So I recently bought a mk2 Octavia VRs so that I can spend some time on getting the car exactly how I want it and I’m getting there mechanically.

My next thought is the underside of the car as it is now 15 years old and I really want to keep this car long term I want to start looking at protecting it.

I jacked her up and had a quick look today and the pinch points are pretty swollen in places also noticed the arms look pretty rusty but that’s as far as I got without removing trays etc.

My question is what would be the major things to looks to strip back and seal or replace. Also are the pinch points repairable? I will try and get some pics on here tomorrow any help is much appreciated.

I use zinc spray lavishly on anything underside and around engine bay, including exhaust (note pure, high temp 400deg C resistant zinc for exhaust, cheaper zinc-alu will do for other parts). Easy to apply and easy to top up in places every couple years or so (cars not garaged). Zinc is better than other coatings in that it offers galvanic protection also of nearby exposed areas. Pinch welds / jacking points are definitely worth zincing up then painting over as visible, but for lifting using garage lift it is best to put in lift pads IMHO, I have had them on all cars. Not expensive, easy to install, double the amount of support points and save wear on pinch welds. I usually lift using a trolley jack with a wide rubber pad on a lifting point/ pinch weld, then put a jack stand under the lift pad. Of course, much easier with a garage lift. HTH.

1 hour ago, dieselV6 said:

I use zinc spray lavishly on anything underside and around engine bay, including exhaust (note pure, high temp 400deg C resistant zinc for exhaust, cheaper zinc-alu will do for other parts). Easy to apply and easy to top up in places every couple years or so (cars not garaged). Zinc is better than other coatings in that it offers galvanic protection also of nearby exposed areas. Pinch welds / jacking points are definitely worth zincing up then painting over as visible, but for lifting using garage lift it is best to put in lift pads IMHO, I have had them on all cars. Not expensive, easy to install, double the amount of support points and save wear on pinch welds. I usually lift using a trolley jack with a wide rubber pad on a lifting point/ pinch weld, then put a jack stand under the lift pad. Of course, much easier with a garage lift. HTH.

Interesting I never thought about zinc I’ll take a look at it. It’s going to be a driveway job also unfortunately as I don’t have any access to a lift so can see it being very challenging job with a lot of grinding to before I can even think about coating it.

On an old car that has not been garaged, you will find that the original coating falls off from most suspension parts without much brushing, you just lift it and it falls off, at least here in Herts that's the case. Winter salt plus constant humidity strip away coatings. On exhaust, I usually use a tough cloth (a cut off leg of old jeans trousers) to take off rust growths, then zinc the whole thing up. If more rust grows in some places, it'l get taken off and recoated next time. It is also a driveway job for me. Does not look as pretty as uniform paint, but does the job. My Roomster still has original exhaust after 14 years outside...

This sounds a million times better that laying underneath the car all day with a grinder.

What is the zinc product you use please and where can I buy it.

Also is that all you coat it with just zinc nothing after?

I’m not really fussed if it looks pretty under there as long as it’s preserved and I don’t have to worry about it.

My cills seem solid but those pinch points are my worry as moisture gets in between the layers and eats away but I guess if I can get the flakes off and zinc coat it I’m hoping it wi be ok.

Most recent one I have used is SIMONIZ Zinc Primer Spray Paint, Weld-Through Metal Primer, but I got it at <£8 per 500ml can, not £11-£13 it seems to be sold for.

Having said that, if you wait long enough, you can get several cans of zinc-alu spray from Lidl when they run it as weekly special. By far lowest cost option and good enough for everything except exhaust.

For the exhaust, I have one from Wurth that is rated to 400deg C, but you need trade account with Wurth to buy it. Any pure zinc primer that explicitly says it withstands 400degC is good for exhaust, there are some on ebay, there used to be excellent Normfest Galva 97 at ECP, but nowadays stupidly expensive, so best do a search on Internet, just make sure it is rated to 400degC.

You could coat cold parts with cellulose lacquer after zincing them up, that extends longevity of zinc coating quite a bit. I have a towbar box mounting plate protected in this manner. However, when the coating is damaged, you would need to sand it down and reaplly zinc / lacquer. For me, it is far simpler to just keep the bare zinc and reapply where needed every couple years. For longest lasting protection, you can put 1 layer of pure zinc and then zinc-alu on top. Zinc-alu is more resistant to wear but does not stop salt spray corrossion anywhere near as well as pure zinc.