Wheel arch rust repair

[orbitalegg]

I am trying to get my w210 into good shape and would like to repair the rust around the rear wheel arch's.

1. is this something I could do as a diy project? and if not.

2. does anyone know where I could get this done relatively cheaply.

 

[Chrishazle]

Malcolm (television) did a DIY about this just recently.

 

[television]

If the rust has not spread on to the side panels then take a look
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=79737

 

[orbitalegg]

If the rust has not spread on to the side panels then take a look
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=79737

the rear arches are pretty bad.

but the front arches are in good condition

 

[television]

They will need the whole rear sides re painting as it has spread too far, shame it was not caught earlier

 

[orbitalegg]

They will need the whole rear sides re painting as it has spread too far, shame it was not caught earlier

With that in mind does anyone know where i can get this done at minimal expense? as my diy skills are mediocre at best

 

[_Taz_]

my old W210 was never as bad as that, However even after paying a not-so-large sum of about £400 for both sides etc, the rust reappeared less that 12 months later.

The steel really needs to be treated properly, I suspect it just came back from areas I couldn't see.

Even sealing it with a decent 2k lacquer ( which my man did ) made no difference.

I'm afraid if you are to keep it, then it won't be cheap ( expect £500 ) As almost all bodyshops i've used HATE arches, as you have to clean them, are hard to get at ( wheel removal etc ! ) messy & not as easy as a bonnet / door etc.

My preferred shop in kent would probably either recommend complete wing replacements / charge a small fortune to make it uneconomic :neutral:

 

[television]

As above a very hard question to get a repair that will last, it really comes down to how well it will clean up before painting

 

[Xtractorfan]

You could always go for the really cheap option, providing this is the only rust you have..
Buy a set of the chrome wheel arches and fit them up into place, mark a pencil or tape line around the top of the chrome arches.. take them off and sand the rust back .. taking care not to stray above the tape or pencil line, now silver hammerite the rusty area, and when dry coat liberally with waxoyl..then refitthe chrome arches...
Result a tidy if somewhat pikey motor.....
Some on here wont like that idea, but hey the car wont mind..

 

[orbitalegg]

You could always go for the really cheap option, providing this is the only rust you have..
Buy a set of the chrome wheel arches and fit them up into place, mark a pencil or tape line around the top of the chrome arches.. take them off and sand the rust back .. taking care not to stray above the tape or pencil line, now silver hammerite the rusty area, and when dry coat liberally with waxoyl..then refitthe chrome arches...
Result a tidy if somewhat pikey motor.....
Some on here wont like that idea, but hey the car wont mind..

i like the idea of the arches but not chrome, do they come paintless so i can just respray them and attach?

 

[television]

i like the idea of the arches but not chrome, do they come paintless so i can just respray them and attach?

That was a very good idea from Xtractorfan,, yes you could paint them or have them painted

 

[Xtractorfan]

You can paint the chrome arches silver... use red scotchbrite or 600/800 grade sandpaper and sand the chrome..The paper or scotchbrite will only scratch and dull the surface. then use an acid etch primer, one coat is enough, followed by two coats of a filler primer, when dry, a quick light sand with 1000 grade sandpaper and two or three coats of silver.. 744 is your colour..when dry two coats of clear lacquer...and wait for a day or two before fitting them up and polishing them....
All of this is available from halfords and will set you back around £6.99 per aerosol...The etch primer will be more expensive and it is necessary..

 

[RobMorris]

Did you ever do this mate?
As I am doing the very same thing - IE pikey home brew version with painted (ex) chrome arches

 

[chizzel89]

Remove all the trim associated with the rust- sill cover etc. Then grind it all away (short of actually going through the metal) with an angle grinder and maybe a die grinder for hard to reach places.
To do it properly, you'll need to have the wheel off and spend a considerable amount of time inside the wheel arch with an inspection lamp and a sharp flat head screw driver exposing all the rust on the inner arch. It will have spread just as far, possible further on the inside. Be thorough- you need to expose every last bit. There is often a fillet of underseal which covers the edge of the seam on the wheel arch lip. This can be removed by running something sharp down the end edge of the wheel arch lip. Once you've exposed every bit of rust and ground as much away as possible (this will take probably a full day for each arch), clean the surface with rags and acetone, then apply two coats of POR15 polyurethane based paint. It is just about the only thing which will result in a long lasting repair on badly surface corroded steel. Then after a quick sand to key the surface you can proceed as usual with filler, high build primer etc, basecoat and lacquer.

 

[umblecumbuz]

Front arches are single-skinned, but rear arches are double-skinned.
This is why the rears rust sooner. Problem is, the rust has now got between the skins, so any amount of repair work will be temporary - the bug keeps eating away from within.
Knowing it will come back, I would spend as little as possible to repair the external skin.

Malcolm's 'fix' is excellent, but for it to be a long-term solution the rust must be caught very early, and Waxoyle or equivalent needs to be got between the skins, which means a fair bit of dismantling of the interior wheel arch trim.

Baz

 

[chizzel89]

Front arches are single-skinned, but rear arches are double-skinned.
This is why the rears rust sooner. Problem is, the rust has now got between the skins, so any amount of repair work will be temporary - the bug keeps eating away from within.
Knowing it will come back, I would spend as little as possible to repair the external skin.

Malcolm's 'fix' is excellent, but for it to be a long-term solution the rust must be caught very early, and Waxoyle or equivalent needs to be got between the skins, which means a fair bit of dismantling of the interior wheel arch trim.

Baz

Yes, the rust does get inbetween the skins somewhat... but so long as they haven't bulged a great deal/ rotted, you can dig a lot of it out with a very small and sharp flat head screwdriver, then POR15 it all, paint as usual, and lastly dribble thinned waxoyl down into the seam from the inside. This essentially encapsulates any remaining corrosion.
I did this on my old Ford Capri, and some of those seams (particularly the sill lower seam) were pretty thick with capilliary corrosion. 4 years later, I could find no evidence of it having got any worse. I was damned thorough though, and topped the waxoyl bi-yearly.

 

[giuseppe]

Have a look at this web site, www.rust.co.uk which might be of interest.

 

[cabby10_4]

my old W210 was never as bad as that, However even after paying a not-so-large sum of about £400 for both sides etc, the rust reappeared less that 12 months later.

The steel really needs to be treated properly, I suspect it just came back from areas I couldn't see.

Even sealing it with a decent 2k lacquer ( which my man did ) made no difference.

I'm afraid if you are to keep it, then it won't be cheap ( expect £500 ) As almost all bodyshops i've used HATE arches, as you have to clean them, are hard to get at ( wheel removal etc ! ) messy & not as easy as a bonnet / door etc.

My preferred shop in kent would probably either recommend complete wing replacements / charge a small fortune to make it uneconomic :neutral:

Which bodyshop do you use in Kent? I live in Gravesend and am looking for some recommendations.