GolfGTIforum.co.uk
General => Cosmetic and bodywork matters => Topic started by: gibson on 26 July 2004, 16:23
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went to a body repair shop yesterday as on the back of my mk2 both corners are rusting away slightly. Its as if there is a back panel put on the back and where it joins onto the rest of the bodywork, it has rusted. The repair shop said its only minor, about ?80 for both plus the debadging but they said the chances are the rust will come back in the same place and there is nothing you can do to stop this..
Just wanted to know if this is correct?? thanks
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Rust needs moisture to form, if you can stop moisture getting at it, obviously you'll stop the rust. What the bodyshop is saying is they will repair the rust patch, but you'll need to sort any leaks out yourself. This is normal as most people are just happy that the car will be rust free for the next 12 months or so.
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i had rust on the boot of my cab it was where moisture had causes rust along a seam and that eventually went through.
I cured it by sand blasting the rust to bare metal, leaves a completely rust free patch size of a 10p coin, grind any remaining rust out, apply filler and spray.
i removed the bung in the bottom corner to allow water out and sprayed the inside of the panel with wax oil as this has rust repellents. That was 8 months ago and nothing as come back, before that i just rust treated and touched up the rust, it came back a month later.
garages due to time and expense will remove most rust and patch the panel up, they dont have the time to shift it 100%.
can you try and remove most of the rust yourself and let the garage touch it up then, atleast you will know there is bare metal there. if its only just started its taken 10 years to do so treat it right and it should last another 10
if its a water trap in your make sure there is no crap behind the panel that may absorb water and trap it for a period of time.
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I dont fancy myself as a handy man with the rust issue. Would rather pay someone but as you say they dont have the time. How is the best way to tackle this rust, what should i use to remove it and will it not just go into one big hole!!! How do i get behind the panel to see if water/moisture is there. The car is 19 year old and in great nick for its age, runs like a beauty but this rust is spoiling it at the minute....
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can you get me a photo of where the rust is? ill have a look
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yeah i'll take one on me phone today. dont know how to load it onto here but i'll find out somehow
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to take the rear bumpers off is easy, just 2 bolts either side, remove them and get a wire brush to remove the loose rust + then use sand paper until you get to bare metal and then put some rust treatment on it before you take it to the body shop for the work, this might save you a few bob. Just make sure the treated area remains dry until you take it to the body shop.
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took pic's but cant load them on here (dont know how!!) i dont think the bumper needs to come off :-\ the rust is both corners above the bumpers. It seems like the joints on the sheet of metal running across the back. Hard to describe but on both sides where it joins to the rest of the car.. Does that make sense or not????
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yes, it does make sense, you are talking about the rear panel. The reason I said to take the bumpers off was because rust could easily be under the bumpers, if you dont fix that problem at the same time the rust will appear quicker. You probably wont see it under the bumper but it is probably there, I'm talking from experience!
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ok thanks. Got the day off tomorrow so i'll have a look. Not sure about the sanding etc, I'm more electrically minded than body work. Wont it just turn out one horrible scratched patch???
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make sure you have various sandapapers from rough to smooth, statr with the rough and work your way down to the smooth using water and sandpaper together to mke it easier and less dusty. With your final sanding wipe clean with plenty of solvent to remove trace of grease etc before applying any rust treatment and primer. Good luck, perfect weather for this weekends work.
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you need to sand the rust off and hope you reach bare metal if its rusting from the inside out that would be a problem, your car will look a mess at the back with the patches you made but you are having it sprayed atleast you will know the rust has gone.
if the garage said it would come back in a years time i would guess it is rusting from the seam inside out and creating bubbles of rust on the surface, try using the end of a screwdriver and pressing into the material if its bad it will go through and could be rusting on the inside panel if thats the case you have a water trap and that needs to be amended. check the rust first.
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you cant really go wrong, repairing bodywork is an art which takes a bit of practice, have a go after all the garage is doing the major part the spraying.
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Thanks for the info. It doesnt push through with a screwdricer nor is it badly 'bubbled', Looking at it closer, its the bottom edge of the boot door, both seems on the bottom panel and a couple of other spots around the rear light's. am going to have an attempt and see what happens. It's not too bad at the minute so hopefully it wont be too major