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| 1991 VW Golf Mk2 with Rusty Rear Wheel Arch/Sill Repaired |
Car: 1991 VW Golf Mk2
Colour: Marine Blue
Rust, The Cars Worst Enemy!
After a few years, most cars will begin to have some rusted areas. Certain areas on certain makes/models of cars will be more prone to rust than other areas. Although wheel arches, seams, and sills, are usually the areas to look out for.
This VW Golf Mk2 had a patch of rust and bubbling paint, which could be seen to be coming out from underneath the rear plastic wheel arch trim. This suggested that underneath might be worse!
The rear wheel arch trim was removed and the problem was quite bad. It's possible that some lodged dirt/debris had started it all some years back. A hole was beginning to appear in the bodywork. As soon as this was touched it all went straight through, creating a much bigger hole.
The area was cleaned up, with all the lose flaking rust being removed. A drill with a wire brush attachment was used to do this. Then the edges were all knocked inwards slightly, so that the area would be much easier to overfill.
The rust was treated with a rust killer liquid which would also help prevent the problem reoccurring. This was painted/brushed on the surface and was also dabbed on the rear side to prevent it from rusting through from the other side.
The hole was too big to just try and fill with car body filler and so a piece of wire aluminium mesh was cut to a size to fit. Then to hold the wire mesh in place, a small amount of the epoxy car filler was mixed and then used to fix it to the vehicle.
Once the mesh was set in place, more filler was mixed and then applied to the hole. This was filled to a depth deeper than required, so that it could be sanded down level afterwards.
The hardest part when attempting any car bodywork repairs, is getting the required finish of the filler so that it is perfectly level with the surrounding paintwork. This only comes with a lot of practice and patience.
You can build up the filler in stages if required, and you should always be willing to add some more filler back on, even after you have tried to level it (sometimes you may just need a bit of undercoat/primer sprayed on, to help you see the finish you have achieved so far, before over filling again). You may also need to go over it again finely to hide any pin pricks that may have appeared in the filler.
It can be worth getting someone else to attempt the filling stage if you are not confident enough to get it right. Also it's worth masking off all of the surrounding areas as using the fillers can be messy and any mistakes could create even bigger problems. (Don't forget to check if any trim will refit over the top though, and the finish under such trim does not have to be as neat).
You should smooth the surface down with different grades of wet & dry paper, using smoother and smoother grades until you end up with a glass like finish. Once you are happy that you have achieved this effect then you are ready to paint.
The paint should be applied as an undercoat, and a top coat. Unless you are painting a whole panel, then you may wish to re-mask the area you are painting in between these stages as we did. Doing this will help prevent any undercoat showing through at the edges of the painted area. It will also allow you to smooth the undercoat down as we did for an even better final result.
You may have to buff up the paint in a few weeks time, just to blend it in better and give it a better finish.
Then once you have completed this and all other rusty areas satisfactory, then, quick sell the car, before the rust comes back!
Only Joking!
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