Rust prevention opinions needed

[Mr.Broke]

I just picked up a Gti with basically zero rust..anywhere.
This is actually my first Mk3 that didn't have some whole somewhere.( It's about number 12)
My question is..
How can I keep it this way?
I live in New England with no garage.
Is there something I can spray the whole undercarriage that would prevent rust and worse rot.
TIA

[loligagger]

From what i gathered. long term is NO. Short term is yes.
No you cant stop the bottom from rusting. The way they are made- the welds allow for some moment that ultimately cracks the undercoating and lets moisture in. I guarantee you that there is some rust under that undercoating. Look over it with a fine tooth comb and find ANY cracks or tiny seams that are starting and seal them up. aka take off the undercoating in that spot and re coat with some epoxy paint and then re coat. should buy some time. Any tiny scratches or cracks will develop into rust. Every 6 months i do an inspection on my car head to toe while its up for tire rotation and oil changes and i look at all the undersides and such. its a battle to keep it sealed up and for spots to not get worse. I'm just repairing a band aid until its time for a strip/weld/paint job.

[VT-MKJett]

Sure you can do this.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...d-my-car-over-!

[brobs is back]

spray everything down with bar and chain oil periodically over the winter

also.. even though it's cold as balls, get your car washed every once in a while.

[VT-MKJett]

spray everything down with bar and chain oil periodically over the winter

also.. even though it's cold as balls, get your car washed every once in a while.

Enlighten me about this bar n chain oil thing. You have done this? I must say that's a real good idea. What do you do heat it up and spray it with what?

[brobs is back]

it comes in aerosol cans



just periodically douse the **** out of all areas exposed to salt. it won't hurt your car just will make it dirty as hell

[VT-MKJett]

it comes in aerosol cans



just periodically douse the **** out of all areas exposed to salt. it won't hurt your car just will make it dirty as hell

I see. I was thinking of the real thick bar n chain oil that's like syrup. That's a good idea for us winter warriors

[brobs is back]

I mean the thicker stuff would work but you'd probably have to slather it on with a paintbrush and goodluck washing it off

[VT-MKJett]

I mean the thicker stuff would work but you'd probably have to slather it on with a paintbrush and goodluck washing it off

Ha...very true.

[Mr.Broke]

Nice,thanks for the opinions fellas.
Anything else?

[jstn]

The best you could do is to strip all the undercoating off, check and replace any rust issues, and then thoroughly reapply a heavy duty undercoating to the underside of everything (floors, wheel wells, gas tank area, rockers, and so on).

During the winter I'd make sure you keep the underside as clean as you can, especially after the roads are salted.

Ultimately it'll rust because the panels weren't treated like the mk4's were. Your best bet is to garage it and daily something newer....

justin

[ZACHER3tuning]

just garage her for the winter, and get a beater

[VT-MKJett]

The best you could do is to strip all the undercoating off, check and replace any rust issues, and then thoroughly reapply a heavy duty undercoating to the underside of everything (floors, wheel wells, gas tank area, rockers, and so on).

During the winter I'd make sure you keep the underside as clean as you can, especially after the roads are salted.

Ultimately it'll rust because the panels weren't treated like the mk4's were. Your best bet is to garage it and daily something newer....

justin

just garage her for the winter, and get a beater

Yeah that is the best advice...If you own a f'in garage!

[heerschap]

Try this if you can get it. http://www.rustcheck.com/I use the red can (rust inhibitor). pull all the black rubber plugs out from your floor, doors, hatch, etc and spray it in all those holes, in all directions and all your seams, etc. this stuff will creep up your inner door panel like 10 inches and it soaks right through the smallest of pin holes.

[jstn]

I actually rent a garage... but I'll own two bays soon!

justin

[VT-MKJett]

I actually rent a garage... but I'll own two bays soon!

justin

Where I live it is like 195$ a month to store a car in an unheated/no electricity storage unit. It sucks. It would be cheaper to find a beater, but the beaters where I live go for big bucks! They are in high demand I guess.

[heerschap]

a car can still rust in a garage.

[TDIblitzkrieg]

I drilled some holes on the inside edge of the floorboards where they meet the rocker (under the carpet of course- put some rubber plugs in there) that I use to spray fluid film into. The pinch weld area is insanely prone to rust build up due to so many pieces of metal coming together. Ditto the exhaust tunnel seams. The undercoat there is pretty thin and cracks easily from movement.

[VT-MKJett]

MK3's seem to rust just by looking at them.

[heerschap]

MK3's seem to rust just by looking at them.

[ZACHER3tuning]

a car can still rust in a garage.

right, if put away dirty...If you clean it properly, and dont use it when there is salt on the road, you can preserve her.

[heerschap]

a dehumidifier would help too.

[jstn]

a car can still rust in a garage.

yeah maybe if it's a barn or your missing a side of the building.

the garage I rent is two bays and unheated. I've stored my mk4 r32 there for years with no issues and i now store my mk3 tdi there.

as stated, keep the humidity down, wax her up nice and always, always, always cover your car! (with a legit all weather cover: IE. California Car Cover) you'll never have a problem...

justin

[VT-MKJett]

What does it cost to rent something like that around Boston? I almost had a 2 bay garage for 185$ a month and it had electricity, but some skeezer beat me to it by a day. It was a five minute walk from my apartment too. Do car covers absorb moisture or something?

[furryrabbit84]

This might be a GOOD use for plasti-dip. What you want to do is create as much of a barrier as possible between moisture and the exposed metal areas of the car. Fighting corrosion is about half my job as an aircraft maintainer. If you had a semi-sheltered place to park it over the winter you could just encase it in tarp but then you have to worry about mice ect. The military used stuff called cosmoline to pack anything for long term storage. I would bet you could still find it around (it's one of the most costic chemicals around) and tarps soaked in that would KILL ANYTHING THAT ATE IT. Your best bet is to hit any potential spots with a rust converting primer then paint, make sure your paint is good (no underbody chips/ exposed metal) and wash off all the salt 2-3 times a week. Spraying lube at it would help as long you kept a good layer going ALWAYS. In the long run all metal is just trying to return to it's baser eliments so you'll never WIN that fight. Good luck.

[Bariman82]

Pop out all of those rubber plugs in the rockers and hose down the insides with a cavity wax or oil. I use Eastwood Internal Frame Coating and Transtar Amber. Regarding the cracking undercoat, the only real fix is to strip the whole underside, paint and recoat.

[VT-MKJett]

Pop out all of those rubber plugs in the rockers and hose down the insides with a cavity wax or oil. I use Eastwood Internal Frame Coating and Transtar Amber. Regarding the cracking undercoat, the only real fix is to strip the whole underside, paint and recoat.

Those midwest cars are rust magnets apparently.

[Bariman82]

You should see how much salt we use. There's no reason to send the trucks out for a light dusting that doesn't even cover the road.

[Mr.Broke]

This might be a GOOD use for plasti-dip. What you want to do is create as much of a barrier as possible between moisture and the exposed metal areas of the car. Fighting corrosion is about half my job as an aircraft maintainer. If you had a semi-sheltered place to park it over the winter you could just encase it in tarp but then you have to worry about mice ect. The military used stuff called cosmoline to pack anything for long term storage. I would bet you could still find it around (it's one of the most costic chemicals around) and tarps soaked in that would KILL ANYTHING THAT ATE IT. Your best bet is to hit any potential spots with a rust converting primer then paint, make sure your paint is good (no underbody chips/ exposed metal) and wash off all the salt 2-3 times a week. Spraying lube at it would help as long you kept a good layer going ALWAYS. In the long run all metal is just trying to return to it's baser eliments so you'll never WIN that fight. Good luck.

Pop out all of those rubber plugs in the rockers and hose down the insides with a cavity wax or oil. I use Eastwood Internal Frame Coating and Transtar Amber. Regarding the cracking undercoat, the only real fix is to strip the whole underside, paint and recoat.

The plastic dip sounds good for the undercarriage.
The the Eastwood Internal Frame Coating is definitely on the to do list now.
Thanks for all the replies.

[VT-MKJett]

You should see how much salt we use. There's no reason to send the trucks out for a light dusting that doesn't even cover the road.

They use that big chunky rock salt don't they? They tend to mix it with sand/gravel in VT which is real bad. You get behind a car and all you hear is little stones hitting your car, as it gets slathered in salt. It's great.

[Bariman82]

I guess I never really paid attention. Oh but I will be this year now that I have a new and freshly painted car that I'd like to keep that way for awhile.