Rust on door sill

[jbc]

I've just given the car it's first wash after Christmas and found rust!! It's at the base of the a-pillar where the door and front wing meet. It looks like a paint failure rather than corrosion because the paint has gone! You can see dark coloured areas surrounded by the white of the primer and then bubbling paint. The driver's side seems worse but there are spots on the passenger side too.





Some of the dark areas in the picture above are dirt rather than rust - I'm not into detailing - and the white areas away from the rust are reflections from the camera but I think you can clearly see something isn't right!

I've read through various threads where people have had rust at the top of the wheel arch but not here. Interestingly I've seen a thread on the mk6 forum about there being a foam insert there now - so I wonder whether VW are expecting problems with rust at this location? Has anybody else experienced rust here and if so any experience of what VW have said with regards warranty repair?

My car is a 2006 GTI so the 3 year paint warranty has well and truly expired. I guess VW will say it is a paint failure rather than corrosion so I can't claim against the 12 year anti-perforation warranty and will have to pay for a repair.

Thanks,
Jonathan

[G4V VW]

I had this exact problem with my 54 Plate GT tdi mk5 about 2 years ago, went to VW bodyshop who put it to VW who said NO.

Cut a long story short i moaned a bit at VW customer sevices and asked them to send someone out to the car as you can clearly see there is no way it can be from stone chips etc and hey presto the car was fixed under the 12 year anti perforation warranty. Obviously the VW dealer will check to make sure there has never been any other paint work done to the relevant area, i knew mine had never had any done in its life because it was my mates from new. I used to work at a Vauxhall dealer for many years and i know how these things work, they just try there luck and hope you'll accept the NO decision.

I also heard there is a some sort of bulletin on this matter however ive never seen it.

Gav

[Russ_leeds]

i have also had this on my 07 gti. fixed under warranty no probs

[Snoopy]

The mk6 thread was prob mine.
Have you seen this thread about the mk5 on the vortex forum
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?3962526

Basically dirt gets in behind the wheel arch trim and collects in that corner.

[jbc]

Thanks all, I will be contacting the dealers tomorrow and will update on here when I get an answer from them.

I had this exact problem with my 54 Plate GT tdi mk5 about 2 years ago, went to VW bodyshop who put it to VW who said NO.

Cut a long story short i moaned a bit at VW customer sevices and asked them to send someone out to the car as you can clearly see there is no way it can be from stone chips etc and hey presto the car was fixed under the 12 year anti perforation warranty. Obviously the VW dealer will check to make sure there has never been any other paint work done to the relevant area, i knew mine had never had any done in its life because it was my mates from new. I used to work at a Vauxhall dealer for many years and i know how these things work, they just try there luck and hope you'll accept the NO decision.

I also heard there is a some sort of bulletin on this matter however ive never seen it.

Gav

I'm half expecting a similar NO decision initially but lets wait and see. I'm not surprised there is a bulletin about this because it's definitely a dirt/water trap at this location.

The mk6 thread was prob mine.
Have you seen this thread about the mk5 on the vortex forum
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?3962526

Basically dirt gets in behind the wheel arch trim and collects in that corner.

Yes it was your thread! I took the driver side wheel arch liner off a few weeks ago when checking the diverter valve and it had some dirt in it then, but no where near as much as in that thread. When I first bought the car 3 years ago I spotted leaves, etc, collecting in this gap (when you're looking into it from inside with the door open) and have always tried to clear them out as best I could. Interestingly this "inside" area hasn't rusted, it's directly underneath where the wing panel ends and "inside" meets "outside", presumably this is where it stays wettest and therefore rusted here first.

Jonathan

[big al]

Mine has the same issue, get the pressure washer in there every chance I get to flush all the muck out.
Not got any rust showing yet though.

[Norbreck21a]

Phew, thanks for the heads-up guys. Just checked mine yesterday whilst cleaning the car and found this !!!!

Wonder if it's something to do with having front mud flaps, as the linked thread also showed a Golf that had front mudflaps fitted as well ?





Needless to say a little concerned. Think that's going to have to be part of the annual check over now. (BTW, that was 5½ years worth).

Andrew

[big al]

Mine gets it and never had front mudflaps.
Will have the wheel and cover off at the weekend to see how bad it is.

[Snoopy]

Its the gap at the top of the plastic wheel arch were the strut is, crap gets in there and falls down to were your photo shows.

[jbc]

The car has now been into the dealers and they have taken pictures to send off to VW for assessment. Should hear back on Monday.

The warranty guy at the dealers said he thinks this issue is covered by a technical bulletin (as G4V VW suggested above). He said that it is a manufacturing fault - something to do with when the car is travelling along the production line the machine that holds the sills as everything is bolted on sometimes grips the sill too tightly and cracks the paint. Eventually water, etc. gets in and it starts to rust.

Lets just hope that VW come to the same conclusion and pay up to get it repaired.

[jbc]

VW have confirmed this is the defect covered by the technical bulletin and they will repair it under warranty. Just waiting for a call from the body shop to book the car in for repair now.

[Gtiain]

Having read this thread I thought I should check mine. This is what I found;


Now I think it looks like itsbeen repaired before and I think it's in a slightly different place (you can see where the sill rises up towards the hinges at the top of the pic) so where do I stand? Thanks 

[Ands GTi]

So where is the affected area? Is this inside the wheel arch trim, not visible from the outside or are we talking about on the door sill by the door hinge?

[Snoopy]

Front of the sill under the front wing, Infront of the front doors.

I said about inside the wheel arch as this section were it turns in to under the wing is were the front wing bolts onto the sill and it collects dirt and rubbish as shown in that other posters picture.

[Ands GTi]

Front of the sill under the front wing, Infront of the front doors.

I said about inside the wheel arch as this section were it turns in to under the wing is were the front wing bolts onto the sill and it collects dirt and rubbish as shown in that other posters picture.

Gotcha, cheers