Rust C Class wheel arches? Including Colour Pics! Best way to protect your motor?

[jpod]

My 2005 C class is very rusty underneath, not as good as my 2002 VW Golf which is amazing.

And today I noticed the wheel arches are starting to bubble!

What do the Pros do to protect their ride?

 

[Makdissy]

Salt is the main enemy to wheel arches

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Sadly you're not alone, the W203 is particularly prone to this. All you can do is have it stripped, treated and repainted, but it will come back, it will just take longer if your body shop does a good job.

 

[Benzowner]

Had this on my old W210 estate. I took it to a body repair shop and they removed the rust and resprayed the wheel arch, having first installed a protective strip. It looked like a very thin membrane which helps protect the surface from the stone chips and other rubbish which gets thrown up. It was still rust free when I sold the car a couple of years later.

 

[steve333]

Hi,aside from what others have already said it's very important to regularly clean and dry all 4 arches not forgetting the inside lips where all the wet muck sticks.When doing this I carefully examine the arches to check for signs of chips or bubbling and treat them straight away.