All Things Mk5 > How to Guides / Troubleshooting

Rust on sills

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rubdub:
Hey lads, so I have a bit of bubbling paint just above my side skirts, hoping not under my side skirts as well..

Here's a pic, small bit like this on either side of the car



First time tackling something like this, so any advice is greatly appreciated!

Planning on taking off the skirts, sanding back the bubbling to see what's there. Hoping it hasn't eaten too far into the metal!
Should I use a rust remover/preventer on the area once it's been stripped back? Would an etch primer be best for an undercoat?

Thanks!

Clarkj93:
I've done this recently. Like all rust repair jobs, when you start treating you find more in places you didn't expect! While mine looked pretty nasty when I uncovered it all it was all entirely still just surface rust so no hard-core corrosion to worry about so worth doing but didn't need doing immediately like I initially thought.

I sanded down what I could and left any bits in extremely tight fiddly places and then covered all in por-15 rust converter. Then primed, painted and lacquered on my drive. Not a bad driveway paint attempt but certainly not proffessional outcome, and I got fed up with my knackered side skirts not fitting so now run no skirts at all lol! Mine is function over cosmetics though so doesn't bother me.

It may look bad below and make you worry about yours but remember it's all surface still and I bet you majority of cars on the road even "rust free" ones look this when you peel away a bit of flaking paint or sealer or wheel liners.

Here's some snaps:

rubdub:
Ah cheers for that write up, yeah defo just thinking it's just surface rust.. but want to nip it in the bud before it gets any worse. I have an old rover mini which I'm dealing with a whole new front end at the moment.. so I think that's what's putting a fire under me with the golf now  :grin:

You took your wings off as well? Hadn't actually even thought of that!

What did you use to take back the paint? don't know if an angle grinder and flap disc is too handcore for such a tight area...

shail:
Mine was very similar to the above photos.  I didn't take off the whole side skirt, just undid the screws on the underside and pulled just the end of the skirt away - saves having to re glue the whole thing.

I also took the wings off, as you'll have rust behind them.

Clarkj93:
As said you need to take them off to get full access.

I used metal wire drill bit for most of I think and various sandpaper grades for exposed areas like the sills. Alot of what you see is either the paint had flaked away so just a bit of any old sandpaper will get rid of the flaking paint and also the seam sealer simply peeling off leaving un touched clean metal under neath. And for anything that is not covered in seam sealer or not hidden away then yeah would use some far more fine material to get a good finish.

The metal wire was more than up to the job, would only want something less coarse really as it was a bit much from time to time but it was hidden away areas anyway so just painted over it and no one will know. a angle grinder flap disc may be a bit much unless you have a very steady hand!

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