I have read numerous posts on the perch issue and I am wondering if there is a way to properly undercoat mine so that I never have the issue?

I have 54K on my car and they look fine at this point.

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-disav

99 E300 TURBODIESEL Astral Silver 282K - AMG brakes, suspension, monoblocks, speedo & interior - Full Load Maxed on IP by custom Speed Tuning USA Chip - T3/T4 Garrett - EGR/MAF delete
98 E300 TURBODIESEL Alexandrite Green on black leather 289K
95 E300 DIESEL Green Queen 267K SOLD
84 300D 216k SOLD
87 300D 299K #22 head - intercooler - full load adj. - 8sec 0-60mph - SOLD
76 300D 214K SOLD

I wish I had the answer. But you can check the seal around the perch, and ensure that it's intact. If you need to reseal it, make sure the body is very dry. Do it after the car has sat in arid conditions for a while, either because the outside air is dry or in an air-conditioned garage. I'm sure that the dealers don't do this, but it won't be good to seal water in there.

mdi, how do you know that they look fine?

just curious what kind of inspection you ran

I know I can not be sure because of how these go from the inside out but I do not see any rust coming through and it appears to be sealed well.

__________________
-disav

99 E300 TURBODIESEL Astral Silver 282K - AMG brakes, suspension, monoblocks, speedo & interior - Full Load Maxed on IP by custom Speed Tuning USA Chip - T3/T4 Garrett - EGR/MAF delete
98 E300 TURBODIESEL Alexandrite Green on black leather 289K
95 E300 DIESEL Green Queen 267K SOLD
84 300D 216k SOLD
87 300D 299K #22 head - intercooler - full load adj. - 8sec 0-60mph - SOLD
76 300D 214K SOLD

The last part is the important one. You won't see the rust until it's too late.

Rust always starts on the surface of the affected metal and creeps inward. However items like undercoating can hide and exacerbate the problem. If I were to get another W210 what I would do is to peel off at least some of the undercoating around the area to properly inspect it. If I found rust I'd peel off the rest of the undercoating and if the perches still looked ok I'd paint the area with POR15, otherwise I'd have the perches replaced (which is what I did with my car). If no rust was found, I'd patch up the area with POR15 anyway and just keep an eye on it.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

Good idea. It certainly sounds like peeling off the undercoating to inspect them thoroughly is the way to go. Thanks!

__________________
-disav

99 E300 TURBODIESEL Astral Silver 282K - AMG brakes, suspension, monoblocks, speedo & interior - Full Load Maxed on IP by custom Speed Tuning USA Chip - T3/T4 Garrett - EGR/MAF delete
98 E300 TURBODIESEL Alexandrite Green on black leather 289K
95 E300 DIESEL Green Queen 267K SOLD
84 300D 216k SOLD
87 300D 299K #22 head - intercooler - full load adj. - 8sec 0-60mph - SOLD
76 300D 214K SOLD