Well, well, well

One of the most abused parts of any car is the wheel wheel and fenders. It is constanty subjected to dirt, water (when raining)  asphalt (whenever the roads are getting fixed - which is almost every other month) and so many other things on the road - if left unprotected, these wells may eventually rust and lead to bigger problems.

In modern cars - you won't immediately notice if the wheel wells are damaged - this is because they are in a way hidden - but in the case of my beloved volkswagen - the wells are a part of the cars design 

See - if the wells should rot - you would immediately see it on top. But aside from that - it is where the running boards are connected (circled below) - so if the wheel wells rot out - then the running boards go too. What's worst is that if ever there is corrosion where the two parts join - you may not notice it unless its too late.

So to protect these - I decided to apply several coats of rubberized undercoating. The issue of whether or not undercoat should be applied has been discussed several times in different car forums. Some say that Undercoats serve no purpose and if it cracks - water can seep in and cause more harm. Some also say that undercoats are thicker than paint and more flexible and definitely offer some kind of protection (provided they don't crack). Since I had some leftover undercoat from a previous DIY project - I decided to put it into good use.

Amazingly - this stuff doesn't dry up (provided you close the lid well) but it gets too rubbery over time so I mixed in a bit of kerosene to make more "spreadable"

It is easier if you remove the wheels so that you have more room to move around. This project will only take you half the day (perfect for the weekend DIY warriors) but will definitely give you months if not years of protection.

TIP: I did not strip the wheel wells off of its old paint/undercoat - I hosed it down and brushed it well (you could use your old toilet brush)  - to make sure that there are no dirt or loose rust before I apply my undercoat.

See the wells before..

After applying several coats - here it is:

Stay tuned - in the next project - you will see Voxy strip :)

PS: To see more pictures of the 2011 VWCP show or to learn more about VWS here in the Philippines - you may visit the VWCP forum (click at the logo on the top right side of this page). Thanks to the clubs moderators for the link!