Most cars today are well protected against rust, but there is one place where rust often appears: the front wheel arches. What is the cause and how do you solve it?
Cause
The wheel arches are well protected on the inside against drops and dirt. So it doesn’t depend on what you drive through. What it does have to do with is the drainage of rainwater. The windshield wipers sweep the water down so that it can be drained into the street through the grilles.
That’s fine for the first few years, but over time the grille gets clogged with all the dirt that remains on the windshield. Think of sand, leaves, brine or dust; your windshield catches quite a bit of dirt. The drain gets clogged and the dirt collects under the wheel arch. It hardly dries there and that causes the rust.
The solution
According to the AD the solution is quite simple: have your protective cap removed once every two to four years (or if you are handy you can do it yourself), so that the caked-on remains can be washed away. In this way you prevent the rust or, if it is already there, you delay the rusting.
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