Rusted Rocker Panel Thoughts

[GlowBugTDI]

Here is what Herm did to his Golf....

i've always wanted to know if they make something like this for the beetles. It seems really hand in the rust belt!

 

[tgray]

I thought that's what those holes were in the bottom of the car? There's a row down each side.

The big holes should have plugs to seal them up. Many times they fall out and that lets more water in the rocker area. When I sealed mine up with the fiberglass I didn't have any drain any more and had to drill one on the end. There should be a drain on each end of the rocker. I have seen cars that get plugged up and the entire rocker is sloshing around with water inside.

 

[fatmobile]

Yeah, what are those side skirts off of?

 

[Powder Hound]

I like the result. The bottom hole for the fender can be solved with careful cutting and then insert the same thing they originally used. A square hole is provided in my example. Having that last hole keeps the end of the fender from vibrating and causing more rattles and NVH. And all your arguments are good: it is going to be covered by the smyth fiberglass anyway, so protect it with the best coverings you can find.

Cheers!

PH

 

[wonneber]

I don't envy you East coasters. Out here it's unheard of. Never see any rust. Methinks you guys live in the wrong states.

I agree.
When I went to Vegas the first thing I noticed the lack of rust.
On the other hand it seemed like a lot of cars with faded or dull paint.

 

[tgray]

If the bottom part of the fender seems a little loose a dab of the urethane caulk will glue it solid but make sure the paint is good. The problem for those of us who live with salted roads is areas where the moisture gets in and just stays. The factory steel insert square nuts are absolutely the worst combination ever. It chips the paint off and the rust through begins. The square plastic inserts are a little better that they use on the inner fender liner. If I really want to screw something down I have found that lots of calk put around the area and then use a self taping screw. It is a little better as it seals up everything with the caulk. I have used this method on holding down the inner fender liner to the car and never have seen a rust problem around the screw. EVERY car I own now (about 7 tdi's) all have issues except for my repairs on this little hold down screw at the bottom of the fender. Looking back I wished I had removed this problem before it had a chance to begin the rot.

 

[SledDawg2]

Yeah, what are those side skirts off of?

VW MK4 Jetta Bora R32 R VOLKSWAGEN SIDE SKIRTS SIDESKIRTS rockers (1999 - 2004) | eBay

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www.ebay.com

 

[MATPOC]

I got same problem, driver side is worse with a hole right in to the rocker, passenger has not gone through all the way yet.
Picked up nice clean Florida fenders for $90 and was hoping that's all there is to it because previous owner just put some silver tape on it, so I din't realize how bad it is till I pulled it all apart

Wondering how much effort I want to put in to this considering it's 2003 beater with 190k. I hope to keep it for a while, another 100k would be nice, considering how much I already dumped in to this and still dumping...

 

[2002_auto_tdi]

VW MK4 Jetta Bora R32 R VOLKSWAGEN SIDE SKIRTS SIDESKIRTS rockers (1999 - 2004) | eBay

<p></p>.

www.ebay.com

What's the difference between doing that and these? Do those slip on?

New Auction for those...

VW MK4 Jetta Bora R32 R VOLKSWAGEN SIDE SKIRTS SIDESKIRTS rockers (1999 - 2004) | eBay

<p></p>.

www.ebay.com

and these:

Slip-On Rocker pane fits 99-04 Vw Golff, Jett & GTI l 4 Door rust repair-PAIR | eBay

Pair of Slip-On Rocker panels that fits 99-04 VW Golf, Jetta & GTI 4 Door Size 70" x 9" x 6". However, they are less expensive, easier to install, and will make the vehicle look good. For a higher quality stamped steel rocker look up 4099942L.

www.ebay.com

I am not trying to win a beauty contest. I just want to go the easy route to temporary bliss. I am not going to lie.

Thanks.

 

[mkivbren]

Same issue and mine looked like the OPs. I cut back the rust and wire wheeled the surface rust and Por15 coated the rust creep. Proceeded to cap the end with fiberglass. Ordered the CF fenders. Hopefully lasts awhile.

 

[e300d]

wow thats a great repair.

I got very similar rust repair to do on my drives side. Identical issues

I picked up these for my repair

PLATE - (NO LONGER AVAILABLE)

PLATE - (NO LONGER AVAILABLE) (Mfg#1J0810222).

www.ecstuning.com