BUYING GUIDE Mk3 Golf Rust

[madmanmart]

Thought I would do a rust buyers guide for the Mk3 for anyone who is looking to buy one.

Remember Kids, I bought this car so you don't have to

Right the car, a 1996 GTI Colour Concept.




From the outside a nice looking GTI with a good very service history and mileage of about 120k.




Ok onto rust. We all know (hopefully) to look over the bodywork for rust. random scabs on doors ect. are too common.
But a very common place - The tailgate.











The plastic arch kit on the Mk3 is a terrible design and holds moisture against the bodywork, also the front wings holds dirt at the bottom often causing the wing to rot out. So upon removal.....












Next sills..

Upper, where the rubber door seal meets at the bottom.




Lower, at the front jacking points (note this cars sills have been bodged up earlier in life).




Lastly Foors..

The rubber bungs in the floors let moisture in causing them to rot out.


 

These are just common places but Mk3s can rust everywhere.

[dom]

Fook me

Another fairly common place is along the top of the windscreen

[Bellend]

Don't understand it.

My 92' on 60K, not a spot of rust.

My 96' on 108K tiny surface rust on upper sill which has been sorted.

Dads's 96' on 140K, fairly rusty everywhere.

Spose it's about how it's been treated.

[madmanmart]

Fook me

Another fairly common place is along the top of the windscreen

  Agreed

But on this car the top of the screen is rust free which was very surprising.

[thai-wronghorse]

My 97 16v with 114k only has a tiny bit of bubbling on the bottom of the drivers door and is barely noticeable, apparently it was treated by the previous owner anyway so it's not bothered me to much. My last mk3 had only a couple of pin prick rust spots on the door leading edges where the paint had been knocked so when i see the state of some of these cars I think myself quite lucky.
Ive just removed all the GTI arch trims and there isn't a single sniff of the metal worm under there either! 

[Wayne]

That has to be one of the worst mk3's I have seen 

[AudiA8Quattro]

That needs to be scrapped 
The problem on some mk3's was the quality of steel used, its not the only car or manufacturer to suffer rust problems in that era.

[thai-wronghorse]

That really is a heap of crap above, surely the cost of repairing that to an adequate level far exceeds the cost of another solid shell?

[Wayne]

That really is a heap of crap above, surely the cost of repairing that to an adequate level far exceeds the cost of another solid shell?

Never worth repairing tbh, too much strength gone from the shell.

[thai-wronghorse]

was this vehicle dredged up from the bottom of the Mersey by any chance?