Well I mean it's def. not good but if everything is solid, you're good for now. It's not gonna get any better on its own though that's for sure.
Unless you want to get into replacing everything including the subframe I'd probably just protect it annually with Woolwax, Fluid Film, etc. to slow it down.

Moderator's edit - additional pictures added:

This area is under the trunk, so be sure to look under floor mats and the trunk deck. If necessary, pull the styrofoam tool blocks and see what's going on underneath.

 

Have

Well I mean it's def. not good but if everything is solid, you're good for now. It's not gonna get any better on its own though that's for sure.
Unless you want to get into replacing everything including the subframe I'd probably just protect it annually with Woolwax, Fluid Film, etc. to slow it down.

Have you had a Wool Wax treatment? Was it worth it? How would I know if a detailer is adept at this treatment?

 

I bought my car as much for DIY as driving, but this was one job I farmed out. It cost £275. 3hrs labour plus about £70 worth of product, mostly Dinitrol. Also the car spent 3 days out of my hands as stuff needs to cure or dry.
This is an easy job to cut corners on so you need to trust the provider. In my case I had had dealings before and the guy is ex navy helicopter engineer who can be irritating meticulous. The rust removing stuff he used was brutal. Much better than yer average wire wheel!
i spent £40 for a couple of hours in his DIY garage just to do an oil change on my new purchase and have a look underneath. Cheap, but he had lined me up for the pitch to have the rear subframe treated Frankly, it was win-win for both of us.

I live very close to the sea and the car is often covered in salt after a ‘blow’. In relatively modern cars the paintwork survives but the underside gets eaten away.
I also think if you show some interest in the ‘ understains ’ MOT testers may treat you more kindly at the margins of advisory or fail. But that just my personal conspiracy theory

 

That is looking like it will be an edge case soon.

 

Thanks @BauhausBrick and @TT'sRevenge - I had been trying to persuade myself it's not that bad but good to get a dose of realism! I'm certainly going to do something about it

@Beryl sounds like we're very similar in approaches. I've had ten years of company cars and got the TT in part to have a project to fiddle with and learn new skills, but I also don't want to kill myself so for the sort of money you paid would be very happy to hand this over to a professional! Where was the person who did yours based? I'm in Reading but would be happy to run the car down to the south coast and get a train back to know it was getting dealt with properly. Alternatively there looks to be a company that will do a rustproofing service not far from my parents in the midlands so that's another option.

 

Another thing you could consider is to get the subframe done as mentioned, but those lower spring mount arms are relatively cheap so you could also swap those out

If the subframe is being lowered for the treatment it's worth a look of the underside of the boot floor as it is probably in a similar state

 

Another thing you could consider is to get the subframe done as mentioned, but those lower spring mount arms are relatively cheap so you could also swap those out

If the subframe is being lowered for the treatment it's worth a look of the underside of the boot floor as it is probably in a similar state

Thanks, and yes I wouldn't be at all surprised if the underside of the boot wasn't in need of some work too. Given the springs are already on advisories I could do them too, of course it then becomes one of those jobs where I think I'm going to spend £300 and end up in four figures, but that's probably better that than the car collapsing on me!

 

Check out my link for issues with rust on the boot floor and subframe refurbishment

2008 2.0 TFSI (BWA) - Rear Subframe Refurb

Hi all. My otherwise mint mk 2 has a rusty rear sub frame and I thought it was time to whip it off, get it shot blasted and powder coated. At the same time I thought I would replace bushings with poly bushes and all new bolts etc. On closer inspection, I also note the boot floor is also covered...

www.ttforum.co.uk

It’ll make your hair curl when you see how rusty your floor is when you drop thff Ed exhaust and diff. Good luck!!

 

I’m in West Cornwall Steel subframes look awful once the paint has been stripped off by the weather and the road but it could be quite sound. I’m a 100 metres from the sea, high up with no garage so I’m an extreme case. You could just get the rear off the ground and lag in twenty quids worth of Waxoil. And repeat every year?

 

Rear suspension arms and subframe are next on the to do list for my TTS having fitted Nagengast refurbished front suspension and wishbones today. Rear suspension arms are a job I've done once before on a 2010 Scirocco, and it's an absolute pig of a job.
As far as your suspension arms go, they look structurally sound but obviously far from ideal. If it were my car, I'd replace the arms at least, the parts themselves are surprisingly cheap and I think it's worth replacing for the price. Obviously, as mentioned, it won't get any better, but has the potential to get worse fairly quickly.

 

Rear suspension arms and subframe are next on the to do list for my TTS having fitted Nagengast refurbished front suspension and wishbones today. Rear suspension arms are a job I've done once before on a 2010 Scirocco, and it's an absolute pig of a job.
As far as your suspension arms go, they look structurally sound but obviously far from ideal. If it were my car, I'd replace the arms at least, the parts themselves are surprisingly cheap and I think it's worth replacing for the price. Obviously, as mentioned, it won't get any better, but has the potential to get worse fairly quickly.

I think you are the only person I've heard of who has done this. How much did that cost? With shipping to Poland and back, it made doing this from over here non-cost-effective, so I bought new ones instead. I guess it works out if you live in Europe though, meaning cheaper than new... (You're talking about the magride struts, right?)

 

You can get OEM Lemforder lower rear arms for about £50 each (well you could about a year ago ) but those adjustment bolts holding them in will be well and truly seized and will require cutting/hammering out as I went through this with my A3 8P a few months ago.
For what it’s worth, I’d leave things as they are but give everything a good dousing with Lanoguard Moto Spray, it’ll look heaps better.
Have used it the last 2-3 years on my TT and much prefer it to Waxoyl/Dinitrol/other spray on waxes.

Lanoguard | Rust Protection Product for Vehicles, Boats, and Machine

Lanoguard offers a variety of rust prevention solutions. Sourced and produced in the UK by a family run business. Trusted by thousands of customers. Easy to apply, minimal prep providing long lasting protection.

www.lanoguard.co.uk

 

Your subframe and arms aren't that bad and will go on for a long time yet, it just depends how sensitive you are to MOT advisories - or find a new MOT tester.

However, the important bit is MT-V6's comment, check the body panels/underside of the boot floor above the subframe. If they are anything like mine that's where you need to spend the money because if you let them rust right through - and they will - your problems with the MOT guy will really start.

 

Thanks for all the advice folks, really appreciated!

I've fired out a couple of emails to rust treatment places to see what they come back with price wise, asking for the full underbody seal rather than just the subframe and rear suspension. I think the costs they come back with will probably dictate the next steps but this is one I am leaning towards leaving to the professionals unless the quotes are absurdly high.

 

Wool wax treatment? That sounds like something the wife gets on a spa day 😳😬

 

That's not ordinary rust. The battery vent is located at the rear. Will not do any harm unless it gets wet. Neutralize the acid using baking soda.

 

By the way - if you need a good penetrative lubricant, the best I have ever used to free up seized bolts etc is Bulldog BDX. Don't reach for the cutter or drill until you've tried that.

 

It’s not that bad, I’d just change out the lower controls arms but that will cost ya. The arms are cheap but you’ll need an alignment. Good possibility those bolts are seized.

I’d personally just leave it and not do a thing.


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I taught everything is made of aluminium except the boot flooring. I don't see any rust. So suprise to find out the tailgate, door and rear subframe is made of steel.

 

I taught everything is made of aluminium except the boot flooring. I don't see any rust. So suprise to find out the tailgate, door and rear subframe is made of steel.

Yeah I take it you either don't drive yours in winter or you don't get bad winters there with lots of road salt being used? On a side note one thing is easier about working on the back parts of the car...you always have a place to stick a mechanic's light with a magnet on the end lol. The front...good luck Always trying to find a bolt or something to get the light to stick and so easy to fall/knock off since that's usually not a large enough or flat enough surface lol.

Out of interest does anyone know if a TTRS subframe will fit the TTS and if it offers any particular performance advantages? I've seen there's one available on eBay currently so am wondering if that might be an option if I go down the road of with making do with the existing one for a year or so and then doing a wholesale swap to a new rear subframe and suspension assembly.

If you're talking about the aluminium rear subframe, I'm not even sure it's RSes that have that or that all RSes do. I've never seen anyone say definitively how a car gets that; I've always thought it was only earlier years but yeah maybe RSes have them too? I dunno. But if that's what you're talking about, yeah it should fit I believe.

 

Out of interest does anyone know if a TTRS subframe will fit the TTS and if it offers any particular performance advantages? I've seen there's one available on eBay currently so am wondering if that might be an option if I go down the road of with making do with the existing one for a year or so and then doing a wholesale swap to a new rear subframe and suspension assembly.

 

That price seems really low. Since you'll need all new bolts and an alignment. Never mind the worn bushings etc...

 

I was probably using the word 'strip' incorrectly. Basically they'll remove the wheel arch covers and treat all the metalwork but I don't think that price includes them disassembling anything. They've done a lot of very involved restorations so I expect if it needs doing they'll let me know but I expect that would definitely start pushing the cost up!

 

I was probably using the word 'strip' incorrectly. Basically they'll remove the wheel arch covers and treat all the metalwork but I don't think that price includes them disassembling anything. They've done a lot of very involved restorations so I expect if it needs doing they'll let me know but I expect that would definitely start pushing the cost up!

 

Update on this - as the specialist was prepping for the Lanoguard, this big bastard hole on the subframe made itself apparent...

Therefore we're going to swap the subframe out and the other heavily corroded suspension components at the same time, making the car somewhat less of a bargain. I can see this turning into a moneypit but hey, it's MY money pit