In the family we have three felicias and two of them are quite rusty on the rear arches.

I have seen the repair panel advertised at about

i know it's a bit of a bodge, but they do make plastic trims to go over the arches for a felicia, possibly they could hise some of those unsightly rusty bits

hello. i'm a welder in the bedford area, but im not much cop with cars. mainly cuz i'm a fabricator, not a mechanic. and i dont have my own kit, only works.

but i do know some people. send us a pm, were in our mighty county are you?

Hi - where would a bodge artist like me get some of these magic wheel arch covers???

Without being treated, under covers they are quite likely to continue rusting. So before fitting a cover I would wire brush, rust convert, prime, paint then stick on the covers.

Wire brush on a drill, then something like KuRust (sp?).

Fibreglass filler the big holes and normal filler the are smooth.

Paint and you are done.

This worked fine on a fiesta and lasted 2 or 3 years. Fiesta rear wheel arches on the MK II/III were known for being problem rust areas too.

I'd also get some underbody sealant on there arch underside the paint etc is all dry.

Never mind rusty wheel arches ive got rust on my boot!

What is with felicias... i know someone with an S reg diesel and his wheel arches are rusting but his boot lid is fine... and my wheel arches are fine but my boot lid is rusting!

This rust converter... what does it do? Is it safe to use on the paint and will it just remove the rust so that i could prime it and stop it from rusting?

Thanks

It is safe to use on paint but will probably make the paint a different colour. Rust converter sort of makes rusty red metal bits turn black. It doesn't remove the rust, just changes it from rust to erm... I dunno what really. You can prime and paint it after using the rust converter. Check out poundland if one is convenient to you as they had 500ml bottles of Holt's rust converter not so long ago.

I think the boot lids rust inside out too, so something like waxoyl sprayed thoroughly inside it might help prevent further rusting.

Hammerite UK - Metal Paint: Kurust is the best stuff I have used.

It goes black and IIRC is actually directly over paintable as it leaves a rock hard layer on it.

You can get smaller packs of it too.

It will make the rust bluey black and probably do the same to the paint you get it on too. It's quite good, but if the area is shot I would get a new bit welded on then treat it, the weld seam and surrounding areas with rust killer, prim and paint.

HTH

My bootlid is also fine but my front arches are showing the rust again and so is one of my rear arches. I did give them a treating back in 2006.

I guess I'll have to dig the treatment kit out again.

I was considereing buying new panels but I shall wait and see. Need more money to do that.

Hi all

well as some of you might know i travelled to Doncaster to pick up a bootlid the same colour to replace the one that was disintegrating into the back of my car!

My car has rust in a number of localised areas of which i am going to tackle when i get a weekend in the spring in my friends garage. The good news with Felicia's in comparison to most cars is that the grade of metal is generally thicker than a lot of other cars especially in the crucial areas such as wheelarches.

If any of you are thinking of tackling the rot i would recommend a weekend out of the weather in a garage, and if one is not availible wait until the weather turns and watch the forecast like a hawk so you get dry conditions for 2 consecutive days and as little wind as possible.

If you want to do it as cheaply as possible where the rust has not penetrated fully through the panel you will need

spray can Paint (get this from the dealer as it is generally a better match)

primer (try and get a rust inhibiting type

Filler (decent stuff though)

Various grades of wet and dry

sanding block

kurust or similar rust treater

a metal wire wheel or two to fit on a drill

tack cloths

masking tape

Paper for masking off

tin of hammerite and brush (if needed)

cutting paste

Getting tins of paint that matches is crucial and i have always found it better value and a better match getting this from the dealer rather than from halfrauds and the like. One word of warning is that metallic paints are a pain to match.

I am not a bodyshop expert and i am sure that there are some of you out there that would say do other things, but i have always found the following method satisfactory.

start with a clean car and get to work with the sanding block on a medium grade to see if this is enough. (one tip do not wet the wet and dry as the last thing you want is wet rust) You may need to get in there with a wire wheel but make sure all rust is removed. Progress to finer grades of wet and dry. Kurust can be used in any really difficult areas but i would aim to remove rust manually and this as a last resort.

Once you have rubbed everything down you may find that the surface is less than smooth. This is where a thin layer of filler comes in! Mix well for two minutes and really mix it to ensure there is no stripes of hardner present and use sparingly. The aim is to get a nice sweep of filler that covers and has no indentations or air bubbles. Leave to dry for recommended time and do not be tempted to rub down too early.

Next is the rubbing down for which you will need your sanding block again. (do not wet the wet and dry as filler is porus) You will need a fair bit of wet and dry progressing to finer grades depending on area repaired. To test if you have a smooth flat surface use your palm to distinguish any high spots and not your fingers. The filler should look nice and feathered at the edges. It is a bit of an art getting this right and not under or overdoing it!

Once you are satisfied clean panel and surrounding area (including floor). Then use tack rag to pick up any additional dirt on panel and surrounding panels. Use this well.

Next mask off as far away from the repair as possible so that you will not introduce an ugly line of paint. This then allows you to blend paint in better but dont feel that you must paint too high up as everything will be cut in later.

Once you have masked off everywhere you dont want paint go over the panel again with a tack cloth to prevent contamination. Next get your primer ready and shake well. You are aiming to get a smooth flow of paint as is possible from a tin so make sure you are not too close and not too far away. The tin will explain the optimum distance for the nozzle. progress by consistant left to right bursts of paint by starting flow off the panel to prevent blotches. Once you have a couple of coats on leave to dry overnight. That is it for the day.

The next day you need to give a quick rub over with very fine wet and dry to remove any blobs or coarseness (make sure again that it is dry) and clean panel with tack cloth.

Once you are satisfied that everything is clean and it aint gonna rain or there isn't gonna be a duststorm you can get the bodycoloured paint out. Of course you should have tested the match earlier on against your panel on something you dont mind having paint on!

Paint the same way as with the primer but be extra careful and be consistant as this as it is all to easy to make a pigs ear of it! Get as comfortable as possible and start spraying from a set distance starting off the panel from left to right. Build up coats thinly rather than put too much paint down.

Once you are satisfied you have enough coats on to do the job leave to dry for at least 4-5 hours before removing all the masking surround.

If you are working on crusty wheel arches i always find that hammerite in a close colour or black on the lip of the arch is best to prevent future problems. This however can be done later on to suit.

Wait a few days to a week before cutting paint in with cutting paste but be careful with this on edges and the like so that you do not take too much paint off. On a well sprayed panel not a lot of effort will be required to blend the repair in, although of course this will depend on how well matched the paint is to the quality of look overall. For those with paint jobs requiring a lacquer i am afraid you will then need to apply this preferably after cutting and mask off again so another dry day is needed!

Final thing to do is give the area a good wax to seal it and thats it - easy!!

:auto:

Nice one Harryhill! Thats how I tackled mine in 2006. It does work well too, though other patches are forming on mine now! Under the bonnet is becoming an eye sore too.

When removing rust ensure that all of it is off! If you don't, it soon comes back with avengance.

i realised how to do things better from bitter experience of making a sows ear out of the back end of a Triumph Acclaim!!

My car is riddled with rust patches and dents. I will tackle them both i reckon!!

paint is around

paint is around

1997 SKODA FELICIA L WHITE on eBay, also, Skoda, Cars, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 13-Jan-08 16:01:49 GMT)

Exactly the same problem thats putting me off with this :(

If anyone wants a cheapie dremel type thing with wire brushes, they're

I'm convinced that Favorits are more corrosion resistant than Felicias. I'm not saying Favorits don't rust, but they don't seem to rust as much as Felicias.

I'm probably going to be proved wrong now, but it's what I've noticed.

1997 SKODA FELICIA L WHITE on eBay, also, Skoda, Cars, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 13-Jan-08 16:01:49 GMT)

Exactly the same problem thats putting me off with this :(

Doesn't look too disasterous. I wonder how close a colour match hammerite smooth white would be.

Do not all cars require laquere then??

I got a can of paint for my car (indigo blue pearlescenty stuff) and it came with a can of laquere attached too.

Will i find it harder to do a decent job with a pearlescent type paint or will it just blend like any other paint.

Will be doing it on a small area to the left of the badge on the boot and also on the front drivers side sill corner.

Thanks

mmmmm , I know the treat, fill and colourmatch spray is best in theory, but I have learned from bitter experience that I just will not have time to do a proper spray job. I always end up rushing the top coats and have never achieved a nice finish.

I was hoping to treat the rust and use some close match spray (Smoothrite) and cover the colour mismatch with the arch trims - I have scoured the net and have only found some bodykit arches for

You could give ellri design a go:

ELLRI design