Mk1 Common Rot Areas Underneath?

[mrben]

Hello all. Looking for info on where to direct my underseal, underneath, as m.o.t. Coming up. Is there any really common rot areas underneath to look out for? Thanks.

[gazmech]

Sills

[mrben]

Ok thanks.

[seatkid]

From my experience -

 

Do remove the plastic wheel liners - especially the front wheel ones - clean out the dirt in the area where the outer wing meets the inner wing/engine bulkhead - there will be lots of rust there because of blocked drainage underneath.

 

Front crossmembers just behind the front wheels - check the underseal is not cracked - if it is (and its most likely) then peel it back - you will probably see lots of rot there that needs to be knocked out/fixed or cleaned up. Note the inside of the front members likely to be full of dried up mud, despite the drain holes.

 

Rear suspension, around the mounts - lots of rust.

 

Leading bottom edge of the rear wheel arches, and trailing bottom edges of front wheel arches.

 

If your sill lips have been damaged/bent (a lot of dealers/garages do this when incorrectly jacking the car) then the sills lips will be rusting. Unbend them and clean them properly before priming/painting/sealing.

 

Remove the spare wheel, you may see a fair amount of rust around/inc the the spare wheel winch.

 

I have rust around the rear tailgate lock - this will require removing the trim in the tailgate and I expect to find a fair bit of rust in the bottom of the tailgate - it seems common in all VAG cars due to lack of paint/protection inside and poor drainage.

 

Otherwise - just get a good lamp and lie underneath and give it a good inspection.

[mrben]

Thanks for all that seatkid. Sorry for late reply.

[Joey P]

Thanks for the info