play ball.

yes, it applies to Canada. Many of us east coasters have had it done. I had 2 new fenders put on my 99.5 Jetta.

Sweet! Just a quick question for you then.. How did you go about getting it done? Did you have to call VW or just talk to the dealer?

You guys have way worse problems with rust because of the ocean than we prairie folk do. My neighbour is from NB and he tells me all kinds of crazy stories about cars rusting and snow piling up 10 feet high and stuff. He's a bit crazy too, but I think that's a fairly standard feature for east coasters

Ideally I'd now like to get this done around Christmas because I will be in the UK for a couple weeks so my car can sit in a shop if need be, and there will also be NO MORE FREAKIN CONSTRUCTION!!! They're redoing #1 by my place and for 28km both directions are moved over to the westbound lanes. I've already lost a windshield to it, the last thing I need is a stone chip in a brand new fender.

I too am wondering how to get this done. The local dealers won't even look at it, and the next closest dealer is approx 250km away as far as I know. This TSB has to be an exception to the rust warrenty, not the powertrain warrenty correct?

Had mine both changed in August via the dealer in Belleville, work done at one of the local body shops.
Went in with a copy of the TSB, owners manual marked at the corrosion warranty section and part about care and upkeep, and a note book.
Introduced myself to the service manager, asked his name and wrote it down. Then told him why I was there and we went and looked at my car. The right fender was perforated and the left missing paint.
he told me there would be no problem and asked that I run to the shop for photos so they could begin the process.
I'm happy with new fenders on a 9 year old car for nothing.