I appear to have the first signs of rust coming through on the door sill on the front offside of my 2007 octavia on 112k miles. I've just spent a small fortune putting in a new clutch etc so ideally wouldn't want to spend more cash than I need to down the local body shop.

 

Is there a proven product that I could apply to the area that would 'cure' this rust? If not, what would you guys recommend I do? 

 

Oddly, on the second image there appears to be a small dent pushing outwards from the drivers door which catches on the frame, not sure if to risk tapping it back in with plastic over the dent to minimise any more damage.

 

I have given this a search and nothing of note was found, apologies if this appears to have been covered before.

Edited 1 February, 20197 yr by Eyesee
Insert pics

If you remove the mudflap and inner liner you will find a mud trap behind that needs cleaning out and if you put some waxoil on the area it will stop it going any worse, the other mark looks like the door edge has hit the hinge pushing the edge out ! Cheers Stuart

Thanks, Sparky2 - assume wheel off and a couple or torx screws to remove? Ideally, I'd like to cover it up but assume painting over it is a bad idea?

No need to take the wheel off, just put it in full right hand lock...

 

 

 

 

Never seen rust there, only on the sills themselves...

 

 

Thanks Silver1011. Wouldn't have thought about locking the steering over...  

 

Having looked at the other pic examples, I'm a little concerned that the rusting isn't on the sill itself but between that and the main bodywork. Is this normal for age/model? 

 

Once I've got the cover over, Is it just a case of giving the cavity a good coat of WaxOyl after clearing out the debris? I saw that others mentioned using wax on the sills to help prevent chips etc, is there a go to product for this? 

 

With the rust rust visible on the outside, do I just need to find the correct paint code to touch it up? Or would this just cover up the problem short term?

 

Apologies for the questions, Im something of a novice when it comes to stuff like this! Any advice is welcome!

To properly fix the rust the wing needs replacing. Anything else will be a short term solution, with varying success depending on the amount of effort put in.

 

It needs taking back to the metal, treating and painting again.

 

A little overkill for a 12 year old car.

 

The rust is purely cosmetic, the rest of the car will be dead well before the rust becomes structural or puts you at risk of an MOT failure.

 

I'd be tempted to sand it down as best as possible and spray it with a colour-matched rattle can and some masking paper/tape. Pretty it won't be, but it'll look a bit better than it does now, and buy you a couple more winters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 2 February, 20197 yr by silver1011

3 minutes ago, Eyesee said:

With the rust rust visible on the outside, do I just need to find the correct paint code to touch it up? Or would this just cover up the problem short term?

 

If you don't do something about the rust first you will just be "putting lipstick on a pig" in that the rust will continue to slowly eat away at the underlying metal; result a larger bubble or possibly a hole.

 

1) Physically dig out the rusty area to remove all the loose rust and lifted paint.

2) Treat the area with a rust inhibitor such as Kurust.

3) Prime with the appropriate colour primer (grey for light paint, black for dark paint). 

4) Seal over the primed area with either clear lacquer to temporarily protect until the drier/warmer weather or seal with the correct touch-up paint and then clear lacquer.

 

Note that your work area should be clean of loose particles, dust or grease and that the temperature should be at least 6C - ideally 10C - 25C.

 

You may be better derusting and sealing for now and revisit to make a better paint finish when the weather warms up somewhat.

 

BTW if in doubt, practice on something that doesn't matter, like a rusty tin can.  You'll thank me for that