im sure im not alone on this 1, but ive noticed that because i havent got front mudflaps the very front of underneath the sills have taken some hammer from stones flicking up against them,its only a very small section so i plan to tidy this up a little with using a layer of stonechip and then paint over this in body colour, [when the weather inproves] anyone had this problem and done something similar?

cheers mark

I haven't checked though I noticed a chunk of the front of one rear wheel-arch liner is missing since the freezing weather (cold plastic and big bits of ice?). Will have a look at the sills, maybe get some heli-tape or clear vinyl to put over it as a protective layer.

the tape could be a good idea actually but id still paint them before hand if required

When I got mine (2nd hand) it didn't have mud-flaps, but didn't have a stone chip issue. However, the wheel-arch liner had rubbed on the edges of the sill (both behind the front wheels and in-front of the rear wheels), removing a bit of paint. I cleaned the area, applied primer, touch-up paint, and a good layer of lacquer, and the only way you'd notice it would be if you were actually looking for it (mainly because of how the flecks settled). I've since added mudflaps...

Don't know if that helps any?

Edited 11 January, 201115 yr by martinch

Ive had that also, and have done similar, just interested to know how many people have had this or even if they havent got on there hands and knees to notice!

Ive had that also, and have done similar, just interested to know how many people have had this or even if they havent got on there hands and knees to notice!

Yep, I got caught with this when I bought mine a year ago. Didn't even look under the sills, thinking 5 year old Skoda won't have rust!!! Anyway, when I got it home I noticed a couple of blisters and loads of stone chips and very light surface rust underneath. The stone guard stuff stops about an inch from the underside of the edge of the sills so the paint chips quite easily. Also, I looked up the previous owners address on google earth(Bought the car from a dealer) and he lived down a long gravel track, so that obviously didn't help matters either!!!

Anyway, took it to a local bodyshop and they did an excellent job in sorting the rusty sills, stone guarding right to the edge and painting it all. Cost me £500 but that also included both rear arches that had a few chips and one rear quarter where someone had keyed it down to the primer!

Cheers

oh yeah, forgot to say, mine does have front mud flaps, so the first part of the sills were fine, it was just further back that were chipped!!!

Edited 11 January, 201115 yr by jacko2111