check your wheel arch liners now!

[Nogrille]

Took the wheel arch liner off to get to the alternator. Got confronted with this lot! I know this has been covered before, but if you havent cleared yours out, do so now!

Also, check the plenum chamber drain holes at the ends - right at the top inside the wheel arch.

The hole:

The crud that came out:

[Liverpool-Lad]

Definitely. There is also more rubbish lurking behind those plastic wing liners too behind the crud.

Back ones are worth doing too!

[Dark_Hero]

Woah, that's a lotta crud. Will get my brother to check his

[IulianE]

I found a foot of mud there

[rk696]

I found nearly a foot too when I put mudflaps on. Cleaned it all out an plastered waxoyl all over the wing so it can't rust.

[goonybird]

Just been doing mine as part of a "deep clean" took 4 hours per arch . Cleaned all tar off plastic liners and polished. Washed arches. Rectified a couple of small rust patches then white stoneguard, cleaned calipers and inside rim of wheels. Only found dirt collecting at rear of inside front arch.

If you havent done it yet, do it.

[Squidula]

You got the same jack as me

Yeah I deffo need to do mine.

[STSKODA]

friendly bump on this - if you have mudguard does that complicate removing the arch liner?

Can you just undo the bottom 2 screws and hose it out with a little flexing?

[Liverpool-Lad]

You can, but for a proper job, undo the mudflap completely and take the whole arch liner out.

Backs are worth doing too. Its a fun afternoon!

[tomah]

Yup.

This was mine last summer...

I just did the fronts again last weekend. No where near as bad as this, but they needed cleaning all the same.

[demonufo]

Yup.

This was mine last summer...

I just did the fronts again last weekend. No where near as bad as this, but they needed cleaning all the same.

You really don't want to be jacking the car there, by the way. Those sill bend like cardboard. Get a cheap lo profile jack and jack it under the subframe bolts, or rear wishbone bolts.

[tomah]

You really don't want to be jacking the car there, by the way. Those sill bend like cardboard. Get a cheap lo profile jack and jack it under the subframe bolts, or rear wishbone bolts.

I know. I could do with a low profile jack, but they're pricey enough to get anything semi decent.

[Liverpool-Lad]

Thats the stock jack for changing wheels which sits fine on the sill, no bending.

[demonufo]

I know. I could do with a low profile jack, but they're pricey enough to get anything semi decent.

Mine was less than £40 on Amazon

[Silverline]

Thats the stock jack for changing wheels which sits fine on the sill, no bending.

I agree never had any problem using mine in the correct position.

[STSKODA]

friendly bump for this - just cleaned mine today and was more mud in there than any of the pictures above, clearly had never been done before in the life of the car

[mac11irl]

JAysus, i shudder to think what mine are like... guarunteed noone's ever even thought about going back there...

[Evans octy no:67/100]

will  do mine too... probably loose 30kg in crud lol 

[Guest BigJase88]

The standard scissor jack is terrible!

God help you if you get a puncture on an incline

[Liverpool-Lad]

Sis's Yaris has an actual scissor jack!

[marc54rg]

Sorry to bump but just cleaned mine out this gone weekend, did it a year or so ago too. Maybe a 6-monthly removal and grub out of them is best? Spent a few hours sunday removing the plastic underseal type stuff that has been cracked & opened from tyre fitters ramming metal topped jacks under, causing water to go between the underseal and the body, so wire brushed it all off and put some proper underseal mix on along the inside and outside edge of the lip on the sill. Should protect it for a few more years.

*Also, instead of making another thread or asking for part numbers, can anyone tell me if the vRS front arch liners are different to the non vRS ones, as I have a vRS front bumper but the arch liners don't seem to fit great, may just be me though.

Edited 27 October, 2015 by marc54rg

[BrownBarge]

Ive left the bottom two screws off my liners so the crud just falls out and any that does get stuck you can just stick the hose in and clean it out

[bigjohn]

Wow, haven't spotted this before

 

I need to check my 2001 MK I ASAP !   14 1/2 years and 120,000 miles of crud!

Edited 6 November, 2015 by bigjohn

[munster]

Mine would've been of interest to a geologist - what with all the different coloured layers!

[Leeboy]

Mine were growing trees when I removed the wheel arch covers back on May