Replacing a rusty rear fender arch. How to do everything right.

Comments: one Published: 05/19/2016

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Tags: Liquid rubber

The wheel arches of a car are risk elements. This is due to the fact that they are constantly exposed to atmospheric factors: rain, snow, moisture, chemically active components that are often present on the highway. And also crushed stones and small stones flying from under the wheels of cars. As a result, pockets of corrosion arise, which lead to the destruction of this part of the car . The rear arches of the car, consisting of an inner part and an outer wing, are especially affected in this regard.

If we are talking about minor defects, you can get by with cosmetic repairs. If we are dealing with very pronounced foci of corrosion, we will need serious repairs or even replacement of the car's wheel arches . To do this, you can seek help from a car service station or do all the work yourself.

Replacing the rear arch and wing of the car

Self-repair of the rear arches of a car can be performed using 2 methods:

• puttying;
• welding

The first method is used when the wing is not rotten to the point of holes, and we are able to obtain a solid surface by removing all the rust. If the destruction led to the formation of holes, it is obvious that puttying is not enough - you will have to take the welding machine out of the cabinet.

Arch repair prices

Local painting of the inside of the arch per day 1000–1500 rubles. Local painting of the front arch per day 1000–1500 rubles. Local painting of the rear arch per day 1000–1500 rubles. Complete painting of the wing arch 1 day 1500–2000 rub. Full painting of the front arch 1 day 1500–2000 rub. Complete painting of the rear arch 1 day 1500–2000 rub.

Scratches and scuffs

Shallow (superficial) 15 min 400 rub. Average per day 1000–2000 rubles. Deep 2 hours – day 1000–2500 rub.

up to 5–10% of the part area 1 day 1000–1500 rub. over 10–15% of the part area 1 day 1000–2000 rub.

up to 5 cm 2–4 h 500–1000 rub. up to 10 cm per day 1000–1500 rub. up to 15 cm per day 1500–2500 rub. up to 20 cm 1-2 days 1500–3000 rub. over 20–25 cm 1-2 days 2000–3500 rub.

Removing and installing the wheel arch trim (extender) 15–30 minutes from 300 rub.

Trunk repair from RUB 3,000. Bumper repair from 2000 rub. Door repair from RUB 3,000. Wing repair from 2000 rub. Mudguard repair from 1000 rubles. Spar repair from 1000 rubles. Threshold repair from 2000 rub.

Car body soldering

This method is used to seal small and large holes without welding. To work, you will need flux, which will protect the metal from rapid oxidation. Soldering acid, sold in radio stores, can successfully cope with this task. To achieve the required temperature, you will need a soldering iron with a power of 1 kW or more, or a version heated with a blowtorch, but it is better to use a gas torch. The solder is chosen to be refractory, since it can be used to repair a hole in the car body more reliably.

Small holes are simply filled with solder, starting from the edges and gradually fusing to the center. A large hole in the body is covered with a patch cut from tin from a tin can. It provides:

• strong connection, almost like welding;
• significantly longer service life than putty, but less than welding;
• possibility of sealing large holes;
• ease of implementation, repairs are accessible even to beginners.

The work is performed in the following sequence:

1. A patch is cut to fit the size of the hole. The larger the area of ​​contact with the body, the more reliable the connection.
2. The soldered edges of the patch and the damaged areas are cleaned with sandpaper until shiny.
3. Using flux and solder, the cleaned surfaces are tinned.
4. After applying the patch to the repaired area of ​​the car, it is heated to the melting temperature of the solder. In this case, you need to ensure the continuity of the seam so that there are no missing sections.
5. After cooling, the remaining flux is removed, and the soldering area is washed with hot water and soda.

The disadvantage of this method is that the patch swells due to heating. If checking with a ruler confirms this, the bubble is removed with light blows of a hammer.

The resulting depression is leveled with putty:

1. Marks are applied to the surface of the patch, plus a few millimeters from each edge, with 120-grit sandpaper. This is necessary for reliable adhesion of the putty to the metal.
2. The cleaned surface is cleaned of dust and degreased with a solvent.
3. To prevent the metal from becoming rusty, the primer is applied no later than an hour after preparation.
4. The first 2 layers are applied with a phosphate or acid primer with an interval of 15 minutes.
5. After waiting another quarter of an hour, apply 2 - 3 layers of acrylic primer at intervals of 5 minutes.
6. It takes 3 - 4 hours to dry completely. The drying process can be accelerated using an infrared heater.

Why is a car anti-corrosion treated?

This is how corrosion begins

1. Firstly, the bottom of the car is constantly exposed to sandblasting from small pebbles, gravel, asphalt particles and other foreign objects flying out from under the wheels. Snow, ice, salt solutions, acidic mud and other aggressive substances, falling on the surface of the bottom, destroy its protective layer. As a result, paint peeling, microcracks and chips appear, through which moisture enters the metal body and causes it to corrode. The metal begins to rust even under a intact layer of paint that has fallen off the surface, as condensation appears there due to sudden temperature changes.
2. Secondly, at factories producing domestic brands of cars, anti-corrosion treatment of the car is not carried out. Therefore, for buyers of domestic cars, body protection is a mandatory procedure to ensure its durability. On new foreign cars, the bottom of the car is treated at the factory with anodization and zinc coating to prevent premature corrosion. The owner of a new foreign car may not drive onto the overpass for the next 5 years. However, used foreign cars should undergo a thorough pit inspection as it is unknown what kind of restoration it underwent during pre-sale preparation, and the car may also require anti-corrosion coating.
3. Thirdly, metal fatigue, which accumulates during operation, contributes to a decrease in the strength of the body. Oxidation and rust cause these processes to accelerate. The bottom, on which the supporting frame of the car is mounted, is the main component that determines the passive safety of the car and protects the driver and passenger in the event of an accident.
4. And finally, a simple economic calculation shows that restoring a rotten body is equivalent to the cost of a used car. Therefore, bringing the body until ventilation holes appear in the bottom will be stupid and uneconomical.

And corrosion can lead to such a disastrous result.

Work plan:

1) First, we clean off the rust so that there is none left, AT ALL! Otherwise, in a year everything may fall off (although it holds very tightly). To do this, use sandpaper, a file or a grinder, but ideally, sandblast

2) Thoroughly degrease the surface and take extra

3) We dilute the epoxy resin with the hardener in accordance with the instructions; when working with epoxy, you must avoid inhaling its vapors and getting it on your skin! (I assumed both while I was alive, but I’m not sure that my body thinks the same way)). You don’t have to rush, its polymerization time allows!

4) We cut the fiberglass into small pieces - it’s more convenient to work with it, but still, if the hole is large, it’s more convenient to cover the first layer with a large piece

5) We soak the fiberglass in epoxy resin with a thinner and place it all on the degreased surface of the arch being repaired; if possible, we do this procedure from the inside (through the trunk). This composition dries in about a day

6) The next day we sand the resulting surface and level it with putty and sand it even to the plane of the body

7) The renovation is almost complete! All that remains is to prime, paint and treat with anti-corrosion agent! You can carry out this procedure yourself if the painting element is not large, but it is still better to entrust the car to professionals because the risk of ruining everything at this stage is great

Do-it-yourself anti-corrosion spray treatment

For “anti-corrosion”, instead of a brush and roller, you can use a spray bottle; in this way, coating the underbody with the composition is faster. But this method also has its disadvantages:

• mastic flies in all directions, so it is necessary to carefully cover the paintwork of the car and the walls of the room;
• Spraying in the air creates an unpleasant odor; some anticorrosion agents also contain harmful substances; when working with them, you should use a respirator.

The main advantage of applying an anti-gravel coating by spraying is that with this method the entire surface, including hidden cavities, is covered with the composition, and the treatment is of higher quality. The principle of performing the work here is the same as when applying anti-gravel with a brush - you must first prepare the body, and after completing the procedure, allow the mastic (anti-corrosive) to dry.

How to remove the rear wing

The rear wing on the VAZ 2114 is attached to the load-bearing parts of the body by spot welding. Dismantling and replacement require skills in welding and the presence of a semi-automatic welding machine to install a new element. If the rear fender has a significant dent from an impact, the metal will need to be pulled out before dismantling and cutting. Dismantling process step by step:

1. Prepare the car: remove the battery, bend the carpet.
2. Empty the trunk.
3. Unscrew the rear bumper and disconnect the headlight unit. If the right rear is to be replaced, then the fuel tank must be removed.
4. Remove the seal.
5. Using a thin chisel or machine, cut out the old part, retreating 1-1.5 cm from the joint.
6. Drill out the welding points with the frame cross member.
7. Disconnect the part.
8. Cut off the remaining metal, grind it, straighten the edge.
9. Attach a new part, secure with spot welding, check the gaps.
10. Weld by contact welding, in increments of 4-5 cm.

At the final stage, the part is primed, treated with anti-corrosion agent and painted to match the body color.

Wing repair

The cost of replacing the rear left or right wing is, on average, 3200–3300 rubles. You can do everything yourself, you just need to act carefully and have the necessary equipment on hand. So, if there is a defect on the rear wing, it is easy to repair it in this way:

1. Raise the car on a jack.
2. Squeeze out the affected element.
3. Apply a tool with a flat but sharp end to the back of the dent on the fender. Using a heavy hammer to hit the flat part of the bit, smooth out the imperfection step by step.
4. Do not hit the rear fender too hard - you risk stretching the iron, resulting in its deformation and an increase in area.
5. Knock out the edges sequentially, as if walking along one line.
6. Straighten the outside of the dent using a flat object.

It is not recommended to use aluminum tools for straightening - they are soft. It is better to use an iron object.

Tools

To level out dents on the fender, it is enough to have a heavy hammer and a nozzle with a blunt but sharp end on hand. If you have to completely replace the rear arch, you will need a welding machine, an angle grinder, a screwdriver, as well as a repair kit consisting of a primer, putty, a spatula, a brush and paint for further painting.

Complete rear fender replacement

You will have to completely replace the rear wing if the old one is not suitable for use: it is deformed, corroded or simply rotted. You can start replacing if you know how to remove the rear wing of a VAZ 2110, have plumbing skills and can handle a spotter. Otherwise, it is recommended to take the car to a workshop. Replacement process step by step:

1. Clear the luggage compartment of carpet, flammable items, and unnecessary items.
2. Using a screwdriver, unscrew the bumper and set it aside.
3. Remove the headlights.
4. Remove the fuel tank.
5. Using a thin chisel, without damaging the body part, press out the worn fender.
6. Drill out the rivets connecting the wing and cross frame.
7. Remove the wing.
8. Remove any strips of metal remaining on it using a chisel and wire cutters.
9. Straighten and sand the wing edges.
10. Prime first with reactive primer, then with regular primer.
11. Clean welding points thoroughly.
12. Attach the finished wing by welding.
13. Paint the part the same color as the rest of the body.

If the rear wing arch begins to rot

Corrosion instantly eats up the iron if you do not take care of the car. It is necessary to start repairing the rear wing of the VAZ 2110 when the first signs of rust appear. Otherwise, rust will cover the entire body and reach the interior. Eliminating consequences of this magnitude will be more difficult.

The arches of the front and rear wings are the “sore spots” of domestic cars. Constant contact with road liquids, reagents, stones, and dirt damages parts. To replace you need:

1. Disconnect the ground so you can carry out various welding jobs without fear.
2. Cut off the damaged part of the arch, and thoroughly clean what remains.
3. Treat the element with acid to remove corrosion. To facilitate future access to the part, drill a hole in it from the inside out.
4. Cut something like a patch out of stainless metal. For convenience, take a sheet of cardboard, apply it to the damaged area and press firmly. A sample will be printed on cardboard, cut out, then transferred to iron, traced and also cut out.
5. Place the patch on the wrong side - it should be welded with a welding machine.
6. For better fixation, weld the edges of the patch towards the wing.
7. Sand all unevenness and roughness.
8. Spray with zinc, then sand until smooth.
9. Degrease the surfaces, remove the remaining zinc with a solution of water and soda.
10. Wait until the degreaser evaporates, then coat the part with bauxite primer.
11. After drying, smooth the surface with sandpaper so that the seams are not visible. To do this, apply putty to fill the seams and cracks. Do not smooth over the entire area at once to avoid the appearance of air bubbles. After the seams, cover the remaining surface with putty.
12. Paint the arch to match the body and let dry.

How to remove rust from a fender

To remove rust stains from car fenders you will need:

• sandblaster or sander;
• anti-corrosion primer;
• degreaser;
• rust converter;
• putty;
• gloves.

Restoring the fenders begins with a thorough washing of the car. After this, the car is driven to a remote area so that when the sandblaster works, sand does not scatter throughout the garage and surrounding buildings.

Sandblasting machine

Removing corrosion with a sandblaster is a gentle way to remove plaque. The mechanism will quickly and without damaging the paintwork clean the wing, reaching hard-to-reach places. A jet of sand under pressure is directed at the rust-affected area and gently removes the damaged metal with the help of grains of sand.

Sanding machine

A sander will help you quickly get rid of corrosion on the wings of your car. This tool has a rotating disk that will carefully remove unsightly plaque from parts. You should work with the machine carefully, without pressing hard on the iron, sliding along the bottom of the wing and its entire surface. If done correctly there will be no damage.

Manually

In the absence of power tools, corrosion from car fenders is removed manually with a metal brush or special sandpaper. With sufficient experience, an abrasive disc is used. The method is time-consuming but economical. In addition, the brush allows you to reach the most difficult to reach places.

Chemically

Another repair option without replacing the arches is to remove them using special chemicals. A rust converter works great. It must be applied to the affected areas using a spray can or brush. Next, you should wait a while for the composition to be absorbed into the metal, then rinse with clean water and allow the surface to dry.

Wing painting

After you had to replace the rear wing on a VAZ 2110, paint it to match the body. To do this you need:

1. Mark the damaged areas with a marker so that you can focus on them when painting.
2. Cover the elements with a primer - it will give the paint greater adhesion to the metal.
3. Apply a base coat of paint and leave for 6-7 minutes to dry.
4. Apply a second coat, let dry, then a third.
5. Allow the paint composition to dry completely.

Next, proceed to varnishing. To do this you need:

1. Apply the first coat of varnish to the painted areas.
2. Leave to dry for 6-7 minutes. Do not achieve a glossy surface; a thick layer will leave unsightly streaks. If your fingers stick slightly to the varnish, you can safely apply a second coat.
3. Wipe gently with a damp cloth.
4. Polish.

Do not use the car for 2-3 hours to allow the paint and varnish to dry completely.

Source: https://InfoKuzov.ru/remont/2110-zadnee-krylo

Subaru Impreza 1999, 125 l. With. — body repair

Subaru Impreza, 2005

I have blog posts on this car about the life of the repaired arches. The biggest problem is to properly sandblast the inside. When sandblasting, the person did not remove the wheels in order to crawl up properly, so he could not process the arches properly. the second reason is the wrong soil. I was told epoxy. in fact, there was some kind of simple problem (I already found out about this later when, a few weeks later, I came to the painters and drove the car in wet weather with the arches primed). third - the arches were not completely processed. in places where the molding was not sandblasted. therefore, after a year, dots (small) appeared in places where they had not sandblasted from below near the moldings. and after 2 years a bubble appeared in the sandblasted area. Every year a little swelling was added around the holes. As far as I know, the next owner opened the arches last summer because he was welding the rear side members and took the arches for company because they had lost their presentation.

Replacing a car wheel arch with your own hands

Let's consider step by step how to replace the wheel arches of a car with your own hands:

1. We order the production of a new arch from any turner. The material you can choose is some light alloy like aluminum.

Replacing a car arch with your own hands
Using a jack, we lift the car from the side where we plan to work. We remove the wheel so that there is no interference. We disconnect the arch from the suspension, floor, partition and trunk. We clean the surface from the paint layer to bare metal. We try on a new product and make a mark along which we will cut off the one that requires replacement. After the cut, we install a new product, securing it by welding. We start cooking in the center, then move to the edges. It is important to pay attention to the fastening in the threshold area, where the main loads will occur. We grind the welding seams and apply a special primer. After priming, use putty to level all surfaces. We sand the putty and apply acrylic primer. At the end we paint the installed product.

At this point we can consider the work completed if you have the skills to operate a welding machine. It won't cause you any particular difficulties.

The arch is welded over the wing with an overlap

Replacing the inner rear wheel arch

Depending on the degree of damage, the inner arch of the rear wheels is replaced completely or partially.

Before beginning the replacement, remove the rear fenders, rear panel, rear panel reinforcement, trunk floor, fuel tank floor, spare tire floor, rear floor rails, rear outer wheel arches and rear outer quarter panels.

Complete replacement of the inner arch

Completely replace the inner rear wheel arch by disconnecting it from the trunk floor panel, rear suspension spring support, rear floor extension, rear bulkhead frame. To perform this work, use a drill with a 6 mm diameter carbide drill bit, an air hammer with a set of chisels, or a plumber's hammer with a fine-sharpened hand chisel.

To prepare the body for installation of a new arch, do the following:

• remove the remaining metal from the edges of the parts mating to the arch using special wire cutters or pliers;
• straighten, straighten and sand the edges of the arch and mating parts with a grinding machine;
• install the arch in place, aligning it according to the existing stampings, and secure it with the mating parts with quick-release pliers;
• check the correct installation of the arch along the lines of mating with adjacent parts, if necessary, install the arch again;
• grab the arch with points to the mating parts in the places indicated by the arrows in the figure using a semi-automatic electric arc welder for welding in a carbon dioxide environment. For tack welding, it is allowed to use manual gas welding with tip No. 1 or No. 2 and the necessary support;
• install and attach to the mating parts in sequence: the outer arch (right or left), the rear part of the outer side (right or left), the rear floor side members (right or left), the trunk floor, the spare wheel or fuel tank floors, the rear panel reinforcement, the panel rear and fender (right or left);
• check the correct installation of the arch according to the requirements of the technical documentation;
• weld the arch with points along the holes stitched in the overhead mating parts when disconnecting, using an electric arc welding semi-automatic for welding in a carbon dioxide environment, wire Sv-08GS-0 or Sv-08G2S-0 with a diameter of 0.8 mm;
• weld in sequence: the outer arch (right or left), the rear part of the outer side (right or left), the rear floor members (right or left), the trunk floor, the spare wheel or fuel side floors, the rear panel reinforcement, the rear panel and fenders (right or left).

After replacing the inner arch, prepare the restored area of ​​the body for painting and anti-corrosion protection.

How to restore a rotten arch

Before working with the welding machine, you need to disconnect the power supply, that is, the battery. The problem we have is this: we need to heal the corroded arch.

First of all, we clean everything with an emery machine and cut out the damaged area with a grinder.

After we cut out the damaged area, we treat everything with acid so that there is no more corrosion. We make blanks, cut out patches. Made from food grade stainless steel 0.8 thickness.

We scald it from the inside and cover it with baxite soil. Carefully, even under the seams.

If it is not convenient or difficult for you to make a patch according to the diameter, you can use cardboard for this. Apply and press along the perimeter of the cutout. You will be left with a mark, cut it out and apply it to the metal to cut out a patch according to your cardboard model. For in-depth processing, you will also need a Movil, a hose with a spray nozzle in all directions.

After all the processing, take the first patch and insert its hole where the cutout was. In order to be able to safely operate the patch, it is necessary to weld an unnecessary screwdriver or a metal rod.

Thanks to the fact that you weld it to the patch, you will have the advantage of not only adjusting it, but also pressing it tightly to the metal. And so we weld all the patches.

What should a high-quality anticorrosive agent look like?

How to repair car thresholds without welding with your own hands
Until recently, the choice of a motorist in terms of protective auto chemicals was limited to Movil, gun lard and two or three types of liquid mastics. Today the market offers dozens of options for processing body parts. Despite this diversity, they are divided into anti-corrosion agents intended for treating hidden and external surfaces.

The first ones meet the following requirements:

• high adhesive ability to smooth surfaces;
• the ability to create an elastic film after drying;
• chemical neutrality to metal, plastic and paint coatings;
• possibility of introduction into the metal structure;
• fluidity sufficient to fill the slightest cracks;
• homogeneous structure;
• ability to displace moisture and electrolytes from the surface.

Oil compositions fully meet these conditions. They have excellent penetrating ability and remain in a liquid state for a long time, but due to their low strength they are not suitable for outdoor use. In addition, the retail chain also offers products with a wax base. Like oil anticorrosive for cars, they are applied using a spray gun, but they penetrate much less into the steel structure. The advantages of paraffin compositions lie elsewhere. They adhere equally well to paint and rusty metal, forming a protective film through which neither moisture nor chemicals penetrate.

A number of the requirements discussed above are supplemented with several more points if materials for anti-corrosion treatment of the car are used externally:

1. Mechanical strength sufficient to withstand the impacts of gravel flying out from under the wheels and the abrasive effects of dust and sand;
2. The ability not to peel off or crack under alternating loads and mechanical deformations of the body.

Modern anticorrosive agents extend the service life of body parts and increase acoustic comfort in the cabin. At the same time, they will be able to fully express themselves only when the application technology specified by the manufacturer is followed.

Wheel arch extensions - how to make them yourself + Video

Surely, many have seen wheel arch extensions or linings on various cars, more often SUVs. Many people think that these details serve as some kind of decorative element, however, the function of arch extensions is not limited to this. Let's try to figure out what widened wheel arches are, what is their main function and how to make them yourself?

Why are wheel arch extensions needed?

Off-road driving or frequent visits to rural areas necessarily requires further car washing. The fact is that wide-profile tires, most suitable for driving on such terrain, protrude significantly beyond the car’s arches. All the dirt collected on the tire treads, when the wheel rotates, flies towards the body, as a result of which it becomes quite dirty. To combat this problem, many SUV designers have made the vehicle body significantly wider by increasing the protrusion of the wheel arches.

This improvement did not apply to all cars. Many models are produced on ordinary narrow tires, which insatiable drivers are sure to replace with wide-profile ones. The wheel arches, in turn, remain the same size, which makes it necessary to increase them.

Increasing the width of the wheel arches is now possible with special linings that attach to the car body and make it a little wider. Wheel arch extensions are produced as car accessories and are installed outside the factory.

Ways to widen wheel arches

There are two ways to increase the width of the wheel arches. The first is to install special car linings, and the second involves making these parts yourself, based on the driver’s taste preferences.

Wheel arch extensions found on sale can be of three main types:

Universal. For universal extenders, there is no clear restriction on the make and model of the car. They are sold in the form of special rubber rolls, which are adjusted to the arch of the car and attached to the arch from the reverse side. This extender allows you to protect the car body from the ejection of small pebbles or dirt, but it has a rather significant drawback for drivers - an ugly design. Their execution worsens the appearance of the car, which is why such arches are used only by SUV drivers. However, the ugliness of these parts is offset by the low cost.

Universal plastic pads. They have a more advanced design and look good on many cars. There is already a limitation on the make and model of the car, since they are manufactured only in special sizes. Installing an extender from one car to another model is not possible. Fastening to the body is carried out using self-tapping screws. For all their aesthetic advantages, these arches do not protect the body well from dirt and are best used as decoration.

Fiberglass arch extensions. They are a perfect addition to the body and have some installation difficulties. They are made from rough material, the appearance of which is far from comparable to the commercial one. Such expanders are also fastened using self-tapping screws, but the surface of the linings is cleaned and a layer of putty is applied to them. After which, the part is aligned with the body and painted in the color of the car body. Thus, the result is a wheel arch extension that becomes one with the body and invisible to the naked eye. Installing such an overlay will require additional painting experience.

Arch extenders (bushwhackers) on the UAZ Hunter, their purpose:

• Protection from external influences of dirt, gravel, etc.
• The effect of strengthening body elements.
• Allows the installation of large diameter wheels and widening of the track.
• Improving the appearance of the SUV.

Arch extensions Hunter – Properties:

• Self-healing effect under moderate external mechanical influences.
• Accurate repetition of the lines of the car body geometry.

Extenders for Hunter – Characteristics:

Material LLDPE* (Elaston**) (Notes: *LLDPE High-density low-pressure polyethylene according to GOST. “Elaston” is a material based on LLPDE, with the addition of elastic properties, internal development of the company).

Power expanders (Lapters) UAZ Hunter – Self-healing effect of the material. The polymer material used in the production of power expanders on the UAZ Hunter, unlike materials based on ABS and fiberglass, does not break, does not crack and is more resistant to ultraviolet radiation.

Full equipment and installation allow you to upgrade your car yourself. High-quality packaging ensures the safety of expanders during transportation and loading and unloading operations.

Arch extensions for UAZ Hunter (they are also called fenders for UAZ Hunter) - strength test:

UAZ Hunter arch extensions - we always have more than 10 sets in stock.

Overall dimensions of the shipment: 1200mm x 810mm x 210mm, weight – 8 kg. We will send it to your region via a convenient shipping company. At the top, select which arch extensions you need and click the green button at the top right “Place an order”. Or you can use the form below to pay for your order online

Please note that this form can be used only if there are branches of the following transport companies in your city: TK KIT (GTD), TK Energia, TK PEC, TK Business Lines. In all other cases, before paying, you must clarify the possibility and cost of delivery by first placing an order at the top right

Final stage

Regardless of how the car body was repaired, they all end with putty. However, it absorbs moisture, which leads to rapid destruction. Therefore, it must be coated on top with an anti-corrosion or epoxy primer. Body repairs are completed without welding by painting. To do this, use a spray gun or aerosol cans, after covering the adjacent surface of the car with plastic film. You should not use a brush, as drips are possible.

The proposed methods will help to repair a car without welding in case of single damage. However, if a large area is affected by corrosion, it will be easier and more reliable to contact a car repair shop to replace the rusted area by welding. Most often this happens to the floor, so it is recommended to regularly check it from underneath the car using an inspection hole or lift.

What not to do and why?

If rust develops strongly, cleaning the arches must be very careful. The use of strong mechanical stress, as well as aggressive chemicals, can result in the appearance of holes in thin metal.

It is also unacceptable to use converters beyond the time specified in the instructions. If you leave the reagent for a long period in the hope of removing a thick layer of rust, the result may be negative: the active substance will “eat through” the metal.

When corrosion has just begun, you should not use an angle grinder . It is intended only for removing large deposits of oxides. In an area with a thin layer of rust, the grinder disc can damage the metal.

Algorithm of actions

Dismantling and subsequent insertion of the front wing takes up to 1 hour, even for inexperienced craftsmen

It is important to perform the entire sequence of actions correctly:

1. Unscrew the two nuts in the bumper fasteners and lower the edge of the bumper down.
2. Remove the outer part of the sill trim.
3. Remove the headlight cover.
4. Remove the turn signal from the headlight.
5. Remove the side turn signal.
6. Using a 10mm wrench, unscrew the self-tapping screw that secures the part to the bracket.
7. Unscrew the screws under the threshold, two bolts that secure the part to the rack, they are located on the inside.
8. Unscrew the 4 bolts that connect the element and the front part of the body.
9. Using a knife, cut off the sealant on which the wing is mounted on its top shelf on the body.

Which is better: liquid or plastic fender liners

“Liquid fender liner” is a coating of the wheel arch with a special composition. After treating the surface with a locker, the protective layer is up to 2 mm thick (depending on how many times the product is sprayed). Main advantages:

• in the form of an aerosol or mastic, the “liquid fender liner” penetrates into all hidden cavities of the wheel arch;
• preserves a possible source of corrosion;
• forms a sufficiently strong film to protect the body from stones and gravel.

The plastic fender liner is a removable part that is installed in the arch, attached to the body with self-tapping screws or glued. Advantages of plastic:

• not subject to corrosion;
• low cost;
• large assortment for all models.

The disadvantages of plastic elements are not the characteristics of the material, but the fact that under the fender liner the body can still begin to rot if the adjacent parts are not completely anti-corrosion treated. In this case, the plastic is not treated with anticorrosive.

Do-it-yourself wheel arch replacement technology

During operation, car arches are constantly exposed to precipitation, dust, dirt, water, and crushed stone, which leads to their corrosion and subsequent destruction. This especially applies to the rear wheel arch. It is made up of two planes connected by welding - the outer wing and the arch above the wheel, where corrosion occurs. Minor damage can be repaired in a timely manner with cosmetic repairs. If they are deep and extensive enough, a complete replacement of the arch will be required.

This process does not require special preparation. Any experienced driver who knows how to operate a car can do it. At the same time, when replacing an arch on your own, you must adhere to a certain technology. In addition, in order to correctly replace a wheel arch, you must have the appropriate tools, equipment and materials. These include:

• Arch repair kit;
• Electric arc welding semi-automatic;
• Equipment for cleaning and grinding seams;
• Drill with metal drill;
• Pneumatic hammer and chisel set;
• Bench hammer;
• Finely ground hand chisel;
• Pincers and wire cutters;
• Screwdriver;
• Knife, ruler and gloves;
• Glasses;
• Metal sheet;
• Primer, paint;
• Anti-corrosion coating agent.

First of all, a visual assessment of the degree of corrosion of the metal is made. The necessary measurements are taken. Depending on the level of damage, arches are replaced partially or completely. Everything will depend on how worn it is. For the most minor damage, you can get by by coating the inside of the arch with a protective anti-corrosion agent.

Stages of partial arch replacement

1. Disconnect the wheel arch from the trunk floor, the bulkhead frame and the suspension spring support using a drill, pneumatic hammer, plumber's hammer, and chisels.
2. Identify and mark the damaged area.
3. Remove damaged metal according to the markings. This should be done using protective gloves and goggles.
4. Cut an identical blank from a metal sheet.
5. Prepare the surfaces for welding, remove the remaining pieces of metal from the ends with wire cutters or pliers, and set the minimum gap between the parts.
6. Sew 5 mm holes in the workpiece in 30 mm increments at the junction with the solid arch.
7. Weld the workpiece to the solid part of the arch either spotwise or with a continuous seam.
8. Clean and sand the seams. Sometimes they are covered with special plastic covers.
9. Prime the entire surface of the treatment area, apply an anti-corrosion coating and paint.
10. Restore the original disconnections from the trunk, bulkhead and suspension.

If a preliminary inspection shows that the arch is worn along its entire contour, the entire part will need to be replaced.

Stages of a complete arch replacement

Pre-cut and form a new arch. Any turner can do this. Light alloys, such as aluminum, are suitable as materials. For convenience, when carrying out work, you should lift the car with a jack and remove the wheel. A complete replacement of the rear arch, including the wing, is carried out, as with a partial replacement, after disconnecting it from the trunk, floor, partition and suspension. Remove the paintwork from the wing and arch down to the metal base. Try on the wheel arch being installed with your hands. Mark a line along which the old arch will be cut. The most important step when installing a new arch with your own hands is welding, which is performed with a special apparatus. It starts in the center of the arch and wing, then is welded along the edges. If the gaps coincide, welding is carried out along the entire contour circle

Particular attention is paid to fastening to the threshold; when moving, all the main load will be here. Finally, a welding primer is applied. All subsequent actions of a complete replacement of an arch are similar to those carried out during a partial replacement.

Soundproofing options for arches

You can soundproof car arches both from the outside and from the inside. However, for car owners who especially value great acoustics, comprehensive sound insulation of the arches from the inside and outside in combination with complete sound insulation of the entire car (see Soundproofing the car interior yourself) will be the best option. To soundproof the wheel arches with your own hands, you will need absolutely A little:

• Your great wish
• Soundproofing material
• Rubber bitumen mastic
• Brushes and roller
• Protective gloves
• A dry room, with a temperature not lower than room temperature (in the warm season, it is also possible outside)

Option one

And so our first direction is sound insulation of arches performed from inside the car:

• First, we clean and degrease the desired surface, then we glue the entire area, actually 100%, with Bimast
• After this, glue on a layer of sound absorber called Accent
• This simple circuit will help eliminate significant noise coming into the cabin from outside from the wheels and road surface.
• However, there are still options

Option two

Sound insulation of Hyundai Solaris arches from the outside has become increasingly popular recently:

This method requires removing the fender liners (if any), the surfaces are cleaned, degreased, and then completely glued with a serious vibration damper (we recommend using Bimast Bomb). In this case, you need to glue not only the metal of the arch itself, but also the outside of the fender liner (the side towards the car body ) Then, if you wish, you can glue the arches with foil splen, which is better known as IzolonTape. It is better to take the maximum thickness of Splen (8 millimeters) It should be borne in mind that when dealing with sound insulation from the outside of the car, there is a small nuance - the appearance of corrosion. To avoid corrosion, some craftsmen strongly recommend coat all un-glued areas with a layer of anti-corrosion compound - for example, thick mastic, rapid rusting of the body, the cost of carelessness. It is important to take into account here that the standard set intended for sound insulation of a car is not entirely suitable for external insulation, and you glue it at your own responsibility

Option three

The use of fender liners in a car protects the arches from dirt and moisture, but can also be used as an additional acoustic shield:

• First we need to perform the procedures for the second option
• Then the removed fender liner must be thoroughly cleaned, then degreased
• After this, we cover the inner surface with Vibroplast, as in the photo below

Fender liners covered with vibroplast

• It is worth considering that when ventilation grilles are installed in the fender liners by the manufacturer, do not glue them
• “Spleen” can be used here as an additional sound insulator
• It will additionally work as a sound reflector
• Although, due to temperature changes, after a while it comes unstuck
• After that we mount our fender liners back

Body repair with putty

This method is used when you urgently need to repair a small hole without welding or there are no other options for car repair. However, it should be understood that this is a temporary measure, since the putty will quickly crumble. To repair the damage, use a special putty with small, medium, and large glass fibers. When preparing it, you need to ensure that there are no air bubbles. To create an even layer, a lining is installed on the back of the hole.

A primer is applied to the prepared area of ​​damage. After it dries, putty with large fibers is applied. Depending on the size of the hole, several layers are applied and each layer is completely dry. The total thickness should not exceed 2 mm, otherwise the patch will begin to crack. The last layer is applied with fine fiber putty. The repaired surface of the car is treated with fine-grained sandpaper.

What to do after signs of corrosion appear?

Typically, traces of rust appear in the form of brown dots, popularly called “saffron caps.” The appearance of such elements indicates that the process of influence of external factors on the metal has already begun. As soon as you notice this effect, you need to get down to business immediately. You should contact a body shop or paint shop with a good rating among motorists. Usually these specialists will find the best way to solve the problem.

When working independently, you should do the following:

• carefully examine the area of ​​damage to understand at what stage the corrosive attack is, this will help plan further actions and get better results;
• prepare a tool for performing basic body work, it’s worth mentioning right away that you won’t be able to do the painting at home, you will need very expensive equipment;
• get different types of sandpaper, rust converter, solvent, rags, and also reserve 1-2 hours of time (costs depend on the amount of damage);
• clean the area of ​​damage so that no rust remains; this is done with sandpaper and constant watering; a certain area of ​​the paintwork will also be affected;
• Use a rust converter to treat the area to remove any rust, then refinish with a primer (can be used in a spray can).

Having prepared the spot for painting, it is best to contact specialists with a good spray booth and professional equipment. If appearance doesn’t matter to you, you can paint it at home using a small garage compressor and an inexpensive spray bottle. Of course, in the latter case, the paint spot will be very different from the color of the entire car. The quality of work also depends on the quality of paint selection.

Welding method

If the surface is so corroded that puttying is not possible, you will need welding. Obviously, to carry out work of this kind with your own hands, you must have a welding machine and have the appropriate skills in handling it. So, repair by welding looks like this:

Carefully wash and dry the car. Using a grinder, we cut off all the affected areas of the wheel arches. Align and clean the edges (for making patches, it’s good to get arches that have been used and are no longer in use). We cut out suitable patches and bring them to the shape we need in order to obtain the correct wing configuration.

Rear arch repair using welding

We prepare such patches for the inner and outer parts of the arch. We spot weld the inner patch first, then the outer one. It should be recessed compared to the rest of the surface. Carefully sand the weld seams. Using putty we derive the geometry. We sand the putty on top. Apply a layer of acrylic primer. We paint the repaired area of ​​the car.

What can the lack of repairs lead to?

Arch rust is one of your car's worst enemies. You can pay attention to old cars. The arches and sills rust first, and the process of corrosive destruction does not stop. Therefore, the lack of timely repairs will very quickly turn your car into junk on wheels. The rate of corrosion development depends on many factors that are often impossible to predict. So you may not even have time to sell your car profitably.

The development of corrosion stains will be influenced by the following criteria:

• the quality of the metal - it can be a galvanized body with resistance to rust or ordinary metal, which is easily corroded, this is an important point for such a case;
• thickness of the body part - the thicker the metal part, the better the arch will resist corrosion, in this case old cars are much more advantageous than modern models;
• the quality of protection in production is the type and number of layers of primer, the quality of the paint, the presence of additional anti-corrosion treatment and other important factors that do not depend on the car owner;
• timely reaction - it is important to begin eliminating corrosion stains and “saffron marks” in a timely manner so as not to lead to a complete end-to-end impact on the body of your car;
• storage conditions - you need to pay attention to ventilation in the garage, humidity and temperature changes when storing the car, as well as other important factors in preserving the body.

There are dozens of factors that can speed up or prevent the development of corrosion on your car. Today, these are factors that should be taken into account when purchasing a car. For example, Chinese cars are famous for the fact that even slight corrosion is a priori through. On old European cars, even after 15 years of operation, it is difficult to find corrosion if handicraft body repairs have not been carried out. But there are also many purely individual factors that you cannot always take into account when studying the situation with the car.

Puttying

So, if we are talking about minor damage, the putty method is used. Step by step it looks like this:

1. It is necessary to thoroughly wash and dry the car.
2. Remove all bare metal rust from the damaged areas and sand them thoroughly.
3. Treat areas with reactive primer and allow the surface to dry.

Car rear arch putty

• Place acrylic filler on top of the reactive layer - under no circumstances should putty be applied to acidic primer.
• After the acrylic has dried, apply putty and wait for it to dry.
• Thoroughly sand the dried putty, gradually reducing the grain size of the abrasive. Thus, level the surface, preparing it for painting.
• Paint those areas of the car that have been repaired.

Repairing a rotten wing arch

The car body usually begins to rot from closed cavities, the sills, side members, and wheel arches suffer. Today we will talk about the latter, or rather about their repair.

Repairing a rotten wing arch

When repairing cars produced by VAZ, the matter is quite simple - buy an arch repair insert, weld the whole thing or putty on a piece, etc. But when repairing foreign cars, difficulties arise - repair inserts are either very expensive, or delivery takes a month, or does not exist at all. This is where the difficulties begin, how to repair a rotten arch.

Let's start with the options for repairing the arch, and I don't know many of them, just a couple:

1. Repair using putty, fiberglass
2. Repair by welding

They can also be immediately divided - the first is of lower quality, the second is of higher quality, reliable and predictable in terms of results. Briefly about each.

Read about replacing the rear wing ham with a VAZ

The first method of repairing a rotten wing arch is to clean off the rust, restoring the geometry of the arch using fiberglass putty or fiberglass impregnated with epoxy resin. Also, before applying the above components, it would be a good idea to treat the rusty areas with reactive or epoxy primer; they will stop rust.

Attention! You cannot put putty on reactive primer; it must be covered with acrylic or primer filler!

Arch repair scheme

Repair procedures vary depending on the type of damage (scratches, dents, rust, etc.). As an example, we will give a simplified scheme for repairing an arch in the event that it is rotten only in one small area, but through and through.

• Step 1 Cost assessment. You have two preliminary options for estimating the cost of arch repair - call and tell us everything in words or send us photographs (videos) of the damage. The specialist will tell you the cost, which does not change in 80% of cases (you will find out why this is later).
• Step 2 Arrival at the service center. Having decided to contact us for help, you need to choose a convenient day and time to come to the service - contact us in any convenient way. You will find all possible communication options on the contact page.
• Step 3 Inspection. You have arrived at the service. The technician put the car on a lift and inspected the damage. If the technician finds damage that was not identified before coming to us, then he will tell you everything, show you and offer options, and you will already make a decision.
• Step 4 Spare parts. There are two options for fixing the rotten part of the arch - installing a patch or sealing it with fiberglass. After consultation with the master, you will choose the appropriate option for yourself. Metal rots, plastic does not. For example, let's assume that metal was chosen to replace the area.
• Step 5 Repair. The master will cut out the rotten area, clean it, weld a patch, sand it, sand it, treat it with various metal compounds, putty, prime it, paint it, dry it and polish it - he will carry out a cycle of work.
• Step 6 After repair. You will carefully examine the master’s work and accept it, or if there are any comments, then express them. although there are almost no comments on our work. If you have any questions, ask them to the master, and he, in turn, will tell you some specifics, for example, how long it takes to wash the repaired area (the timing depends on the materials used). That's all!

Rear arch repair

The rear arch can be replaced entirely, or only damaged parts can be replaced. I'm leaning towards the second option. The main thing is due to the reduction in the amount of work.

If you change it entirely, then you need to prepare for the fact that the repair one may not exactly match in size. This applies to our arches from the market. Imported ones almost always match, but native ones match absolutely, and Taiwanese ones have small errors, even in the shape of the ribs. In any case, errors are corrected with putty.

And this is how we should treat this repair. He's forced. And by the way, it’s not always simple, easy and safe. And therefore we believe that we are simply saving the arch from further destruction. A little more putty or a little less – I personally have no worries about this.

It will be worse if we weld it nicely (minimum putty), and after a year the rust spots from the weld will come out. Because there was no Movil in the arch after the repair. After our repair, even partial, we will pour Movil or a preservative into the arch, and thereby treat the welding areas and protect the places that have not yet been touched by rust.

We need to decide right away whether we will repair it in the near future or not. If we are repairing, then there is no need to pour Movil into the arch for prevention. It will then greatly interfere with welding.

The amount of work increases, a lot of preparation, and a lot of painting as a result. A small piece is always easier to fit and there are fewer surprises. There can be such surprises - the arch is filled with factory sealant, it is flammable - along with the arch, as a rule, you have to change a piece of the mudguard. Sometimes big. — sometimes repairs go into the trunk.

Repair kit

If you need to replace the rear left wing of a VAZ 2114, which has significant deformation, it is recommended to purchase a complete repair kit, which includes two sidewall panels, moldings, bolts, and inserts. The number that the AvtoVAZ manufacturer uses for its repair kits for 2114 is 21090-5401065-00. In addition to the main enterprise, parts for the Lada are produced by companies and experimental workshops:

• Nachalo software;
• Kamaz (Naberezhnye Chelny).

All replicas are supplied in original packaging; parts are made from black steel up to 0.8 mm thick. The part must be covered with transport primer.

Useful information about wheel arch repair

If you want the front and rear wheel arches on your car to look great and not show any defects, contact us. Our service specialists will perform high-quality repairs to arches, regardless of the degree of damage. We have at our disposal modern equipment, materials and tools for the complete restoration of the body and its components, and the craftsmen thoroughly know the nuances and features of this type of work.

Types of damage and ways to eliminate them

When operating a car, the arches receive different types of damage:

• Chips, peelings, cracks in paintwork;
• Surface corrosion;
• Severe damage to the metal by rust, up to the formation of holes;
• Dents, changes in geometry, surface breaks as a result of impacts;

These defects are equally inherent in both the front and rear wheel arches. But the complexity of restoration of arches varies. At the rear, the arch consists of two parts - external and internal, connected into a single structure by a permanent connection. At the same time, the rear wing itself with the arch is part of the rear part of the body and cannot be removed. The front fender can be removed from the car, which simplifies the process of restoring it.

Based on the degree of damage, a restoration technology is selected, of which several are used for arches:

• Cosmetic repairs (for damage to paintwork and surface corrosion);
• Straightening (dents and geometry changes are eliminated);
• Sealing holes;

When redecorating an arch, craftsmen clean its surface down to the metal, treat it with corrosion inhibitors, followed by putty, primer and painting.

Note that painting work is necessarily included in the process of restoring wheel arches. They are the final stage for any type of body repair.

Dent removal and straightening

In a garage environment, small dents are often repaired with fiberglass and putty. But this repair is incorrect, although in this way it is possible to restore the geometry of the surface. The essence of the work comes down to filling the dent with layers of fiberglass and putty, followed by sanding to give the required shape. And then the surface is painted over.

The disadvantage of this method is the need for thorough surface preparation, which is not always done. Therefore, corrosion often forms under the applied materials. Also, a layer of putty that is too thick eventually cracks along with the paintwork and the defect on the arch becomes noticeable again.

To restore the geometry of the arch surface, we straighten it. Using specialized equipment and tools, craftsmen level surfaces to an almost ideal state, regardless of the complexity of their shape and the number of creases.

To remove dents we use:

• slipway;
• Spotter;
• Reverse hammer;
• Hammers and extensions for straightening;

After straightening, the putty is used only to seal the smallest defects, so the thickness of the applied layer is insignificant and it will not crack in the future.

Filling holes

The most technologically complex operation is filling holes and replacing the arch in case of severe corrosion. Car enthusiasts often use fiberglass for this, which is also wrong. This method comes down to cleaning the surface, treating the edges of the holes with chemicals. means to prevent further spread of corrosion and fill the rotted area with fiberglass. After this, the surface is given the desired shape by puttying and sanding, followed by priming and painting.

It is better to remove holes on wheel arches by welding. We repair arches like this:

• We determine the size of the damaged area and make markings;
• We cut out replacement metal;
• Cut out the rusty part of the arch or its entirety (when replacing);
• We weld the prepared metal;
• We clean the welds;
• We treat the seams and adjacent areas with anti-corrosion agents;
• We putty and sand the arch to give the desired shape;
• We carry out painting work.

Note that this is a general algorithm for restoring arches by welding. Each specific case of repair has certain nuances and features that we take into account.

Whatever the condition of the arches on your car, we will fix them. You can evaluate the quality of arch restoration performed by our masters from the photos below.

Repair of rusty (rotten) car arches

Why do they still rot?

Judging by discussions on reputable auto forums, the problem is typical for ours, the Japanese, the Koreans and the Chinese. In general, the arches rot quite quickly on many cars. Therefore, you should not attribute everything solely to defectors and road conditions. A whole range of reasons plays a role, from which we highlight:

• Insufficient car care. Remember the last time you cleaned the inside of the wheel arches and removed dirt from the cavities in this area?
• Insufficient protection of hidden cavities, lack of anti-corrosion treatment and lockers.
• Insufficient attention to the first signs of rust that appear.

Yes, of course, crushed stone from under wheels and road reagents, generously used in urban areas, play their negative role. Factory defects should not be ruled out, for example, the use of bad metal or insufficient anti-corrosion protection from the factory. All these factors cause rust stains. But the problem discovered at the initial stage is easy to solve.

And the main reason lies in the fact that the arches begin to rot from the inside. When corrosion has already come out, this is an already neglected problem that has not been given due attention in a timely manner.

Depending on the degree of damage, we use various technologies for repairing rotten arches. Let's talk about them further.

What equipment and consumables will be needed

For body repairs of elements susceptible to corrosion, the selection of component materials is of great importance. Errors in selection will lead to the fact that even if the technological aspects are observed, it will be difficult to obtain a guaranteed result.

In general terms, the list of what is needed includes:

• Sandpaper P80–P600, Scotch-Brite (green and red) for matting.
• Primer - Etching (acid) and epoxy compounds provide the best results. But please note that acid primers must be covered with a layer of acrylic or the same epoxy primer. You cannot put putty directly on it, much less paint it.
• The putty is selected depending on the degree of damage to the arch. But in any case, it is better to use polyester compounds. For small areas, a universal or finishing product will be sufficient (it’s not bad if it contains the addition of aluminum powder). Putty with fiberglass will help remove through holes, and it is better to treat welded areas in full - filling and finishing.

Power tools will require a grinder and a welding machine, preferably a semi-automatic machine or a laser welding machine.

Fixing minor problems

Any repair must begin with a thorough examination of the outer and inner surfaces of the arches and the body elements that adjoin them. Minor damage includes:

• The appearance of blistering paint.
• Clearly visible surface corrosion damage, in which the metal has not rusted to its full depth.

At this stage, the work is quite simple and usually requires no more than one day. The general repair technology is as follows:

• Removing peeling paint and identifying areas damaged by corrosion. There should be no traces of rust under the paint, otherwise the damaged area will only expand.
• We clean damaged areas mechanically or manually. We do not recommend that beginners in auto repair immediately take up an angle grinder. The metal in such areas may be weakened, so you risk rubbing through holes.
• Be sure to clean up the transition of paint to living metal. If this step is carried out correctly, you will see successive layers - steel, primer, base paint, varnish. In this case, there should not be a significant difference in height in the border area.
• Metal can be cleaned with 80-grit abrasive; it provides the necessary scratch for puttying. After switching to the old paint, we work with thinner materials from P220 to P600.
• After degreasing, you should not immediately apply a large layer of putty and try to level it with coarse sandpaper. This is the mistake of many craftsmen - apply more, and after sanding, smooth it out a little with a finish. With this approach, the putty will shrink quite quickly, and this will affect the durability of the paintwork. Therefore, we putty in layers and carefully.
• Please note that polyester putty can only be processed dry, it does not tolerate contact with water.
• After cleaning the putty, we prime the surface, apply a developing layer and, if necessary, modify it.
• We carry out painting using standard technology, the features of which we will discuss later.

One more point worth paying attention to. For minor damage, it is not necessary to prime the surface before applying putty. But, if you apply a layer of epoxy primer to the prepared area, it will become an additional protection against the reappearance of saffron milk caps in the repaired areas.

Average repair of rusty arches

This type of repair will be required when there is a larger area of ​​damage and when minor through holes have already appeared. Refers to cosmetic repairs that do not require welding.

The main difference is the need to use polyester putty with fiberglass or glass mat with resins. The material has good reinforcing properties, and if the technology is followed, it will not be inferior in strength to metal. The preparation process is standard - we clean it, identify all damage, and even have to cut out individual segments. The main difficulty lies precisely in puttying:

• Putty or glass mat is laid with the utmost care and precision. In height it should not protrude beyond the outer edge of the wing arch. The fact is that it is difficult to grind. It will be difficult to remove the already formed layer.
• In practice, they often resort to this method - first, a layer is laid on the inside. After its polymerization, the outer surface is cleaned, removing excess, and only after that the surface layer is formed.
• The restored area must be covered with finishing or universal putty. Otherwise, it will not be possible to bring the arch to ideal.

By its nature and labor intensity, this type of repair takes a little more time than is required for minor work. And if you dry the putty well and treat the inside with an anti-corrosion coating, then such a patch will last quite a long time.

Major renovation

One of the most difficult types of repairs, it is used when there is a significant area of ​​damage, in the presence of so many rotten areas, when it seems that there is no living space left. The best thing is to find repair inserts. But unfortunately, this option is only available for domestically assembled models. For most foreign cars, such a search takes a long time. Therefore, most often you have to invest and look for a local solution.

By the way, such damage is typical for car owners who like temporary solutions. Most often, detected damage is simply covered with auto plasticine. Yes, the material is basically not bad. But it does not work in arches, but only causes corrosion activation. This is due to the fact that over time, plasticine still breaks down and cannot provide normal protection from moisture. In addition, in the presence of a generous layer of this material, the ventilation of the internal surfaces of the arches significantly deteriorates. And this gives another impetus for the growth of rust.

We carry out the work according to the following scheme:

• We completely remove all damaged areas. From both the inner and outer surfaces of the arch, it is important to get to the living metal to which the repair insert can be welded.
• The surfaces are thoroughly cleaned, and the shape of the iron is corrected if necessary.
• We prepare repair inserts from metal of appropriate thickness. We cut it out, give it the required configuration, try it on and adjust it. And so on until the insert fits perfectly into the selected location.
• First of all, we boil the inside of the damaged arch. At the same time, we make sure that the resulting seams do not interfere with the outer segments falling into place. All welded joints are thoroughly cleaned; there should be no traces of rust or scale.
• There is one significant nuance for the external insert. It must be manufactured and welded so that it is in a slightly recessed position in relation to the main surface of the metal. If this condition is not met, you can’t count on normal putty and painting.
• Upon completion of welding work, all seams are carefully ground. Ideally, they should not protrude beyond the surface of the arches, or have any bumps or shells remaining after stripping. Even with the help of an angle grinder, the work requires time and accuracy.
• After high-quality preparation and installation of repair inserts, a large layer of putty is usually not required. Moreover, compositions with fiberglass are not needed, they are unnecessary at this celebration of life. We putty with universal or filling putty, cover with a finishing layer and, after cleaning, prime for painting.

It is this method of repair that allows you to get a better result. But it is more labor-intensive and expensive compared to cosmetic repairs of wheel arches. Which option should you choose? You decide. But we recommend that you listen to the advice of the specialist who will carry out the repairs.

Additional protection of arches from corrosion

If you already had to repair or restore this body element, we still recommend taking care of additional protection of the internal surfaces from corrosion. Moreover, now there are many materials and protection technologies.

Depending on the chosen solution to the problem, it is possible to isolate the internal space and surface from moisture, which activates corrosion, and prevent the accumulation of dirt and snow, which contain many aggressive substances that spill onto the roads in winter. Practice has shown that it is best to use an integrated approach, for example, this:

• The car is lifted, the wheel is removed, and mechanisms and components that cannot be removed are covered with protective films.
• The inner surface of the wheel arch is thoroughly washed, and it is better to do this under pressure, cleaned of oil stains and degreased.
• Different materials are used for processing. There are both bitumen and rubber-bitumen, tar bases. More modern materials have also appeared, which are a complex of synthetic polymer substances, for example, Dinitrol. For each of them, proper preparation and degreasing of the surface is important. Otherwise, the service life of any coating will be insignificant.
• The selected material is sprayed or brushed. To increase efficiency, create 2-3 layers with mandatory interlayer drying.
• After such processing, you can install additional lockers. Manufacturers now offer such protection from different materials. But please note that such a solution may require drilling additional mounting holes, which in itself is not very desirable.

By the way, such protection has another effect - it reduces wheel noise and is even used as one of the possible sound insulation solutions.

And don’t forget about one more stage - processing of hidden cavities. Often arches begin to rot from thresholds and other adjacent elements. Therefore, such additional protection would be useful.

If we talk about protecting the very edge of the arch, then you can pay attention to the following non-standard solution. To implement this, you will need a regular rubber seal on the bottom edge of the door. It is enough to adjust it to size, coat the edge of the wing with anticorrosive on both sides, and put on the seal. We carefully remove any remaining anticorrosive from the outside, and coat it again on the inside, this will prevent water from getting under the rubber.

A few words about the difficulty of painting

And at this stage you will have to face a certain difficulty - the need to accurately select the paint color. The 100% color match between the repainted area and the old paintwork is influenced not only by computer selection and the work of the colorist. The skill of the painter is of great importance. Only with proper organization of the transition both in the base and in the varnish, it is possible to obtain a monochromatic surface, the color of which will not differ even when lighting conditions change.

This is precisely where the problem lies. The space along the arch is significantly limited. Therefore, to obtain the desired result, sometimes you have to make a transition to adjacent body elements - doors, bumper. And this increases the labor intensity of preparatory operations and complicates repainting. Independent experiments in this direction rarely give the desired result.

We repair and restore arches with varying degrees of damage. The make or model of the car does not matter; we will find an approach to each. The service is equipped with high-precision welding and painting equipment; we also work on particularly complex cases.

The only request is related to the high workload of the body shop masters. Leave a request for arch repair or call us in advance, this will help you choose the most convenient repair time for you.

How to replace a rear arch on a car with your own hands

As I said in the previous article, I will write about the restoration of the Daewoo Lanos car. This article will be about fender arch restoration, or more precisely about fender arch replacement.

In my case, the arch needs to be completely changed, since it was already repaired by serious guys several years ago using foam. This is usually done before selling a car. The part is foamed, after the foam has dried, the excess is cut off to give the foam the shape of the part. Then all this stuff is putty. Putty gives rigidity and outlines the final shape, and then the whole thing is painted. At first glance, it is almost impossible to distinguish whether a part is welded or foamed.

Repair arch

To replace it, I bought a repair arch, since a lot of parts were damaged, and bending the whole thing yourself would take a lot of time and would not cost much less in terms of materials.

I will not weld the entire purchased part, since this is not necessary. I need to cut out a part of it that will cover the area affected by corrosion. The part that I will weld should be slightly larger than the cut out part of the wing. First I need to find the area that is affected on the wing and that is foamed.

Search for corrosion on the arch

In order for the arch replacement to be done as efficiently as possible, you must first find and remove all corrosion. I will look with a screwdriver. I take a medium screwdriver and apply gentle blows along the entire length of the arch. Where it fails, there is probably rot and I need to replace it, where it holds the blow of a screwdriver, I will clean off the paint with a grinder and take a look.

Removing rot from a part

To remove the affected area of ​​the wing, I will use a grinder. I cut out everything that is rotten through or will soon rot and clean the edges of the cut hole. On the internal mudguard, since there is now access, I clean everything with a metal brush and treat the corrosion with acid. All the saffron milk caps and rot have been etched and cut out, now you can begin installing the arch.

Welding a new wing arch

Having adjusted the new part to a size slightly larger than the cut out part of the wing, I place the fresh part behind the old part of the wing and grab it. In order not to overheat the wing, I place points 10 cm apart from each other. When I’ve done it once, I let the wing cool a little and start putting intermediate points so that I get a distance between the points of 5 cm. I do this again so that I get approximately 2.5 cm between the points. If the welding areas are overheated, the metal will twist and either be squeezed out, or a depression will form, and this will be a problem area. Even if all this is leveled with putty, the putty will burst after a while and there will be a crappy crack in the paint along the entire seam.

Finishing the arch

When the arch is welded, all that remains is to clean the welding points, putty and paint. I will paint the whole thing a little later, since I need to paint the whole car, so I’ll post a photo of the painting a little later.

This is what I got after cleaning the spots and applying the starting layers of putty. I use putty with fiberglass. I haven’t finished the putty yet. I'll post the finishing touches a little later.

I filmed all this and posted it on YouTube. So I advise you to watch the video on replacing the arch.

Garage storage - what to consider in this case?

Many car owners take car after car and sell it again because they notice corrosion spots all over the body. In this case, it may not be the deceiving sellers who are to blame, but your garage. Creating a humid atmosphere in the garage is unacceptable at any temperature and changes; in such conditions, the car will gladly rot before your eyes. It is better to simply avoid such exposure by obtaining optimal performance characteristics of the body parts.

The main features of a proper and safe garage are as follows:

the presence of exhaust ventilation - this type of ventilation hole is located in the upper part, it must be fully open and always work to extract air from the volume of the garage; supply ventilation is also an always open ventilation hole, which is located in the lower part and works to draw in air from the street to compensate for the exhaust; the absence of barriers to the ventilation air flow, otherwise the exchange will not be sufficient, which will lead to very unpleasant consequences in terms of the service of body elements; absence of condensation on the garage door during periods of temperature changes outside, this factor must be taken into account, since condensation is the main element in the development of corrosion on the body; optimal temperature conditions, which are not very different from the street temperature or are always in the same range, this is important for preserving the car from various influencing factors.

As you can see, improper storage of a car can be one of the reasons for its total destruction. So sometimes it is better to store your car outside and this will help prevent corrosion. Of course, improper storage factors cause rust not only on the arches, but also on any body part. On arches this process will be accelerated if there is already some damage and other troubles. It is worth considering this when you choose where to store your car in the future.

We invite you to watch a video about rust on arches:

Rivets

This method not only repairs large holes in the car body, but also replaces parts (fenders, aprons) without welding. In terms of reliability, it is not inferior to welding. It is recommended to install rivets in an inconspicuous place. Since there is no splash of molten metal during operation, like welding, it is often used to repair car floors.

The riveter required for the job can be bought in a store (costs approximately 500 rubles). The technology is simple:

1. The patch is cut so that it overlaps 2 cm around the edges of the hole.
2. By attaching it to the body, it is given the desired shape.
3. The locations of the holes for the rivets are marked.
4. After drilling the patch with a drill according to the diameter of the rivets (4 - 6 mm), it is advisable to countersink the edges of the holes so that it fits more tightly to the surface of the car body.
5. Having applied the patch again, the center of the first hole is marked and drilled.
6. After riveting it and leveling it, the patches are tapped and the remaining holes are drilled in place.
7. To ensure a tight fit of the patch to the car body, rivets are fastened from the center to the edges.
8. To prevent moisture from getting inside, the joint around the perimeter and rivets is coated with sealant.

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Types, design and features of wheel arches

In automobile bodies, two types of arches are used, differing in design:

• One-piece stamped;
• Composite.

Solid bus wheel arch

Covers (fender liners, mudguards) of wheel arches

A one-piece stamped arch is a single part that, when installed in the body, forms a niche for the wheel. Typically, such arches are used in buses, all-metal vans and other similar vehicles. The outer side of the arch is mounted to the side of the body or fender, and the inner side is mounted to the floor of the cabin.

Composite arches are two or more parts that form a wheel well when connected to each other and to body parts. In this design, the wheel arch is usually called the internal part located on the side of the wheel suspension. The second part of the arch can be a sidewall of the body, a fender, or a special semicircular (usually) part welded to the sidewall/fender. In all cases (with rare exceptions), the parts are connected to each other and to mating body elements by spot welding.

There are front and rear wheel arches, and the front arches are often called wheel mud flaps, as they protect the engine compartment and the front part of the body from water and dirt flying out from under the wheels. In passenger cars, front and rear arches are most often composite, made of two parts, or from the inside of the arch and the side of the body or wing. In commercial vehicles and many trucks (minibuses and all-metal vans), the front arches located in the cab are made of composite parts, and the rear arches are all-stamped. On buses, most often all four arches are solidly stamped.

Regardless of the design and purpose, arches are made by cold stamping from rolled steel sheets (ordinary carbon steel) of small thickness (most often no more than 0.8 mm). The arches have technological and mounting holes (for the wheel stand, wire and cable outlets, etc.), various niches and recesses, as well as stiffeners that prevent deformation of the part when the vehicle moves over uneven surfaces (due to the resulting bending and torsional loads). To increase resistance to negative environmental influences, the arches have an anti-corrosion coating - this can be galvanizing, powder coating, or a combination of several means.

It should be noted that wheel arches are often complemented with protective and decorative components. Protective ones include the so-called fender liners (lockers or arch protection) - plastic or rubberized parts that follow the shape of the inner surface of the wheel well. The fender liners are mounted inside the arch using rivets or special screws and protect the metal from corrosion, contamination and wear due to the abrasive sandblasting effect (sand, dirt and stones flying out from under the wheel). Over time, fender liners wear out, become deformed, crack or completely collapse, but replacing them is much easier and cheaper than completely replacing an arch or part of it.

Decorative parts include various linings made of plastic or metal, which are mounted around the perimeter of the wheel arch on the outside of the body. Often, trims are a continuation of moldings or other decorative components that decorate the sills, doors, fenders or sides of the car body. In many domestic cars of early production, such a decorative detail is the outer part of the wheel arch.