the dreaded metal-worm, check that underseal!

[davidwort 0]

A few pics from under my 1990 (150K) car, nothing is worse than a bit of cosmetic corrosion, but there's always much more under that little blister in the underseal than you think!

It's rarely been garaged up to now and hasn't lived by the sea AFAIK. I'd advise anyone to check under the car every 6 months or so and fix any damaged underseal, just like VW recommend, and I've never done - like most people.

 

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[Riley 0]

Damn...Looks like you have caught that in time mate :)

 

Id clean it back to bare metal, stick a little hammerite rust eater on for good measure then etch prime/paint/stone chip...or sommet similar to that.

 

Neil.

[Dec 1]

I was going to start a thread on the exact same thing a few weeks back!

 

Found a couple of very small innocent looking splits in the underseal on mine in similar places to yours. When I cut the underseal away from around them it turns out that each tiny split turned into a nice little water trap, and there was the start of some nasty rusting in each case! :mad2: :mad2:

 

Luckily mine was purely cosmetic at this stage though. I cut all the underseal that had started to come loose away from around each split. then got a small wire brush and gave the spot a rub down. Treated with two coats of Kurust rust killer, two coats of rust killer primer, two coats of anti-rust primer. Then a couple of coats of graviguard rubberised paint to seal it. I finally painted on a coat of underbody sealant + waxoyl.

 

Definitely worth checking the underside of your car though. I couldn't even see most of the splits in the underseal of mine, until I cleaned it all with some Gunk. :roll:

[KIPVW 0]

Aye, that's why it's good to clean underneath your car. Bodywork is easy to keep an eye on the condition. Outside edges of the underneath aren't bad eaither. Getting right to the middle to check for damage, especially if you are lowered, needs that bit more dedication!!!

 

(from Judith - Butterfly, who has lost ownership of the pc AGAIN this morning.... Oh well, better get out and get cleaning....)

[craigowl 0]

I have been tackling this off and on since 1969 and you would not believe how bad cars were then. No factory undercoat, no cavity filling with wax and no wheel arch inserts.

 

We had a British Leyland car (Austin 1100) that had rusted-through sills and wings after 3 years from new!

 

Now that I am old and decrepit I just wish the cars were light enough to flip upside down. I am done with crawling under and getting rust and grit in my eyes and all the other nasties associated with diy rust treatment!

[Jim Bowen 1]

this is something i should check out on mine, i treated some rust around the area it had been jacked up not long ago, but getting under car is a pig :(

[Yandards 0]

Just another indication that Corrados are now reaching an age where they really would benefit from a strip down to a shell and a complete rebuild - only problem with that is space to do it (if you can) and money :(

[dinkus 10]

Just another indication that Corrados are now reaching an age where they really would benefit from a strip down to a shell and a complete rebuild - only problem with that is space to do it (if you can) and money :(

 

2 spots of rust and Yan's got the whole car in pieces :lol:

 

It is sad, but not too horrific to fix...just a bit of a ball-ache :( It does make you think about buying one of those car cradles you see at shows that really do just let you flip the car over onto it's side though...

[junkie 0]

It does make you wonder that the people who have bought the cradle and flipped it over to smooth the underside, paint and polish it all how long that will last too.

[paul20v 0]

well at least its not holed

i always spray the underneath of mine in gear oil and engine oil mix ,

its in the chassis inner wheel arches(stripped the rear panels out etc) , dripping out of the subframes etc

you get stinking dirty when you work on the car but better that then wire worm.

[i que 0]

dam these things r gettin rusty now comes with age tho. check out most other 20 year old cars ,corrados fair pretty well in my book. keep it clean and treat-replace is all u can do.

[Jim Bowen 1]

bit of an old thread, just read it and saw me commenting about 2yrs ago :lol:

 

checked mine, its rusty, to be expected really i spose.

 

i am finding the underseal hides the rust very well until it gets really bad, then you notice it.

 

am finding patches that have rusted and the underseal/paint looks fine still.

[daves16v 1]

Front bottom edge of the rear wheel arch is a favourite, looks ok on the outside but once you start pulling the sealant off be prepared.

[VW_OwneR_85 1]

just got hold of a shed for the winter, so this is on the things to do list aswell!...

[corradophil 3]

I had a few blistered bits on the underside of mine - all sorted now, plus the ribbed section of the floor at the front, just behind the sill seam was rotten on both sides on mine. I cut that out and welded in repair peices. The underside of the sill where the front wings bolt on was pretty bad, so again more cutting out, making repair parts and welding them in. Luckily for me, in a previous life I did bodywork for a living so have some experience and lots of tools, so I can do it myself and keep costs down. I also was lucky enough to be given a 3/4 full 25 litre drum of cavity wax, which when mixed with solvent for spraying makes about 50 litres. Over the last year and a half it has had about 15 litres of waxoyl pumped into every orifice.

[boost monkey 0]

I think the pan can rust away happily underneath the underseal because the underseal is so rubbery and won't flake off when the metal it is "bonded" to gets rusty. It kind of holds itself together like a skin for the floorpan. Ish.

[corradophil 3]

A skin which hides rust very well and if moisture gets in keeps it there. Although to be fair, I would say the underseal used by VW/Karmann is of very good quality.

[boost monkey 0]

I think the OEM stuff is made by Schulz? not 100% on that though.

[V33DUB 0]

Front bottom edge of the rear wheel arch is a favourite, looks ok on the outside but once you start pulling the sealant off be prepared.

Guess what I found today?! haha

 

I patched up a couple of other places in the last few weeks, that has started to surface rust, with some Por15. Today I notices the edge of the underseal has started to come off at the front edge of the rear arch... bit of pulling and walah!... found a nice little hole about the size of a 5pence piece. Bad times!

[boost monkey 0]

my mk2 golf is going in a lot of places, and seeing as it's only 1 year apart from my Corrado i have no doubt they are both infected.

 

If only I had an acid dip...!