Fender/rocker panel rusting: what to do? Any recourse with dealer/VW?

[lukelbd]

Here are some pics:

I downloaded the TSB regarding sound-proofing foam that absorbs water behind the panels/fenders (known by VW to produce rust here), and I'm familiar with the 12-year anti corrosion warranty. Do you guys think this is worth going to the dealer over/could possibly be covered by VW? It seems there's no complete perforation.

Also, unfortunately I think the original owner purchased 12 years ago... in MAY (so a matter of months). Perhaps it's 12 years after manufacture year, or I could still convince someone with some talking?

If I have no chance/am rejected, how should I treat it? I did buy splash guards recently, but have been waiting to figure out what to do about the rust first. Should I just rub it down with some rust treatment (any suggestions?), then cut out some 3M tape, lay it down, and fix the splash guards on top? Any other treatments/recommendations you'd have (e.g. sanding the crust away)?

 

[mk3]

The foam leads to rust at the 12 o'clock position (top dead center) of the fender so it's not related to what you show in the picture.

Sorry, but splash guards may not help. I installed them on my car at 90K miles and they ended up rubbing the paint off and caused a line of rust where they touched. Maybe there was a way to install them with a gap so they would not touch... but then wind pushes them back. If you install splash guards be careful that they will not rub on the paint. Also, they create a new area for saltwater and debris to collect.

No harm in asking the dealer about the warranty. You could try going strictly by the book and if you car is out of their warranty period technically, my opinion is you will be better off dropping it.

The fenders are pretty easy to remove. If you do that and have a decent place to work you might be able to do a halfway decent repair using aerosol spray paint...depending on your patience and how much time you can dedicate to the repair.

 

[VincenzaV]

OP-If you are anywhere in the generous rust warranty, file a claim. Don't suggest anything (environmental factors) other than shoddy workmanship. My 2004 had rust on the fenders, AFTER the TSB "fix". My rust on the fenders was no where as bad as yours, they replaced them. As well as the DS door, rear wagon hatch, and refinished the rockers and the DS A-pillar exterior. I probably got $5000 worth or parts/paint/labor for FREE....

I'm so glad VW took care of me, no doubt they are trying to save face in the public, so their might have been back channel com. asking dealers to favor the customer (for now). I have heard of others filing the claim get denied. Well, find another VW dealer and file through them or appeal. It's like any issue, the squeaky wheel gets the grease!

***EDIT*** I just saw the May part. That sucks you are out of the warranty. I'd try it from the angle that that is not four months worth of rust, it obviously started before May. They may stick to their guns and deny the claim though. Never know...

 

[astonishedboy]

My rust is much worse than this... I've been putting it off for too long now, but I was well beyond the warranty period anyway. I think the splash guards make it worse... moisture collects and it doesn't dry out.

 

[Prairie Chicken]

wondering what the inside of the inner fender looks like? I was replacing my IF's and found about 5 inches of dirt/leaves/gunk settled right there waiting to rust out that very spot. Fortunately I got to it before any damage done.

 

[VincenzaV]

Prairie Chicken is correct. It gets packed in so tightly with the vibrations of the road, I needed a screwdriver to use as a pick to get it out! Very bad design...Consider it a minimum of once a year maintenance to ad to the list...

 

[gforce1108]

On my personal Jetta, I went through VW but it was a royal pain... If your dealership doesn't have a paint shop on-site, you can pretty much forget about getting it covered. The body shop I'm friends with did me a favor and did the work for the ridiculous amount VW approves.
For the jetta I'm working on now, I found used fenders in great shape real cheap in the correct color (one I think was only $30?). I cleaned and painted everything behind them and used a hammertone paint to simulate the rustproofing on the rockers:
Crap behind fender:


Cleaning/painting:

Good used fender:
Good used fender:

 

[BobnOH]

I sanded down the rocker panel area to bare metal (left 2 pin holes), would have been better to cut it out and weld in a new piece of metal. Replacing the whole rocker looks like a lot of work.
Link to my resto

 

[commanderjjones]

Saw the same thing on mine when I removed the fender skirt yesterday. It was full of leaves and dirt packed so hard that it took a screwdriver to remove it. Oddly enough, only the driver side fender is rusting, and it is BAD.......as in there's already a 2" hole through the fender and front section of rocker panel. But the passenger side looks like new. I didn't buy the car until 2010, so I think the previous owner may have had the passenger side fender replaced while it was still under warranty. Seems odd that (knowing there was an issue) they wouldn't have replaced BOTH sides.

 

[1854sailor]

...Also, unfortunately I think the original owner purchased 12 years ago... in MAY (so a matter of months). Perhaps it's 12 years after manufacture year, or I could still convince someone with some talking? ...

It is 12 years from the original sale date, so you'd probably have a fight on your hands.

 

[Oo-v-oO]

gforce, my new-to-me 2000 Golf looked just like that when I pulled the inner fender liner out. Amazing how much crap was packed in there.
I am pulling the fender to replace it because it has a big chunk missing due to rust right where the foam piece is. I have all the fasteners off, so far as I know, except for the two that are hidden behind the bumper skin. Does the bumper skin have to come off to get to those bolts? Bentley doesn't say, but it sure seems that way...

 

[UhOh]

There are some plastic bracket pieces on the fenders that the bumper skin hooks on to. You need to slip the bumper skin off in oder to free the fenders. There's a video on youtube by BMAC VAGS on removing MK4 fenders.

 

[Oo-v-oO]

Thanks!

 

[red16vdub]

It is 12 years from the original sale date, so you'd probably have a fight on your hands.

This is correct it's the actual purchase date that matters not the manufactured date.


Bajan

 

[Tdijarhead]

This rust is a result of not cleaning out that area behind the fender liner. I do mine once a year in the spring. Its usually full of crap. I think vw will probably thank you for checking with them but politely tell you to fix it yourself.

You don't have to remove the entire fender liner to get at that area, just the 3-4 screws in that immediate area and you can bend it out. Then hose it or use compressed air, or your fingers and clean it out.

 

[BobnOH]

This rust is a result of not cleaning out that area behind the fender liner. I do mine once a year in the spring. Its usually full of crap. I think vw will probably thank you for checking with them but politely tell you to fix it yourself.

You don't have to remove the entire fender liner to get at that area, just the 3-4 screws in that immediate area and you can bend it out. Then hose it or use compressed air, or your fingers and clean it out.

O.K., now where did I put that time machine!
It took me a year to figure out what oil to use. 4 years and 2 small batteries to figure out I needed a Group 91R.
Someone did a mod thread on leaving off the bottom fastener so you could easily clean it frequently. Shoulda woulda done that.

 

[Tdijarhead]

Tell me about it, I learned on my 2000. You ought to see the rust, top of fender well, dog legs and rockers. I'm trying to keep it at bay on my 05.

 

[Oo-v-oO]

Passenger side of my 2000 Golf, after I dug out all the crap, poked and prodded with a screwdriver. it looked tender but intact when I started.

I'm going to patch the holes with recycled galvanized hot air ductwork. Won't look perfect, but it is easy to work with and rust resistant, and the galvanized finish will blend in with the grey paint. Luckily, the rot there is not structural and just past the bad spot it looks as good as new.

 

[lukelbd]

So it was definitely purchased in May 2004. I contacted my local VW dealership, they basically said they'd get back to me with a VW representative but don't hold my breath. So frustrated that I was so careless; I'd vaguely heard of the warranty but didn't think to check it out. Have only had the car for the past year. Will try another dealership after this if I'm rejected (it seems to have exceptionally good ratings), then give up.

In the mean time I welcome further suggestions on how to treat this myself/mitigate further spread.

I'm thinking the splash guards might indeed be a long term solution if I grind the rust away first; I would apply a spray and protective film first, put on the guards, then change out the film annually. Does that seem reasonable?

This rust is a result of not cleaning out that area behind the fender liner. I do mine once a year in the spring. Its usually full of crap. I think vw will probably thank you for checking with them but politely tell you to fix it yourself.

You don't have to remove the entire fender liner to get at that area, just the 3-4 screws in that immediate area and you can bend it out. Then hose it or use compressed air, or your fingers and clean it out.

Will check it out later today.

 

[BobnOH]

Try your best to hold VW to it if you're within the 12 years. Maybe even try another dealership.
I didn't, ended up buying 2 fenders and 2 hardware kits for $230 (negotiated price). They were primer. The rest was sanded, rust-primed, should have replaced a bit of metal on the driver's side rocker, but it came out nice. Yours doesn't look as bad as mine did, but you can't tell til you start into it. For used fenders try car-part.com or local, ypu'll save some cash if you find one the same color. Definitely do the TSB, get a hardware kit.

 

[Rembrant]

In the mean time I welcome further suggestions on how to treat this myself/mitigate further spread.

I'm thinking the splash guards might indeed be a long term solution if I grind the rust away first; I would apply a spray and protective film first, put on the guards, then change out the film annually. Does that seem reasonable?

Replace the rusted steel, or sand blast it, then prime and paint. Apply rustproofing spray anywhere and everywhere you can. I get my cars sprayed annually (inside and out...and by inside I mean inside the body panels). Otherwise, rattle cans of spray on rustproofing work well if you get it in all the right areas. The stuff is messy, but it works. My Golf hasn't been done since Nov 2015, and it's still leaks out of the doors and hatch. Personally, I love it, but many do not.

 

[JohnTso]

What is the hardware kit referenced in this thread? Am I to understand that you need this kit to reinstall the front fender well once you have removed them?

I think I found the fender hardware kit referneced here in the thread.

 

[Dimitri16V]

Funny thing is , the MK7s will still rust on the same spots
They have foam shoved between the gender and rocker panel to cut down on wind noise

 

[gforce1108]

Funny thing is , the MK7s will still rust on the same spots
They have foam shoved between the gender and rocker panel to cut down on wind noise

NMS (12+) passats too... the foam actually expanded when it froze last year causing my mudflaps to rub on the wheel:

 

[lukelbd]

So I'm trying to come up with a TO-DO list for how to treat the rust. Took it to a very highly-rated local dealer and they basically told me "no chance" in terms of warranty, so that's that. I'd like to be able to accomplish this with some basic hand tools; don't really want to buy a sandblaster or attempt re-painting on my own. Kind of a noob here. Here's what I have so far:

1) Clean the affected area and some of the surface/paint rust (this post recommends doing so with some opti-clean to first get rid of dirt, then a clay bar and nanoskin lube to get some of the rust -- will that work?)
2) Manually dig out the bigger rusted chunks with e.g. a screwdriver+hammer.
3) Sand down the remaining rust with, say, sandpaper (??) or some other tool (I also have some wire brushes -- those are pretty good for this purpose, right?)
4) Apply lots of rustproofing spray (and I guess get some masking tape/paper so I can restrict application to the affected areas?)
5) Patch the "holes" somehow (have no idea how to go about that, or if the rust would be extensive enough to require patching; would Oo-v-oO's solution [posted here] require a lot of new tools?)

These next points are as much for aesthetic reasons as protection -- will hide the damage:
6) Apply either fluid-film (encouraged by this post) OR 3M tape cut out in the shape of the guards (encouraged by this post) to the front fenders/panels -- which do you guys think will have the most longevity?
7) Install the splash guards (I already purchased these last summer)
8) Take off the flaps and re-apply the anti-corrosion spray, as well as the film / tape: do this every year, more frequently, or less frequently?

I welcome input on any or all of these points. Thanks in advance.

 

[Oo-v-oO]

My description definitely works, though the aesthetics may not be to everybody's liking. Here in NH where they throw road salt around to excess, body rot is a constant.
I snapped a few pictures when I patched some rust on my old '92 S-10.
Here are all the tools I used, minus a hammer:

What was just a small hole on the surface opened up to this once I started poking and prodding:

Sometimes I use a piece of thin cardboard, like a cereal box, to make a pattern using scissors to shape it then transfer the outline to your sheet metal with a Sharpie. I think in this case I just measured and cut the metal a little oversize then trimmed and rounded the edges before shaping the curve by hand over a metal edge - probably the edge of my backhoe bucket, but I don't remember for sure.
I'll take the opportunity to stress, WEAR YOUR LEATHER GLOVES! you can really rip yourself up badly on the sharp metal edges.

Once it fits nice and snug and you're happy with the results, place it on the appropriate spot on the body and drill an 1/8" hole through one corner. Sometimes a pair of vice-grips or a C-clamp will help to hold it in place. Pop-rivet it in place and check for fit - if all looks good, continue drilling and riveting.
I prefer to use stainless steel rivets. Aluminum doesn't last very long in this environment.

All riveted on, but the edges aren't tucked down like they should be due to the curvature of the rocker panel:

Here's where you use the hammer, to gently turn down the edges:

At this point, you can leave it as-is, or spray some of that rubberized undercoating in a spray can on, or apply some paint. As you can see from the older patch, paint doesn't stick to the galvanized coating very well.
Another option is to spray on some of the undercoating before applying the patch, this can get rather messy, though.
For this type of a repair, I wouldn't bother using Bondo to smooth things out.
Sorry about the quality of the pictures - I didn't have a very good camera when I did this job. If there is any interest, I can document my fix on the Golf when I do it.