It took 15 minutes to clear out my fenders. Had it been done sooner and semi-regularly, I wouldn't have this.


Cancer promoting dirt and debris
More


So easy to prevent, so much harder to fix. *sigh*
The rust didn't show up on the outside until the paint bubbled. I chipped away the paint and found the hole.

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"I bought the car brand new off the show room floor. It brought my baby girl home after she was born, but I never thought that one day she'd be driving it to school!" -Dad

Resto and 240D to 300D w/ turbo swap in progress

I'm mentally preparing myself for the inevitable when I pull my front fenders off this winter. I've already got visible holes at the lower rear edges.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

I have "This" too. Only on the driver's side though. When I bought the car there was a bubble in the same location as yours. When I poked at it with my finger it disintegrated. The paint was the only thing holding it together. There were Eucalyptus leaves and pine needles behind it. Now that it drains out the side of the car, the rust hasn't gotten any worse

How are your hood hinge troughs? The driver's side trough on my car has rust. I assumed the bottom of the fender rusting from the inside out, was related.

Some day I will take the fender off and examine the extent of the rust.

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1979 240D, 4spd manual, Power Sunroof, manual windows, 147k miles, Pastel gray/Black MB Tex.
1991 300D 2.5 - Smokes like it's on Crack!

My '85 audi quattro manual promoted using lots of water when washing the car. It is still rust-free, and I drove it most of its 24 winters here in salty Michigan.

If you feel around your rear fender lips, you will probably find that there is dirt caked in there, it happily holds moisture long after the rain (or car wash) is gone.

Use lots of water, under the hood and in the doorjambs, inside the fender spraying all directions (including some in your face), all around if you want the car to last. Doesn't need to be every week, but especially after traveling dirt roads or on sanded/salted roads.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Is yours one of the Galvanized Audis? 80s VW and Audi had good to excellent rust resistance. Six out of the seven I've owned were all rust free when they made their final journey. All were built between '79 and '89. Only the '79 Rabbit had a little rust.

25 years is very impressive. Even galvanized metal eventually rusts if it gets damaged.

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1979 240D, 4spd manual, Power Sunroof, manual windows, 147k miles, Pastel gray/Black MB Tex.
1991 300D 2.5 - Smokes like it's on Crack!

Zink-dipped, just like the 124 sedans and coupes. Still, I have seen some with rust up here (and some 124 sedans), the sacrificial metals can only last so long when seriously neglected.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff